By Jamie Ferguson.

I’m back baby. Ya miss me? It’s only been what six months?

Speaking of months they sure are getting warmer and that can mean only one thing… It’s time to shave all your knee hair off ‘cause shorts season is fast approaching, but have no fear as I’m back with another article about the clothes I’ll be soon applying to my *sculpted BO-DY.

*read pre-sculpted, schlumpy clay

This list is by no means definitive. There are a TON of items I haven’t been able to listicle here so please don’t conclude that I’m not thinking about them, and always please filter all of my choices through your own personal style sieve. These aren’t for everyone and nothing is meant to be prescriptive. Think of the suggestions as a jumping off point and consume with liberal handfuls of salt. Enjoy!

1) Drake’s wool/silk/linen herringbone jacket

One of my absolute favs, a loving homage to those 90’s Polo jackets; this is an absolute beast of versatility, so much so that it even convinced your very own Simon Crompton to commission something similar from J.Mueser here.

Don’t hate the playa Simone, I just got there first. Vrooooooom! (Picture me driving off Mario Kart style.)

For realsies though, everyone should own a jacket like this. I adore the slubbiness of the cloth and that little bit of linen means you develop some sweet sweet ‘accordion arms’ over time.

I would possibly make the case that this jacket is the easiest to pair with denim in my wardrobe, something I know a lot of you dudes out there are looking for. See exhibit A, B, C, ANNNND D above. Alright, you got me, you beagle-eyed readers, that last one isn’t technically denim but you catch my drift. Casual trousers and this jacket go for walks in the park and get pretzels together i.e. BEST FRIENDS.

It’s a ‘beater’ if you will, the perfect combination of colour and pattern. You don’t have to be too precious either as its patina benefits from a rougher hand. The only issue you might run into is finding one for yourself, the cloth being notoriously hard to work with due to its ‘sponginess’, but any decent MTM tailor should be able to steer you to something similar.

Happy hunting.

2) Hawaiian shirts

Simon’s already covered the style icon that is Tom Selleck as Richard from FRIENDS, but his most iconic role still resonates stylistically with a lot of guys today. I’m talking, of course, about the one and only MAGNUM PI and what’s the one thing Magnum was known for besides his love of fine cigars? HAWAIIAN SHIRTS baby.

Perhaps the trend for this fair-weather shirting accoutrement has passed but I’m going to drive it till the wheels fall off. I love them. Crazy patterns, pops of colour, they speak to my inner beach bum; but I will insist on one thing that might get me sneered at by the purists.

The one I’m wearing here is from Hartford, a Parisian brand known for its interpretation of classic West Coast Americana. The cotton the shirt is made up in is very lightweight making it extremely breathable, which is perfect for the heat. Some of the more authentic versions are made from synthetic blends, which I don’t mind per se, but not when it comes to airing out my sweaty aisselles, pardon my French.

I’ve worn it fairly casually here but I love how my brothers over at The Anthology style theirs, if you’re needing to up the smartness.

3) Budd seersucker pyjama shirt

Speaking of drippy pits, the balmier climes call for appropriate fabrics. I’m talkin’ linen, Solaro and an absolute hero of mine, seersucker.

Although backseat confession, I wear seersucker all year round. I’m not a huge believer in only wearing certain cloths at certain times of the year from a propriety point of view. Usually it’s just a case of wearing more or fewer layers to make up for whatever it is you’re lacking, whether that be warmth or coolness.

I’m a particular fan of this Budd seersucker pyjama shirt, which I’ve paired here with a cotton suit from Drake’s. It combines two of my favourite things: not being hot and the ability to nap ANYWHERE.

I had this made for me by James MacAuslan, the Budd shirt cutter who’s now set up his own shirting operation HUME London. It was based off a version Budd had done as RTW, but I wanted an olive seersucker instead so we went down the MTM route. Budd appear to have discontinued its option but I know that if you mentioned this to James at HUME he’d be able to whip you up one right quick (quick meaning standard time to cut and sew a handmade shirt).

This bad boy is sooooo slouchy, in the best possible way and the hotter it gets the more buttons get undone; up to you whether you think that’s a good or bad thing.

I like to dress it up as much as I can, preferably with softer shouldered tailoring but then anchoring the rest of the look with as much nonchalance as I can mustard (sometimes you can’t mustard nonchalance at all, sometimes you gotta ketchup…just relish it, no matter what…sorry). So no socks, shirt untucked, espadrilles, and a bucket hat. You only get what you give.

4) Beams+ cut-off chino shorts

Possibly a throwback to my formative years growing up in Canada where we had PROPER summers. I’m talking humidity, mosquitoes, popsicles and lots and lots of sports camps. GO SPORTS! Shorts are in my DNA and I will take any opportunity to don the tiny tiny trouser.

There’s a freedom to shorts which I love. I think there can be a trepidation to them which I’m all too understanding of but I’m here to tell you…let go. Throw caution to the wind. Have a little fun.

The shorties I’m sporting here are a pair of Beams+ I got off the Mr Porter sale a few years back. They’re made to look like they’re cut from a pair of chinos (raggedy at the hems) which I like. You get the benefit of them looking a little smarter because of the material, but also the ruggedness of the rough hem. I’ve got the same pair in olive too as they’re super versatile.

Paired here with my Bryceland’s white sawtooth shirt, Luca Avitable linen overshirt, Alden penny loafers, Berg and Berg belt and Pop Trading Co baseball hat.

I’ve also tried the same shorts with a kind of Polo Ralph Lauren look, swapping the overshirt for my navy DB blazer, a light blue striped OCBD and my Drake’s robot club tie. On a good day I think I’m channeling a version of Angus Young but then again…

5) Prince-of-Wales-check linen suit

This suit is a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster. The odd suit trousers are from Drake’s, picked up in The Rake sale a long while ago. Annoyingly the accompanying jacket had sold out but much like Baldrick, I had a cunning plan, a plan so cunning you could stick a moustache on it.

I immediately texted my friend Matthew Coles, who at the time was working for Drake’s as their marketing director, to ask him if he wouldn’t mind telling me what cloth was used to make the suit. I had a sneaking suspicion it was from a Harrison’s bunch and Matthew kindly confirmed that I was correct and supplied me with the necessary fabric code. The joys of working in the industry!

Onto Phase 2 of operation Franken-suit. I was owed a jacket by Australian MTM outfit Trunk Tailors for work I had just completed for them, and so I asked if they could just make me a single-breasted based off my previous measurements and supplied them with the aforementioned code and bingo boingo, Franken-suit arose from the operating table.

I digress slightly, but I do so to illustrate the lengths I went to get this suit completed and thusly why it has become one of my favourite springtime fineries.

Admittedly, when I finally got hold of the monster I wasn’t quite sure how to wear it. The jacket itself was easy enough to style (as seen above) but I felt it was a little too much as a full set.

As often happens in my life, Lucas Nicholson came to my sartorial rescue astride his jet-ski… Not really, I mean the jet-ski part, but wouldn’t that be cool? Handbrake turns onto the shore, spraying you with surf and just flings inspo at your sun beaten dome… Woah Mama… Frustratingly, he has since removed said inspo (WTH man?! The internet is supposed to be FOREVER!!!) But it was akin to the image above – sans ball cap of course, ‘cause when you have a mane like Lucas’s you gotta let it flowwwww.

Bottom line, I learned to keep it simple. That PoW check can be mighty powerful, and slowing things down with a straightforward sawtooth shirt or chambray spread collar and black silk knit tie (below) saves it from being too visually busy.