A Softer Summer

What I'm wearing in an appeal for softness this season.

All signs point to a softer summer. What I mean by this is a softening of silhouettes, the desired blend of ease and vivacity in summer mimicked in the languid drape and louche lines of vintage Polo and Armani, new Auralee, loose collars, ill-defined shoulders, and low-slung everything.

I’ve long been a proponent of “hard” clothing—denim, workwear, durable goods that take forever to break in. This is the year I might actually reach the point of breaking things in. Part of the appeal of softness is the lived-in quality; it’s the actual “quiet luxury” that everyone desires—comfort, ease, and confidence in knowing “these are my clothes” because you’ve worn them for years. My buddy Lawrence has a Wrangler denim shirt he inherited from Jeremy well over ten years ago and the more he’s worn it in, the more it’s become a part of his persona. Think about the older generations in your life and chances are they’re still wearing socks someone gave them for Christmas 14 years ago.

I’m trying to reverse-engineer this approach because it doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve never had the patience or confidence to wear most things for more than a season or two. I’m lucky that I usually can get back a good amount of what I paid for things, and in blissful ignorance, I’ve written the losses off as my dues to the personal style gods. But with cobwebs in my savings account and piles upon piles in my wardrobe, I literally can’t afford to be buying so much shit anymore. So, borne from necessity comes my newfound desire to exit the vicious cycle of consumption that is “fashion,” and with that, I’m trying to take summer to slow down and savor the stuff I already own, to let it marinate, and, hopefully, to fortify my perspective on clothing and how it relates to personal style. Can one have personal style without a wardrobe full of their exact perfect grail pieces? The universe booms with a resounding “Of course, you idiot,” and nevertheless, I persist in finding out myself.

Here’s what I’m looking forward to wearing this summer, taken straight from my existing wardrobe.

Shirts

First up, we have these fun embroidered shirts from Wax London, a brand that prides itself on ethical, sustainable business practices. The shirts are made in India, which accounts for the hand-loomed texture of the cotton and the masterful embroidery work. I’m looking forward to wearing them with some pleated shorts, sandals, and a healthy tan in true equatorial fashion.

Next are some super lightweight striped button-down collar shirts. An absolute slept-on Ivy-style staple, these are a great way to inject color into your wardrobe without feeling like you’ve gone overboard. I wear mine over a white tee with only the second-to-last buttoned for a plunging V silhouette a la Margiela at Hermés. The first two are from Crowley Vintage, while the third is Buck Mason’s muted take.

Part shirt, part jacket is a category I’ve warmed up to while living in LA. The Oman Anorak from the Observer Collection is cut from lightweight British cotton ventile, a rare pure cotton waterproof fabric developed during WW2. Sewn by salt-of-the-earth tailors in Kuwait, it’s a masterful blend of militaria and practical Middle Eastern techniques to weather the elements. The denim pullover is something that’s fascinated me for a while. I remember seeing Engineered Garments and Post O’Alls doing versions of these in the early 2010s, but I didn’t pick one up until recently when I saw it pop up on Marrkt. It’s a repro, probably Real McCoys or Warehouse, made with midweight denim that should develop some beautiful fades over time.

Shorts

I’m chomping at the bit to wear the new Larsen shorts from Buck Mason. They’re precisely the sort of fit I gravitate towards, and the hearty herringbone twill feels ripe for beating up on some canyon trails, which I likely will never actually do. Still, the knowledge that they could handle it is reason enough to compel me. Both colors are great, but the Soft Bronze is a bit more classic, in my opinion.

My vintage Ralph Lauren collection dwindled when I went up a size, but I have a few shorts left, including these cutoffs I wore pretty often last year. The navy linen ones are probably around an 8” inseam and give off more classic 80s vibes. I haven’t worn the denim ones yet, which might actually be women’s, but hey, they fit.

Buck Mason’s board shorts in brown were a shock to my senses; as soon as I put them on, I was back in a Ron Jon Surf Shop dressing room on the Jersey shore circa 2004, but the funny thing is they work with literally everything I’ve paired them with. Have a look at how I styled them in our Swim campaign if you don’t believe me. The Navy Seal UDTs are just too good; even though they’re made from what feels like Army chino cotton, they make a great workout short or just something to lounge around at home in. The 3” inseam begs for some discretion, but damn if they don’t look cool. Bryceland’s does their own premium version, too, if you don’t want to go hunting for the real deal in your size.

Not shorts, but Stoffa’s drawstring trouser is something I got a couple of years back and have only grown to appreciate more over time. The simplicity of the silhouette belies the precise engineering of every minute detail, and the charcoal wool fresco I got them in looks polished, keeps its shape, and is so pleasant to wear through warmer days. The Observer Contractor jeans in a lightweight 11.5 oz Cone denim are ingenious by contrast, with the utility of the construction details on full display. I might just have to put a cowboy crease in them, too, to really accentuate their structural beauty.

Tees

One of the benefits of my job is occasionally getting to take home an early sample of something. Our knits designer came from RRL and brought with him an expertise in indigo and sulfur dye techniques. The indigo on this early sample of the Double V sweatshirt and the final version of this Breton-style Deck tee is already developing a rich depth of color that gives them the sort of well-worn look and feel I crave.

The Toughknit tee is based on old tees from the 30s through the 50s and reminds me a bit of Warehouse tees, only softer. It was developed by the team at Buck Mason’s mill in Pennsylvania, where it’s manufactured, and is honestly one of the top 2 tees I’ve ever owned. A couple of them have a blueish cast in the pic above because I accidentally washed them with an indigo shirt. Luckily, it hasn’t really been noticeable when worn.

Accessories

I’m not sure what it is, but I’ve taken a liking to dad caps after never wearing hats for most of my life. I find these shallow baseball caps look best a bit salty, with a bend in the brim, worn casually askew like a modern-day Humphrey Bogart. I’ve got several, but the ones I wear the most are the Brooklyn Dodgers, Observer Team, and Studied Carelessness ones.

My jewelry remains much the same as it always does—Goro’s, a Captain Willard, and a mariner’s link bracelet, with the addition of a Red Rabbit cuff and a fake Newman Daytona that I put on Serica’s Star 69 bracelet. I also added a two-piece ballistic nylon strap to my 6105 for a bit of the old salty dog aesthetic with modern convenience.

Admittedly, this is a lot of hard-wearing stuff, but I’m looking forward to seeing it all soften with wear.