Summer is for special occasions. Let’s assess the proper sartorial options – from the seersucker suit, to the cotton and linen suit, to a quintessential panama hat.
“Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
So spake Henry James, lauded scribe, and there’s surely no better use for a balmy afternoon than throwing on one’s favourite sartorial garbs and heading to a summer occasion – perhaps fit for royalty. Whether you’ve got the grand nuptials of a treasured niece, or a strawberries and cream-stuffed afternoon strolling Wimbledon’s outer courts, we’ve knocked domes to bring you every feasible option: from an interminably dashing seersucker suit, to a breezy cotton and linen suit, to accessories like the immortal panama hat. The sunscreen, however? That’s up to you…
Simply iconic in the seersucker suit
The seersucker suit has its etymological roots in the Persian phrase “shir eu shakar” – translating loosely as “milk and sugar” in homage to its smooth-yet-rumpled design. It gained sartorial notoriety in the 1930s as an Ivy College standard and is now a fitting outfit for any grand summer fete. With a 100% seersucker cotton outer and the classic puckered weave helped to absorb heat from the body, you’ll feel light as air and cool as the shaved ice in your first G+T. Available in cappuccino beige or sky blue hue – to match the sky.
A favourite of Cary Grant – the seersucker suit
Keeping cool in the cotton and linen suit
Most summer occasions befit just a smidgen of informality at the prospect – not always fulfilled – of sunshine. The cotton and linen suit is the perfect choice, with its adroitness at dressing up or down. Pair the blue two-piece with an open pink Seidensticker short sleeve shirt for an afternoon on the lawns, or sharpen up with tie and pocket square if you’re heading to the church. The stone beige option is the last word for those who want to turn heads – a perfect ensemble with the gold floral brocade waistcoat and ochre knitted silk tie.
The cotton and linen suit – a suit for all summer occasions
Permanent style in panama hats
The panama hat has a storied past dating back to 17th-century Ecuador. Fittingly, all those in the Peter Christian range are weaved from premium-grade Paja Toquilla straw, offering the perfect melange of shade and style for your scalp. The regimental panama hat is the ideal option for a day at Lord’s, basking in the clunk of leather on willow, its wide brim giving the ultimate sun protection. For those who like their mono-colour outfits – guilty – the blue panama will be an attention-grabbing compadre for the blue stripe seersucker suit.
Keep peeking from under your panama hat
We like smart shorts. You like smart shorts.
A man cannot survive on suits alone, especially under the midsummer sun’s blaze. These smart dress shorts come in a medley of hues – from seasonal all-rounder sand, to effortlessly royal blue, to the pinkish brick for those of a nattier disposition. Pair with this blue floral Hawaiian shirt for a livelier soiree, where the spritz’s fly faster than the bon-mots. Feeling brave? Smarten up with a canvas blazer for the ultimate low-key, high-stakes look that can traverse day and night – provided the weather allows, of course.
Summer shorts, for men of distinction
Forever preppy in the polo shirt
The item is indelibly linked with Wimbledon and Fred Perry – the only British tournament victor for nearly a century. Therefore – presuming you haven’t lent on your associates for a seat in the Royal Box, in which case we would avert you to the summer suits – there’s no better environment for a box fresh polo shirt. Try the yellow gold contrast trim pique cotton polo with its subtle striped detailing and bespoke Peter Christian duelling hares. Up the preppiness by pairing with a pair of lightweight chinos and leather boat shoes – perfect for the yacht or dockside.
Stay for one last summer dance in the short sleeve shirt
A considered choice of short sleeve shirt will elevate your summer occasion outfit, whatever the celebration. The subtle lines of the pink stripe linen and cotton shirt will dreamily pair with the nantucket jeano – a cross between jeans and chinos, perfect for a chillier evening where the wind whips straight off the hills. The 100% linen shirt is manna for the good-living man who can wilt in the heat, especially when tucked underneath a stone cotton and linen suit and levelled up with a superior panama hat.
See our select range of short sleeve shirts
Take a sun-dappled perambulation through our trove of summer sartorial treats – from the iconic seersucker suit to the all-rounder cotton and linen suit, and our raft of summer accoutrements including the panama hat.
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