Fresh Thinking; Choosing a Cool Summer Cloth

For a first post, I thought I'd touch on a summer topic and catch the end of the season while I can! I've read a couple of articles recently which suggest that navy blue or beige hues are the best colours for summer tailoring - and although these are tried and tested classic colours, they do run the risk of being somewhat uninspired.

In an attempt to offer an alternative perspective, I'd like to put forward the view that the recent film The Great Gatsby (although not always quite on the money as far as the tailoring goes) should be your first port of call to explore the ways in which summer colour palettes can be put to use in tailoring. Warm pastel colours and the subtle use of texture dominate suiting in the film, and with Gatsby inspired tailoring being right on-trend, this season really gives you the opportunity to enjoy experimenting with colour.

Fresh pastel hues come into their own in the warmer weather and are surprisingly easy-to-wear. Soft blue, ivory or fawn, lilac and dusty pink are the ultimate in fun summer colours for both suits and jackets (and bare with me here) because although you may instantly blanch at the idea of a pastel pink suit, there is a lot to be said for having a suit cut in such an unusual colour for summer formal wear. In the right shades, pastel colours make for an elegant, distinguished and yet understated look and offer a sense of confidence; they speak of a man who enjoys dressing well. 

The key is to keep accessories and shirting simple when experimenting with colour in your summer tailoring, and keep colour combinations classic. For casual wear, look for soft oxford button-down collars and chambray shirts. For formal wear, I'd suggest that you avoid multi-coloured shirts, but keep yourself looking crisp with fresh summer shirts in textured or subtly striped cloths (think sky blue, pinks, coral, mint or ivory tones) with clean white collars and cuffs which always help to keep a shirt looking light and crisp, and again are a fashionable 20s feature. Summer is also the season of the separate. Lightweight summer tailored trousers are the perfect way to wear tailoring casually, and such is the popularity of brightly coloured chinos nowadays, that the possibilities are quite literally endless. 

I explored my theory during a recent trip to The Cad and The Dandy and was bowled over by the variety of linens, cottons and summer-weight wools/wool mohair blends available. As you can see from these few photographs, there's no reason not to enjoy having something slightly different hanging in your wardrobe to brighten your day. Furthermore, this is a trend which the high street is emulating, check out Hackett, Reiss or even M&S for some handsome summer pieces and for further summer inspiration, take a look at the Pinterest board I've started to accompany this post, which I hope will further prove my point; 
http://pinterest.com/studenttailor/innovative-summer-suiting/