In Warm Weather 

How To Be Cool 
and Look Cool! 

The official summer season in the USA is from Memorial Day to Labor Day.   Those are the days my friends, between which you can legitimately wear traditional summer garb such as linen, sandals and white.  I have had questions from gentlemen in England about this! The same England that set in concrete most men’s clothing rules!!  But their holidays are different.  So if you're not in the USA go with the summer dates (this year the dates are June 21 to September 23) and you will be close. 

Of course, where you are has some bearing on the matter.  In the tropics, you can lengthen the time you wear a white dinner jacket.   But if you’re in Palm Springs in January, even if it’s 80 degrees, you look a little silly in a tank top.  Dress for the weather but also be cognizant of the season. 

Use common sense; you wouldn’t automatically wear your tweed jacket the day after Labor Day if you lived in Florida or Southern California. 

Summer is no excuse to dress like a beach bum!  Shorts and a tank top are not the most flattering attire.  If you’re dining in a fine restaurant having to look at someone dressed accordingly might even spoil your meal!!  

Dressing appropriately is about respecting your fellow human beings and their institutions, like a restaurant, not thumbing your nose at manners and common courtesy for the sake of being comfortable. 

Commuting to work in your suit on a 90-degree day is not a pleasant experience.  The human body sweats!  You want to feel cool and comfortable and still look like you mean business.   

Here are some tips: 

Broadcloth cotton dress shirts will be cooler than the heavier weave oxford. 

This is the season for Seersucker, but is it appropriate for the office?  Seersucker suits recall a more leisurely era, of old money Southern gentlemen sipping mint juleps on the veranda of their plantations, not exactly a strong business image.

Likewise, Linen, because of it’s guaranteed-to-wrinkle ability, maybe best for social or after work occasions.  You just have to use your good judgment in evaluating your specific business situation.

Khaki colored suits of cotton, poplin or tropical weight wool are acceptable for work and play during the heat of the summer.
 

Just for looks you should make certain that all your attire (even khaki shorts, linen shirts and chinos) are pressed, clean and presentable! 

And we do not have to reiterate, NO short sleeves with a tie, do we? 

A 1980 US Army study reported that a T-shirt worn under a shirt on hot days keeps you cooler.  The cotton absorbs perspiration, which then evaporates which physicists call a cooling process. 

Powder (talcum or baby) sprinkled on your groin or armpits can disperse moisture and keep you cooler. 

Deodorant and anti-perspirant becomes more important during the summertime!

Tradition allows for lighter shoes and sandals for summer wear, and white bucks, de rigueur with seersucker.   The only white shoes you would ever wear, right? Well maybe golf, and spectator or correspondent shoes, but never a white belt! 

Sandals are OK, for social events, but flip-flops are only for the beach.  Just be aware of what your shoes are saying about you!  Fisherman sandals say, “I’ve been to Europe” and Birkenstocks say, “I’m a sensitive guy who recycles”. 

Going without socks is a summer look, but probably doesn’t keep you cooler since perspiration stays on your foot and is not wicked away by the sock.  Moisture can ruin leather.  There are 125,000 sweat glands in your feet that can leave a quarter cup of moisture in your shoes every day! 

Sweat is the biggest problem with sandals since you never wear socks with sandals, unless you are in Europe! 

You might want to spray sandals inside and out with a stain and water protective spray for leather (available at most shoe repair shops, grocery and drug stores).  It might be a good idea for any shoe you wear sans socks as well as your leather watchband! 

How to eliminate perspiration odors in sandals  

Liberally spray the inside of your sandals or shoes with Lysol spray to kill the germs. Follow up with Febreze brand deodorant spray to draw the smell out of the leather and then let them dry overnight.  

Another solution is to cut the legs off a pair of pantyhose so that you have two tubes about 12"-18" long. Fill them with any name-brand cat litter that advertises itself as "odor absorbing". The chunkier ones work better than the sand (granular) types, which  "leak" through the hose. Tie a knot in the top of each tube after filling. Put them in your sandals and leave for at least 24 hours. 

Shorts and Swim Trunks

By Body Style:

Buy your true waist size.  Most men look best in swim trunks that are mid thigh to just above the knee, and not tight.  

The Shorts Effect -- Shorts provide a horizontal line at the knee that can make you look shorter.  Great for tall guys, but short men should be aware of this effect. 

To reduce the Shorts Effect shorter gentlemen can wear shorts that are solid or have vertical patterns (corduroy’s rib counts as a vertical pattern).  Only tall men can go for the plaids! 

The width of leg style on shorts you chose will depend on your leg size.  Guys with thin legs should wear a tapered design while heavy legs will look better in wider styles.  The shorts leg should not be tight. 

By Activity: 

Swim trunks are appropriate at the beach or by the pool, only.

The shorter the short the more appropriate it is for casual events or sports rather than dressier social occasions.

Bermuda shorts which come to just above the knee can actually be dressy (even worn with a sport jacket).  Some tuxedos, mainly in the Southern part of the U.S. come with "formal" shorts. 

Bermudas are not a good length on shorter men, who may want to consider the Jamaica short which is 2 to 3 inches higher.

Be Kind to Your Body