There are a few late summer dressing debates going on across the web. Will, over at A Suitable Wardrobe quite rightly points out that this is more a time to switch palettes rather than fabrics. I agree and only wish that I had more flexibility in my wardrobe to do so. This photo shows a wool jacket (lightweight) with navy linen trousers, a light blue and tan checked shirt and a navy linen tie. Gingham pocket square. Are the tan jacket and pocket square too light for late summer dressing?
At The Sartorialist there is a European vs. American debate about the suitability of wearing one’s jacket over one’s shoulders during hot weather. What’s your vote? It’s a tough look to pull off, in my opinion. I left myself unshaven and tried gesticulating more whilst soliloquizing to lend the photo more of an Italian/Mediterranean air.
And finally, Turling was kind enough to inspire this look: linen trousers, no tie. I can’t quite bring myself to do without the jacket, which has always functioned as a sort of camouflage for me. Is there a significant level of difference between the two looks? (Think in terms of appropriateness to the work environment rather than formality.)
I think the difference between photograph No. 3 and photograph No. 4 is cavernous. I, unlike many conservative dressers, do not find a sans-necktie look to be disastrous, especially in summer months. But look No. 4 equates you to a member of tech support at a “big-box” retailer, or a high schooler at a prom, stripping off all his nicities to dance the night away.
As for look No. 2, my fiancée has a wonderful poster hanging on the wall in her childhood bedroom, titled “An American Girl in Itay,” and a date I cannot recall, though it may well be 1954. In it I suspect one might find every aspect of Italian men’s dress, complete with an older Italian gentleman (all other men in the picture are mid-30s), wearing his jacket over his shoulders. He is by far the most refined, yet he still looked at the girl striding down the street as a wold looks at a sheep in Looney Tunes. I, for one, am for the shoulders look, if you can pull it off (It seems you can, while I, regrettably, cannot).
Best,
B.deR.W.
Rereading my post, I must apologize for a number of grammatical errors, and one garish spelling mistake: wold is surely not a word! I, of course, meant wolf.
Also, I must say, your pocket square makes the blue in that jacket stand out beautifully!
B.deR.W.