The days are getting long and hot, but your desire to dress in nothing more than a swimsuit is struck down by the necessity of more structured garments. You still have to go to work after all, and even if you don’t need a full suit for your 9 to 5, chances are you’ll be attending at least one outdoor wedding this summer. Fortunately, designers are reinventing the summer suit to be something men might actually enjoy wearing.

The Evolution of the Suit

Chris Pine in a summer suit.

Traditional, structured suits are giving way to unconstructed and unlined suits that are amazingly lightweight and travel well. Not only that, but these suits come with a cooler price tag, too. Now you can buy an entire suit for the cost of a fancy dress shirt and a pair of high-end jeans, and it is just as versatile. The notion of selling suits as a single piece with one price tag doesn’t apply to the modern suit.

It used to be that the structuring of a suit made it so that you couldn’t wear a jacket without its matching pair of pants. Recently, more subtle styling and detailing allows pieces to be easily broken up and sold as separates. This keeps men from looking like the store mannequin by allowing them to exercise their own personal sense of style. This also diversifies your wardrobe so that pants can be traded out for jeans at the end of the day and worn with the same suit jacket.

Tips for Styling a Summer Suit

1. Just like with a car, it’s what’s inside your suit that matters most. Look for less structured suits that don’t have sweat-inducing padding or lining.
2. Look for lightweight and blended fabrics that are breathable. Consider cotton and linen over heavy wool, nylon or polyester blends. Or, be bold with a seersucker that wicks away moisture and helps increase circulation by keeping fabric away from the skin.
3. Choose a lighter shade of fabric that reflects light and minimizes heat. Not only will lighter-colored fabrics keep you cooler, but they look more appropriate this time of year.
4. Pick a simple shirt in a light color to wear under your suit and have fun with brightly colored accessories that aren’t too matchy matchy.
5. Footwear can be more casual and paired with lightweight trouser socks or even loafers that don’t require socks at all.Google+

Scott Schuman is just a guy with a camera.  He’s a guy with a camera that got lucky and got noticed. He makes things look natural that are anything but natural.  Scott Schuman pisses me off.  Why?

Because I like him and I admire his work even more.  And I love the fact that he created a space where no one else was and is now where so many want to be.  And I flat out respect the fact that he got where he is by working his ass off.  The truth is that he doesn’t really piss me off.  Rather, I’m grateful that he shows us regular guys how to get style.

The Sartorialist

Scott Schuman, "The Sartorialist."

Scott is a street-style fashion photographer and blogger who started “The Sartorialist.”  If you’re not reading, or rather, looking at his blog, please do so right now.  You’ll get a better sense of how to develop your own personal style by looking at his photos than by reading 10 years worth of GQ or by wasting your time with the wiener at Men’s Wearhouse.

Schuman had some ho-hum jobs in the apparel business before he became a stay-at-home dad in 2005.  He started taking pictures of everyday fashion that looked interesting to him when he took his daughter for walks.  From this, he created the fashion photo blog category that everyone with a camera phone thinks they can do just as well.  They can’t.  Schuman has an eye for what style looks like and he knows how to make it look even more natural, more extemporaneous, more pensive.  His photos are gorgeous, and so is his personal style.

Why We Should Pay Attention to Scott Schuman

Schuman photo of a Parisian man.

We should pay attention to him because he shows us how to create style that doesn’t look like it was created.  Style that looks like it just happened.  Style that breaks the rules and still works, splendidly.  And a lot of other people pay attention to him as well.  While he’s not the male equivalent of Vogue Matriarch, Anna Wintour, you can bet she pays attention to him.

The self-proclaimed Sartorialist also has a business model.  Like the obsessive chef, the maniacal tailor and other craftsmen, Schuman fusses over every detail, and he built his brand to international fame. The blog has well over 10 million views a month. His advertisers, including American Apparel, pay handsomely. He has published a book with another reportedly underway, and he is routinely sought after for fashion projects.

So, the next time you’re wondering if your Brooks Brothers tie clashes with your Banana Republic shirt or your wife asks if horizontal stripes make her ass look fat (they don’t), snuggle up, open an Italian red, put on some Cole Porter and enjoy Scott’s stuff.

Style Tips from The Sartorialist

1.  It’s not about the label.  It’s really about how the clothes look on you.  Do they fit?  Do they feel comfortable?
2.  Don’t look like you’re trying too hard and never dress like the mannequin.
3.  Fashion doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  Look at Schuman’s images.  The clothes and the style reflect the context and surroundings in which they are worn.
4. Express what you’re feeling and who you are.  Schuman captures the inner person.  Your inner self, mood, outlook and interests are expressed in your style.  Look at the guy above.  Both his sophistication and energy are expressed in what he’s wearing.
5.  Fashion is not an ensemble of matching ties and scarves.  It’s a medley of patterns and texture and color and draping.  All put together because it looks good and feels good to you.

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