Summer has finally arrived. It’s great news for your tan, but it can also be a spanner in the works when it comes to getting dressed. Warmer weather means fewer clothes, and fewer clothes mean less room for sartorial expression.
So how can you keep your style fresh and stay cool at the same time?
Keeping your wardrobe current doesn’t have to mean blindly following fashion. The great thing about trends is that you can take them or leave them. This means you can mix in trending pieces that speak to you, which will allow you to stay true to yourself and your own sense of style while keeping your outfits feeling up to date.
Unfortunately, we’re living in a bizarre time when it comes to fashion. The proliferation of social media has ramped up the volume of trends and the rate at which they rise and fall. There’s simply too much to take in, and much of it is best avoided.
To help, we’ve sifted through it all to bring you a handpicked selection of trending summer pieces that we think are actually worth investing in. From fisherman sandals to big linen pants – here are the summer 2024 menswear pieces to know.
Loose-Fitting Linen Pants
Linen trousers are about as easy and breezy as legwear gets, but you can increase the chill factor of these summer favourites even more by dialling up the roominess. Now that’s a comfortable pair of pants!
Your legs are in luck this year because massive billowy linen legwear is trending hard. It’s ideal for keeping cool stylishly, and it can work well with anything from a matching linen blazer to a fitted white tee.
Dress them up with loafers or fisherman sandals, or keep it casual with some colourful suede sneakers to make your outfit pop.
Low-Profile Sneakers
If Samba-geddon taught us anything, it’s that oversized sneakers have had their day, and a prevailing appetite for slim, low-profile shoes has returned. People are pairing loose-fitting pants with smaller sneakers, and it looks surprisingly good.
We reached peak Adidas Samba long ago, but there are plenty of similar, less played-out models for you to consider. A few of our current favourites are the Adidas SL72, the Adidas Handball Spezial, the Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 and the Nike Cortez.
Fisherman Sandals
What do you do when it’s sweltering outside, but you need to dress up smart(ish)? A linen suit, perhaps? A Seersucker shirt? That’s all good, but things tend to fall apart when picking appropriate footwear. Why? Because options for this specific scenario are almost nonexistent. Almost.
Enter the fisherman sandal. This piece of woven leather footwear can be worn in place of a dress shoe, but it’s airy and breathable and lends outfits a relaxed, summery feel. It looks great paired with unstructured linen tailoring or worn casually with shorts and a plain white tee.
Boxy Camp-Collar Shirt
Camp-collar shirts aren’t going anywhere. In fact, they’ve been trending every year for as long as we can remember. This year, however, it’s the boxier, the better, with cropped, loose-fitting styles being the ones to watch.
Not only are boxy shirts great for making outfits a bit more interesting by playing with their overall silhouette, but they’re also great for keeping air circulating, which will ultimately keep you cool. Bonus points if you go for a summer-friendly fabric like linen or Tencel.
Tinted Sunglasses
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Forget the full blackout sunnies. Lightly tinted shades are far cooler, and they’re trending in a big way.
Be it brown, green, pink or blue, these see-through sunglasses are great for accessorising in warm weather. You can even wear them indoors without looking like you’re trying to mask a hangover.
Knitted Shirt
Anything that can add some much-needed texture to your summer outfits is a valuable thing, and a knitted shirt will do exactly that. It’s a great alternative to a polo or a plain Oxford shirt, and you can wear it exactly the same way.
These shirts are highly versatile and can be easily dressed up or down. You can wear one open over a T-shirt or vest with shorts and sneakers, or you can elevate it with dress pants and a pair of suede loafers for dressier settings.
Slouchy Crew Socks
Throw the no-show socks in the bin. It’s not 2015 anymore. There’s a new sock paradigm now, and it stretches much further north of the ankle.
Crew socks are the new default setting, even when you’re wearing shorts. That’s right. It might sound crazy, but the times are changing, and if you don’t want to be left behind, then this is one of the first summer-style moves to make.
Just make sure you’re not pulling them up as high and tight as they’ll go. That’s a big no-no. Instead, they should be slouchy and relaxed.
Short Shorts
For those who haven’t been skipping leg day, short inseams are having a moment. Around five inches is a good place to aim, which will get you a lovely tan without sacrificing too much of your modesty. Any shorter and you’re veering dangerously close to hot-pant territory, which is never a good idea.
There are loads of options out there, but so far we haven’t found any that can compete with Patagoina’s iconic Baggies. They’re just the right length, roomy enough to keep you cool and comfortable, and they can double up as swim shorts as and when you need them to.
Big Shorts
There’s no middle ground with shorts this summer, it’s either go big or go small. If you’re worried about dabbling in skimpy shorts, you could go in the opposite direction and try a pair of knee-grazing jorts or chino shorts instead. Granted, it’s an acquired taste, but it can look good when it’s done right.
The key is to keep the fit nice and loose and team the shorts up with similarly baggy, relaxed-fitting pieces. Tread carefully around anything too 2000s-themed, though, or you risk being mistaken for a Limp Bizkit fanboy.
Soft Tailoring
Forget about slim fits, cropped legs and structured shapes. Things have moved on, and we’re now entering a period of loose, flowy, laid-back tailoring. We’re talking slouchy unstructured blazers, breezy balloon-fit dress pants and relaxed, textured fabrics.
This is tailoring built for comfort, which is great news when tackling the hot weather. Loose cuts mean increased airflow, which anyone who has spent a day at a summer wedding in a form-hugging wool suit will undoubtedly agree is no bad thing.
Just be sure not to go too baggy. Loose needn’t mean ill fitting, and your jacket and pants should still follow the usual tailoring rules in terms of how they fit in the shoulders, waist and around the chest. If in doubt, visit a good tailor and have them tweak things accordingly.
