What I Learned About Elevated Dressing in Summer 2025

A Statement to Style: Jack Hidde

As a man dressing in the summer, there are extremely few options. A t-shirt and shorts is the uniform of the toddler, and virtually anything else seems to open you up to death by sweat. I told myself in May that I would do my very best to have a summer that defies the odds and allows me to dress well and like a competent grown-up without needing to wash everything after one wear. I come from a long line of sweaters, so this was no small task; I do feel, however, that the objective was mostly accomplished. I learned the difficult way that there is a certain heat index threshold where you may as well wear a suit and tie, because you're going to be sweating bullets whether suited or naked. But, in any other situation, I feel that I worked out a formula and fit guide that can help you through the hottest months of the year while still standing the chance of being street styled.

Unsurprisingly, the most important piece of an outfit in the summer is the bottoms. I wore more pants this summer than ever before, as I am really not a shorts person, but I learned to walk the line with both styles. Pants can make or break a look when the boiling weather forces you to evaporate down an outfit to its most basic parts. Make picks for pants in lightweight fabrics and high rise, loose fits. The high rise part is extremely important to the creation of a look based on proportion, essential when stripping down an outfit to its bones. A high rise pant will elongate your leg line, making you appear taller, as well as give you some extra room in the groin and upper thigh area, allowing for greater cooling and ease of movement. It may feel foreign at first if you're not used to a pant that goes over your belly button, but the benefits once you get out walking, sitting, standing, and moving are immediately apparent. I like the classic fit linen trouser from J Crew, the linen Wythe pant from Todd Snyder, or the relaxed fit cotton/linen blend pant from Suitsupply (feel free to also plug those keywords into eBay or Poshmark to find them for less than retail). A high rise pant also allows your shirt extra material to flop over the waistline, which creates a very relaxed, devil-may-care look that is essential to elegant summer dressing (think Alain Delon's walking scene in Purple Noon). For colors, I like all the classics: navy, white/cream, tan, light grey, and something fun like a stripe or madras.

The next consideration is the shirt. Summer is a wonderful time to be very expressive with color and pattern in your button up and down shirts. While I am not a polo enthusiast, all the same logic I'll lay out applies to them as well. The fit of a summery shirt should borrow the looseness and relaxed fit of the pants you'll be wearing: think linens and chambrays in loose fits that hang off your shoulders and billow over pant waistlines. Learn the art of cuffing the sleeve and a tasteful show of chest. Accompany the color of the pant, but don't copy it totally: think a perfectly wrinkled white linen shirt with pressed navy linen trousers, a beautifully washed chambray button down with white cotton chinos, or a bold patterned poplin shirt with pleated beige linen trousers. Try to get several shirts that can be worn with most of your summer pants as well, this way you can wear the same basic combination every day without it feeling tired. I'd think a basic 5 shirts to pair with the above mentioned trousers would be: white linen, light blue chambray, a white and navy stripe poplin or linen, a pastel of some kind in linen, and a cotton (or linen/cotton blend) work shirt in beige.

Something that is very flexible in the summer but no less important is footwear. As something as simple as a shirt and pants is very casual, footwear should follow suit. I do think, however, that totally swapping sneakers for loafers is the best favor you can do yourself for everyday elevation. I completely left sneakers out of my rotation this summer, and loved the upgrade it gave everything I wore every day. I also didn't feel that I necessarily needed summer loafers, I just kept wearing the ones I wear in the colder months with no issue at all. I did, however, change over to a lot more white socks, adding a preppy summer touch to the outfits. I recommend a black penny loafer and a brown horse bit at a minimum, with the optional addition of a summery contrast color loafer, like the one pictured from Aime Leon Dore. This is the easiest way to show intention when dressing using an extremely basic formula like a button up/polo and pants.

I feel that accessories can easily fall by the wayside in the summer, as the extra frills take away from simply wearing clothes to stay comfortable and not feel like you need to seek out A/C every 15 minutes. However, something as simple as a belt or a statement necklace can bring the extra level of elevation to a summer outfit that makes sure you're put together and feeling your best. My recommendations are a belt with an interesting stitch pattern or buckle, as well as a statement ring. I have a signet ring I got engraved with my monogram on Etsy, which is easily the best $75 I've ever spent, and looks great as an accessory that ties an entire look together. I think an extra detail that is not to be missed is matching metals with a ring or necklace with the metal color of a belt buckle. Other accessories like sunglasses are important for conveying a comprehensive look in summer, too. I recommend the Ray Ban Yachtmaster or a lower-priced alternative to most Jacques Marie Mage styles that exude a timeless look without being flashy.

Now, there are times in the summer where dressing up beyond what has been described above is necessary. Whether it be a summer wedding, a date, or a night out with your closest fashionable friends, duty calls from time to time. If a blazer or a suit is to be worn in the summertime, there are a few fabrics and styles to look for that can keep you from looking like you just climbed out of a pool on a GQ shoot. My recommendations for fabrics are much in line with my fabric recommendations for shirts and pants: linen. Especially in the case of summer weddings, linen is your best bet for beating the heat while still looking 90% as good as the groom does. If the wedding is semi-formal (as many summer weddings are) a hopsack wool blazer is a great option as well. Hopsack is a very open weave wool, which you can usually see through when held up to sunlight, that takes all the good qualities of wool and makes them appropriate for the summer months. I have a vintage wool hopsack navy blazer that was an absolute staple for my summer dressing, and will continue to be so until it's too cold for it. I learned that, for the sake of your friend's wedding or a date you can't afford to mess up, dressing up and dealing with the sweat is in your best interest.

The issue of the necktie also presents itself in summer. I am, and will always be, a proponent of the necktie in any and all situations, whether a straight tie or bowtie. As mentioned above, summer is a time for showing some personality and flair, which you can easily do not just by wearing neckwear at all, but by employing a pattern or print. It's still important, however, to make sure the tie is fully tied, with a pristine knot and nudge snugly in the collar of the shirt; while summer is a time for more relaxed silhouettes, details like neckties should still follow the classic format.

In essence, I learned summer is the best time to truly distinguish yourself as someone that knows what they're doing when they open their dresser or closet doors. It is the easiest time to show personality while still putting forward an err of sophistication and put-togetherness, which can be very difficult, especially during the day-to-day, in the warmer months. Go forward and find the nooks of menswear that cater specifically to the season, and your wardrobe will become an even more well-oiled machine, and never be confined to the Adam Sandler t-shirt and shorts again.