How to Dress Sharp This Summer

Upon us now is a painfully varying summer. Walking outside Monday, it could be 98 degrees and Tuesday, say, 68 degrees. I don't know how bad it is wherever you live, but here in the Queen City, Cincinnati, it's possible... and has happened.

If you have read some of my other articles, then you know how much I enjoy, ahem, fashion... Yes, OK, there, it's out. But classic and timeless fashion not Hollister and popped colla' fashion, know what I mean? I'm more of an Esquire kind of fashion guy, but some of us can't have the $10,000 closet.

Firstly, summer is hot. Not quite a revelation, but remember that. If you're walking around in a 100 percent wool jacket and thick cotton Oxford, there's no way in hell you'll escape the heat liking the way you look - I guarantee it. (Did you catch that one?) Even if you spend a little time inside, the weather outside might be so thick with humidity and heat it'll be impossible to stay dry. That yellow sweat ring around a white collar is disturbingly haunting to me. I see it in my dreams and wince when I see it.

Well, first thing's first: a jacket. If you're not quite one for wearing a jacket, just go ahead and skip this step. For some reason, I always find it strangely cooler (in temperature...well looks too) to wear a single breasted jacket during the summer. Next, you have to choose a suitable jacket. If you pick it up or pull it off the hanger and it's heavy and stiff, that's a pretty good sign you don't want to be wearing it during the summer. Wool is pretty standard all around, but you have to remember: the more wool is in it, the hotter it'll be. Especially if it's coarse wool and 100 percent wool at that. For the summer months, you definitely want to grab one that's blended with some nylon or even linen. Silk's soft and, personally, I just don't like the way it makes the jacket feel, but that's always a choice, too.

A jacket, remember, should still be a jacket, and be snug. But you don't want it to be just hanging off your shoulders. It should slim your profile when you button it and make you look... well, how should a suit make you look? Professional? Sharp? Beautiful? All of those can happen if you get a nice fitting jacket. Believe me, once you wear a nice fitting jacket, you'll never be able to wear a simple one without the waist brought in. Contrary to what you may think, a close fitting jacket will help you move around as opposed to inhibit it - think of it like a glove. You don't want to look like a fool with a gigantic jacket... or set of gloves, too.

Next on the list, a shirt. This is really a no-brainer, though. If you're looking to put on a thick cotton shirt, you'll roast. Even if it's white. Unless you've got some crazy kind of genetic advantage (and if you do, please donate your DNA so I can grab some of that) you'll want to wear a nice single needle tailored shirt. Remember, a clean and vibrant white button up shirt that has some stiffness will do you worlds of good. If it's too thin, wear an undershirt. If you sweat through a white shirt, it might stain which is a terrible way to ruin a shirt. I've always been partial to the full tee, but I think an a-shirt works rather nicely too. Let's try and stay with light and pastel colors during the summer, though, please. The evil black-on-black look is only really effective at night and only if you're... a little evil looking, you know?

As for ties, there are a few different choices. Unless you're going for the reckless look, try and stay away from the undone collar with the tie. Nothing bothers me more than people showing up to a formal (formal enough to merit a tie) event with the knot of their tie at their clavicle. Well, maybe the only other thing that bothers me more is when people dress up the top half of their body with a shirt and tie and wear cargo pants with a pair of dirty shoes...Yuck. However, if you're going tie-less, that first button undone is always acceptable. I just personally prefer tie-on at all times

Now the next step. Pants. Let's see. Pants are always an interesting thing to look for. I prefer mine to be nice and solid - pinstripe free, if you please. However, my style dictates that I dress in solid and usually darker colors. A pair of nice linen pants are a rare find and it's a fantastic fabric. I found a pair of un-tailored linen slacks at the local thrift store with an original tag on them for $8. The tag? Well it said the pants are worth $135. Yeah. I know. I prefer to keep jackets and pants together, however, I have seen many people able to pull off the mismatched jacket and slacks look. The thing you don't really want to do is wear colors so close that it can look as though you accidentally mistook wearing the wrong slacks with the wrong jacket. Don't worry though, grey and black will always match. However, I will leave the rest up to you.

But remember, take a thorough look at the beginning of the article. The materials are the most important. You really don't want to be showing up looking like you accidentally walked through a yard when the sprinklers turned on. Well, you might rather have that excuse until they smell you...

I'm not here to tell you what colors work or not (pink + green + yellow...?) but please, for the sake of the rest of us wearing a suit in the summer months, don't end up steaming up your windows in your car and having the armpits and collar of your powder blue shirt turn navy with moisture.

Please!