I like the idea of the Black Watch tartan jacket - very versatile.

You could always go with a common or garden navy blazer too.

All great ideas.

Having evolved from the AAAT site, I tend to associate summer with those other fabrics, as if thats the only way one dresses in warmer months. If I remember back to my youth, it was more softer, lighter weight fabrics. Worn polo shirts, or pinpoint buttondowns instead of OCBD worn under a jacket.

Just need to trust my gut.

Thats why I was hoping for some historical context to right my mind. Tis easy to begin thinking that the world looked like ole Ralphy depicts, or what AAAT says it was like back then. I trust the real people who were there. That is what I enjoy about this board.

BTW, I tried wearing jeans again over the weekend...nope. Just cant do it. Guess societal pressure of seeing everyone in denim caused a momentary lapse in judgement. Not only are khakis more comfortable, but a soft, floppy pare of well worn favorites is much cooler during the summer months.

Last edited by shuman (2008-07-14 05:27:57)

Shuman, I haven't worn jeans all summer.  Denim is just unbearable in the NYC heat and humidity.  I'm sure they'll come back out in the fall, though.

I grew up in the midwest, so I get what you're saying.  I do like seersucker and madras jackets, but I tend to go very plain with everything else I'm wearing when I pick one of these.  Otherwise, I lean heavily on the light blue chambray and linen jackets in shades of blue and tan--the tan I wear with gray or white cotton chinos.

Definitely pinpoint over oxford cloth.  There are stretches late in the season when I just can't bear an extra layer and I'll wear a gingham or striped shirt with the sleeves rolled with no jacket or tie, particularly if I'm going to be out running errands in the middle of the day.  Days off I go with short-sleeved BDs, chinos, and Chuck Taylors in off-white.

Summer is tough for the clothes horse.

Odd that we have both a New England, and Southern threads devoted to the Ivy look at the same time. I guess I embrace the southern stuff more during the heat of summer, then when the leaves begin to fall, I retrench in the basic, New England version.

I like tan linen with white trousers. I am wearing my light tan linen-silk-wool blend jacket with white cotton trousers at the moment. One of the best looking women in the company complimented me on my attire today, which says something.

Good to see you here Matt -

Best,

Jim

If 'summer is bad for the clothes horse', spare a thought for the poor goths...