Travelling Light for the Summer Holidays

Do you travel on holiday laden down with clothes for all occasions, accessories, toiletries and electronic gear, or are you a pared down traveller who packs everything in a cabin bag, even for that week away? I thought I'd put together a minimalist, lightweight outfit for up to a week or so away in a warm destination.

Here's what I think are the essentials for a few days away: lightweight blazer, cotton or cashmere jumper, cotton or linen long and short sleeve shirts, t-shirts (plain grey, pale blue or white), linen or cotton trousers, deck shoes, espadrilles or loafers (can you get away with one pair of shoes for lightness?), swim shorts, hat (linen cap or rollable panama), shorts, sunglasses, a robust and water resistant watch, wash bag and contents, tech case for phone etc. If you're expecting rain, I'd include a light coat or a brolly.

From top left clockwise: Uniqlo, New & Lingwood, Johnstons of Elgin, Henri Lloyd, Realm & Empire, Dundas London

From top left clockwise: Marks & Spencer, The Rake Online, The Rake Online, Brunello Cucinelli, Drake's, Spoke London

From top left clockwise: Billingham Bags, Tudor, tech case Stow London, Tuscan wash bag Thomas Clipper, Oliver Peoples

And some additional items in case for rain, sun and beach or pool life:

From top left clockwise: light waterproof Gloverall, Orlebar Brown, London Undercover, Christy's Hats, Kempadoo Millar, Hemingsworth

(Note: The colours are for illustration only; I'm not really suggesting you wear a pink shirt with mustard shorts, but by all means try it if you wish, it may look better than it sounds. I have put links to the suppliers rather than the products under each image.)

This post is unsponsored - the choices of products are mine alone.

Hemingsworth: Made in Britain for the Stylish Traveller

Hemingsworth is a British-made brand that started late last year with a collection of beautifully made swimming shorts and which now has plans to extend the range to provide all that the stylish gentleman needs to travel the world. Jackets followed the shorts, with new colourways appearing next year, which I hope to preview soon (as ever, keep an eye on my Instagram).

The swimming shorts have done well, lauded by the menswear press and seen on many well-known gents like Richard Branson and Daniel Craig. The reason must lie in the sheer quality of the product. All are made in London and feature a 29-piece pattern with 17 hand finished stages. Details like adjustable waistband buckles keep the fit perfect before and after that large lunch. These are no ordinary swimming shorts. 

I look forward to seeing how the range develops, with trousers due in the future to match jackets and shorts, we will have the option of travel suits with either long or short bottom halves. All the products can be made to measure, and their quality of construction makes this a logical option if the standards sizes aren't for you. For more information and to buy, see Hemingsworth.

Linen: summer sprezzatura

Linen is made from the flax plant and its loose weave makes it cool and comfortable in the warmest weather. A bonus for me is the perfectly crumpled look of linen: summer sprezzatura straight off the peg. Mixed with cotton or silk, its crushed nature can be tamed, but never quite hidden completely. Matched with linen accessories, a total relaxed summer look can be achieved.

Whatever you may think of the Edward, Duke of Windsor, he was a dapper dresser. Here pictured in his role as Governor of Bermuda in the 1940s, his outfit is perfect for warmer climes and has a  strikingly timeless look about it. I've put together a purely linen capsule collection to reflect this stylish look.

Linen shirt: Dundas London

Linen mix jacket: Marks & Spencer

Tie: JJ Monroe

Navy houndstooth linen pocket square: Mr Jenks

Dockers 30th Anniversary: explorer khaki for spring & summer

Dockers is part of Levi Strauss, producing khakis since its launch in 1986. I was drawn to their 30th Anniversary Collection when I visited the new Harvey Nichols menswear department recently. It's probably trite to call it 'explorer chic', but that's the description that has stuck with me. I like the look; casual, comfortable and ideal for summer travel. 

Khaki has a strong military/travel/exploration heritage that gives a strong foundation to a menswear look for summer. Here are some of my favourite pieces for the collection. Despite the youth of the model pictured above (what's new?) I've no doubt this collection would suit the grizzled older explorer/traveller. If I get a chance to try it, I'll report back.

Available exclusively from Harvey Nicols Menswear. To see other products from Dockers, click here.

This post is unsponsored.

Featherweight spring/summer cashmere sweater from Johnstons of Elgin

These featherweight cashmere sweaters, knitted in Johnston of Elgin's factory in Hawick, Scotland, are made of extremely fine cashmere, making them cool and comfortable on warm or slightly cooler days. They come in a few colours, but this sandy one is my favourite for summer. 

I know from the Johnstons of Elgin cashmere jumpers that I own that their quality is the highest. If you generally buy cheap high street cashmere you'll be astounded at how different the best is. A stylish and unusual jumper priced at £249. Available for men and women here.

This feature is unsponsored.

Summer Shoes for beach, boat and bar: Sarah Gilfillan's selection

Sarah Gilfillan is such a successful personal stylist, helping men around the world with their sartorial choices through her website SartoriaLab, that I feel very lucky to have her contributing from time to time here on Grey Fox Blog. Here she selects summer footwear:

[Sarah writes] Many men aren't comfortable with wearing sandals and are faced with a dilemma about what to wear on their feet in the summer months that will be light and cool, plus comfortable enough to wear without socks. So what are the options? Here are my top five choices for keeping your feet fresh and fashionable this summer:

Shorts Reiss, boat loafers Swims

Club Monaco slim-fit chinos Mr Porter, Castañer espadrilles Mr Porter

Gant chinos, Oliver Sweeney denim slip-on

Indigo shorts Paul Smith, suede espadrilles Manebi

Chino J Crew, boat shoe Kurt Geiger

For information about Sarah's personal styling services for men, see SartoriaLab.

This post is unsponsored.

Vilebrequin: stylish swimwear for the holidays

For your holiday swimwear you need shorts with impact. The bright prints of Vilebrequin are bright, full of visual puns and humour and fun to wear. Vilebrequin was founded in the seventies in St Tropez and has become associated with the colourful and glamourous side of travel - the silver beaches and azure waters that represent relaxation after months of hard work and the horrors of air travel.

Here are some of my favourite designs:

For information on the full Vilebrequin range click here.

Cool summer suits: style inspiration for men

The heat brings discomfort, but this doesn't mean that sartorial excellence has to go out of the window. I don't have a smart summer suit and am on the lookout for one. Here are some images that inspire me in my search for the elusive ideal suit.

If you own the rights to any of the above images and would like them removed, please get in touch.

Linen, cotton, lightweight wool, silk, or a combination of these, make the best cool cloths. I like the crumpled, comfortable, casual style of linen and would look for pale blue or cream/tan as the most classic and practical colours. Wear with a linen or seersucker shirt; no tie, or with a cotton floral tie and a silk or cotton pocket square in pale, sunny hues.

Make sure the suit fits properly, snug across the shoulders and the correct length in arm and leg. Have the suit altered if it's not too far out; there are alterations tailors on most high streets. If it's too far out in sizing, alterations won't succeed, so don't buy.

Here are some of the places I will try for my summer suit (if you're quick you may find something in the summer sales):

For off the peg:

Richard James

Hardy Amies

Hackett
Marks & Spencer (affordable)
Oliver Spencer (more casual)

Or for made to measure or bespoke:

Edit Suits (affordable)

Hirsch Tailoring (bespoke)

Susannah Hall, Tailor (bespoke)

Summer jackets 8: Hardy Amies

The final two of my spring and summer jackets features will look at a brace of contemporary labels, one British and one Italian. You will be able to read about Brunello Cucinelli in the next post, but today I focus on what has become a classic British label, Hardy Amies.

Indigo linen fine weave single breasted jacket by Hardy Amies £595
Shirt, Milton Green

We received three jackets from Hardy Amies for our summer jackets and blazers feature. The brand that needs no introduction at all, other than to say that the cool tailoring, beautiful construction and gorgeous fabrics made these a delight. 

The indigo fine weave linen jacket (above) was crisp, lightweight and sharp; the two chevron linen double-breasted jackets (below) with peak lapels were soft, cool, comfortable and fun to wear. I'd sum up as describing them as classic yet very contemporary.

Yolk linen chevron double breasted jacket by Hardy Amies £595
Pocket square, Age of Reason

Grey linen chevron double breasted jacket by Hardy Amies (right) £650
Shirt, Thomas Pink
Pocket square, Deji George

Suppliers
Hardy Amies
Milton Green
Thomas Pink
Age of Reason
Deji George

With infinite thanks to:

Styling - SartoriaLab

Photography - Nick Maroudias

This feature is not sponsored.

Summer jackets - introducing a new feature on the best blazers for warmer weather

Worn casually with open-neck linen shirt and jeans or shorts, or more formally with a tie and chinos, the summer jacket or blazer is an essential part of a man's wardrobe. We've set out to find a cross-section of styles, fabrics and prices to guide you through the types available to you. We will introduce these to you, grouped by brand, over the next week.

Grey Fox (front): Jacket Hardy Amies, shirt Thomas Pink, hank Deji George, chinos Spoke. 
Shaun Cole: Jacket Favourbrook, shirt Tripl Stitched
All product links below

Sarah Gilfillan introduces the project:

What is it that makes some blazers look effortless and contemporary and some look more tailored and formal, yet sharp?  For our latest collaborative post I styled Grey Fox and Shaun Cole in a range of light summery blazers. 

The details that give a fresh twist to the classic blazer are high cut armholes, slim sleeves, fitted shapes and unlined styles with little shoulder padding. When worn with slim-fit chinos and jeans plus colourful accessories it gives a sharp, modern and contemporary look (see Grey Fox's Hardy Amies jacket above). Traditionally-cut and structured jackets give a more tailored, formal, conventional yet sharp style (see the Favourbrook jacket above). I love both looks, but the choice is yours.

We chose mainly linens and cottons, but wool is also used which can be crisp in appearance and cool to wear.  

We will show examples of what is available at different price points. Follow our feature over the next few days. 

Grey Fox: shoes from Ohw, chinos Spoke 'Bulletproofs'

In these images I also wear Spoke chinos, old favourites of mine, whose wide range of sizing suits all (OK, most) men. My shoes are from a brand new to me, Ohw; they have proved to be the most comfortable casual shoes I've worn for a while. Other accessories were lent to us for the shoot and will appear over the next few days. Socks (not always visible, but definitely there) are from Pantherella. Other items are our own and are not specifically listed here.

I'm extremely grateful to the brands from Marks & Spencer to Brunello Cucinelli, for lending their products to the project. As with our previous shoot, I wanted to show how clothes normally advertised using younger models can look stylish on men over forty. I asked one of the many friends I've made though this blog to join me for the photo shoot. Dr Shaun Cole, Course Director, MA History and Culture of Fashion at London College of Fashion, has a distinguished academic record but this didn't include modelling, so I was delighted to ask him to join the shoot. 

Once again Sarah Gilfillan, personal stylist sans pareil, has helped style this feature. Her sure touch and instinctive understanding of what makes a man look good brings out the best in the jacket and the wearer and her introduction above sets the tone for our coverage. The photographer was Nick Maroudias, who shot our previous shoot and whose patience and help for a couple of complete amateurs was impressive. 

Please visit over the next week and let us know what you think of our choices.

Suppliers of clothes featured in the images above:

Hardy Amies

Favourbrook

Thomas Pink

Spoke

Ohw Shoes  (this pair was donated to Grey Fox for the shoot)

Deji George

Pantherella

This feature was not sponsored. 

Shoes for Spring & Summer: A Private White V.C. x Grenson collaboration

Private White V.C. and Grenson have collaborated to produce a small collection of men's shoes for spring/summer. All are made in Northampton and are Goodyear-welted. 

The olive green canvas derby has a rubber sole attached to a leather through and sports characteristic PWVC copper eyelets (pictured below). 

The other shoe (below) comes in two shades of brown/tan perforated suede (why do I think tea-bags here?). They come with light Vibram rubber soles and I love them. 

The collection is designed to be lightweight and cool for summer while looking both stylish and comfortable. Ideal as an alternative to my sometimes-too-warm leather shoes. 

Go to Private White V.C. for more information and to buy. They are priced at £325 to £350.

Dashing Tweeds - have some fun this summer

I've long been a fan of Dashing Tweeds' irrepressible style. Their collection successfully combines the qualities of its founders; mixing the extrovert nature of Guy Hills with the consummate originality and design skills of Kirsty McDougall. And, of course, it's British-made and designed, using high-quality British or Italian cloths.

Tweeds and summer don't mix of course, so the Dashing Tweeds summer range uses seersucker, wool and cotton to produce a colourful, comfortable collection that cries out to be worn on holiday or during these final summer days.

The cotton knitwear is designed by Quinton & Chadwick, whose superb designs are justifiably becoming well-known. I hope to feature them and their products another time.

Although the clothes shown here are modelled by a fairly young man, this shouldn't put off the older man. You don't need to own a skateboard to appreciate Dashing Tweeds' design and quality. These are true classics with a twist, ideal for the man who looks back at his fortieth birthday but is willing to show an element of originality in his style.

Dashing Tweeds offer 30% off their Summer Collection until 31st August. I'd buy the lot if I could, but have a particular hankering for the shorts suit - and their combination of lightweight seersucker blazer and ideal-length shorts is too tempting, particularly as the seersucker is woven in Suffolk.

Visit Dashing Tweeds website or, better still, go to their newly-refurbished shop in Sackville Street, equidistant from Piccadilly, Savile Row and Regent Street in London.

What to wear in Spring and Summer? Inspiration for older men of style

As Spring advances and the tweeds and thick jumpers are stowed away, our thoughts turn to dressing for milder weather. I'll be looking at specific ideas over the next few months, but, to inspire you, I've started a Pinterest board here on ideas for Spring/Summer wear for men of style.

Please visit and let me know your thoughts.

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist