Menswear in summer should be easy – T-shirts, shorts, you know the drill. But when you strip away the jumpers, jackets and layering tricks that do the heavy lifting the rest of the year, most men are left choosing from the same clothes drawer. And when everyone’s dressed the same, you all blend into one.
The fix? Cohesion; the key most men miss. If you stick to airy, elevated basics that work together in any combination – a white T-shirt, a striped Oxford, straight-leg jeans, navy chino shorts – you’ll look put-together wherever the season takes you, from the pub garden to a wedding. Look at the men who consistently get it right off-duty: Jacob Elordi, Tom Holland, Harry Styles. You’ll see it’s rarely more than a handful of well-chosen basics, worn on repeat.
Every piece has to pull its weight. Think of it as a summer jigsaw, where each item needs to slot into at least three other outfits, not just look good on its own. Keep the palette tight – navy, white, stone, the odd shot of light green or red – and almost everything will work together. It’s also why this approach travels well: five or six pieces will see you through a week away.
Good style doesn’t need to be expensive, either. The supermarket stores’ summer collections are full of the kind of pieces I’m talking about. They might not win any awards for originality, but they’re doing the basics better than ever – and at a fraction of the price of the high street. These are my 14 top picks from Tesco (F&F), Sainsbury’s (Tu), Asda (George) and M&S. (Sure, M&S is more of a department store, but you can pick the clothes up while you do your weekly shop, so I think it still counts.)
