The dog days of summer bring with them high humidity and higher temperatures. With today’s relaxed “dress code,” many men opt to forego the suit coat or sportjacket and choose to dress for the day in trousers and a shirt (I hope for at least that much….)

OK, I’m game. But if you’re going to strip down your summer clothing to the barest of essentials (without looking like our fellow above, or an inner-city Mormon missionary) step up your game with the unexpected trouser…. No, I don’t mean this unexpected…

(Image from Giorgio Armani Spring 2009 collection via: men.style.com)

They might be right for coffee in the morning, but not for the office. Opt instead for something in a very lightweight 6.8 oz wool, 13 oz linen or cotton, or even a linen/cotton blend …

And opt for something in a pattern.

(Riviera Pinstripe Trouser via SierraTradingPost.com)

(Alberto Striped Trouser via: SierraTradingPost.com)

(Clark Model Linen Madras Pant via: BrooksBrothers.com)

Pair any of them with a pink buttondown and polished brown loafers for work.

Dress them down with a dark coloured camp collar shirt (like this one from Tommy Bahama), worn outside the trouser, and black loafers for after hours drinks.

Easy and at least vaguely elegant.

(Image ukwatches.com)

Do you still wear a wristwatch? Or do you rely on your cellphone? I do both depending on the occasion.

I got my “everyday watch,” a stainless steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust like the one above, the hard way. I inherited it. My father bought it sometime in the late ’50’s or early ’60’s, probably from the PX. It was never the same after Vietnam — the humidity, rain and sweat did in the insides. Against my better judgement, I had it reconditioned. The patina is gone — much to my chagrin — but it works better than ever. And at USD$300 a throw for cleaning, etc. it seemed a wise investment. I hope my son appreciates it.

It’s a great watch, don’t get me wrong. Very comfortable to wear, the band especially, considering it is a steel link thing. I don’t wear it with a dinner jacket. And some of my better made shirt cuffs don’t accommodate its bulk very well. (I like very fitted cuffs.) Of course I could ape L’Avvocato and wear it over the cuff, but there really was only one Gianni Agnelli.

I’d like something that I could wear on more formal evenings. An elegant, slim, leather banded watch adds an element of style to the severe black and white of dinner clothes.

Before my father’s watch came into my possession, I ruined my favourite watch. It wasn’t very expensive, but it made me feel very elegant. It was a copy of a 1940’s Hamilton tank watch on a pigskin band, then an alligator band, then another as I sweated through each whilst working as a dance instructor. I eventually sweated through the insides of the watch, too, hopelessly rusting the mechanism.

(Image TimelyClassics)

The tank watch may be my favourite watch shape. I’d love a Jaeger-LeCoulter Reverso, the watch created for polo players, which flips over to protect the face behind an engravable back.

(Image Amazon.com)

But given my history with perspiring through watches… having the face against my wrist may not be the smartest way to go.

Another to consider, a very elegant model, is the Hermès Cape Cod 1928.

(Image Men.Style.Com)

A Cape Cod Gent in Rose Gold (or the Moonphase edition) is an attractive alternative.

(Image Europastar Magazine)

Really, the grandfather of them all, the “original” tank watch was inspired by the modern design of the Renault tank. Louis Cartier, who designed the iconic time piece in 1917, even gave the prototype to General Pershing. So groundbreaking was the design that it remains one of the most coveted timepieces in the world. A pre-War (II) tank watch would be a very grand watch to own indeed. There is even a book dedicated to tracing the evolution of Mr. Cartier’s watch.

(Available through Amazon.com)

Whether you opt for the original design (Louis Cartier Tank from Gemnation), or the Tank Americaine, or any of the tank line really, this is the watch to wear with your dinner jacket.

Richard Merkin, painter, raconteur, flâneur, first came to my attention in the pages of GQ magazine where he was the “Style Guy,” a post now occupied by Glenn O’Brien. Later I caught a glimpse of him in Alan Flusser’s books. And finally, he was mentioned by a member of The London Lounge who is a friend of his.

Who is this enigmatic, incredibly well-dressed man? He is an artist. And he lives his aesthetic. I admire that.

In fact, I aspire to it.

You may recognize his covers for The New Yorker. Or perhaps you are vaguely aware that he appeared on an album cover once: “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (back row, just right of center.)

Above, in the two pictures, is the man himself as seen in Alan Flusser’s latest “Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Style.” (Highly recommended reading as Flusser is a bit of a stickler for details of the 1930’s and the book is well illustrated with photos and drawings.)

On another man these combinations might be considered too costume-y…. but take a look at his art work…

He paints “things most people don’t know about.” You may catch a Turkish cigarette, a bowler, a famous sports star or literary lion in his works. You will also catch a glimpse of Mr. Merkins’ life… whether real or imagined. He paints the legacy of the Jazz age, that jumbled up party feeling that anything may happen at any time. (Maybe. Art critic I am not.)

A graduate of and professor at RISD, Merkin has been described as Rhode Island’s “most successful New York artist.” He has also been described by Tom Wolfe.

The typical Merkin picture takes legendary American images-from baseball, the movies, fashion, Society, tabloid crime and scandal-and mixes them with his own autobiography, often with dream-style juxtapositions.

Well how else should one create one’s own legend?

(All images from the Carrie Haddad Gallery)

If I had the wherewithal, I would have a Richard Merkin. And a splendid wardrobe to rival his own. Artists can get away with it. So, too, eccentric collectors.

Want more? See him on Charlie Rose discussing the Tijuana Bibles and other “outlaw” comics.