Twenty-twenty-five Summer Vibe Check
Keeping club members hip in the heat
Okay, before we get started, I’m not hitting you with ins and outs here, with a bit of luck this kit list will be just as relevant a year, two, three from today: no trend analyses or verdicts on what your shorts inseam should be, these are just the bits and pieces on my mind for Summer.
Welcome to The Prep Club, check last week’s issue of THE RADAR (our fortnightly magazine) here, for thoughts on socks, Barbour jackets, and more. Also make use of The Directory, new this week:
Beams Plus - Increasingly ubiquitous Japanese heritage manufacturers, producing a wide range of Ametora classics. Shirts leave a little to be desired in the collar region, and keep an eye out for synthetic blends but there are some great pieces to find, especially some of their repro down jackets. Growth in popularity also means more availability on the used market. Sizing up one size is recommended.
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The jacket of choice
Whilst we’re pretty much rolling into sans-jacket season, there are still a couple instances where one is warranted. Key use case here is the vacation dinner, somewhere a little upscale, worthy of more than just a shirt and chinos, maybe a peruse of a jazz club afterwards, you want to feel suitably pretentious and classy, and for that you’ll need a jacket.
Personally, I’m not a linen fan, it’s got a bit too much of that riviera old money TikTok vibe about it these days. I appreciate that’s a somewhat reductionist statement but it’s an association which I struggle to shake. I also don’t love how linen is pretty much locked to being a summer choice, just by association, for something as costly and wardrobe-space-occupying as a jacket some more versatility into spring and autumn would be appreciated.
Seersucker would be next in line for most summer-appropriate, though because of that it suffers from the same lack of versatility as linen. A striped seersucker also sort of locks out wearing stripes elsewhere (as a secret capsule collection lover, the idea of having a jacket which only works with some of my shirts irks me). For me, seersucker is a suit cloth, not a sport coat cloth, if you’re looking for a summer wedding pick, it’s a strong contender, but I’m ruling it out of the running for the club approved summer jacket.
Madras is the preppiest of picks, bold, but easy to style. It does, however, limit shirt choice, locking you into solid colours or stripes, which can be a bit frustrating if you’ve got summer checks in madras or broadcloth (which I do). I love a madras jacket, but I think there’s another pick that shines just a little brighter.
Whilst you can get bogged down in these summer cloths, a proper, blue-blooded blazer is always going to win out in versatility. Either in cotton or lightweight wool hopsack, un-, or half, lined, of course. What you have there is a jacket that’ll take you from mid-spring right through to early-autumn when the tweeds can come back out, and that will pair with any combination of formal-ish summer threads you can dream up. Navy of course is the classic pick, but really any shade as long as it’s got gold buttons for a nautical flavour, I’m on the hunt for a bottle green one at the moment.
BDs and Baggies, and the shorts philosophy
I’m digging the swim short + button down combo at the moment, Patagonia baggies are the classic pick. I bring this up because I think it requires a little more care than is immediately apparent. There needs to be an emphasis on the high-low aspect going on here, trying to run this look with a sub-par OCBD can get a little too close to frat boy territory. You need a damned nice shirt- old-school, roomy fit; good collar; long tails. Swap between the swim shorts and checked shorts, match with CVOS and deck socks, repeat to fade.
I’ve come to the realisation that I like shorts best when they’re sort of an afterthought. The best shorts looks always start as trouser looks, but the weather says otherwise, it’s never “today I will wear shorts” but rather “ah bugger, I’ve got to wear shorts today”, I like the results that brings.
Rock Mocs
The “boat shoe trend” appears to still be floating on the periphery, we’re not seeing the same mass-adoption that we did with loafers about six years ago, at least not just yet.
As mentioned in an issue of the radar a little while back, I’m veering away from the three-eye lug which spawned the (non)trend, these days I love a slim camp/ canoe moc. We’re talking a one-eye, L.L. Bean style construction. They’re better suited to a beach day, since they’re effectively slip-ons, and they feel way further into prep territory than other boat shoe styles to me, I love them for that. Wearing boat shoes is already a commitment to the collegiate look, might as well do it with your chest.
I’ll be dropping a camp mocs round up in next week’s radar, so keep eyes peeled for some recommendations. Running a pair alongside last meeting’s CVOs will set you up pretty well for most summer outings.
Summer knits done right
I’ve fallen out of love with cotton knitwear, especially lightweight options, they’re sort of non-committal, either have a jumper or don’t, the halfway-house just doesn’t do it for me. Plus, they stretch funny and don’t shrink back up again like wool does.
That’s not to say I’m anti summer jumper though, on slightly cooler days I think a lighter brushed shetland, or cashmere cable knit, paired with shorts and strategically removed from eleven o’clock until about four, is a beautiful thing (please exercise extreme caution when deciding where to put your knitwear after removing, tied around the waist or draped over a bag is always safe, the shoulder tie can and will make you look ridiculous if not done right). I’m into wearing these sort of knits without a base layer at the moment too.
For days where wool is out of the question, I love loopback, the best expression of cotton as knitwear. Summer wear runs more casual than the rest of the year anyway, so I think you can get away with a sweatshirt in situations where it wouldn’t usually be appropriate. Following on from the spring vibe check, I’m still on an old school pique polo kick too. Much of what was said then still applies now, they’re a great piece to get in some more exciting colours, copy the shades in you knitwear collection if you’re stuck. Use them for their original purpose, hit the tennis courts and pack a fresh one for lunch.
A little scrappier this week than most, but sometimes it’s best not to overthink it, especially when it’s hot out. Prep Club adjourned, catch you again soon.
P.S. - it’s not an accident that all the garms in today’s illustrations are navy, it’s just my favourite colour for summer by a very long way.
Summer Socks / Battered Barbours / NB x Auralee / Lightweight Blazers
Hello! Welcome back to THE RADAR, The Prep Club’s fortnightly mini-magazine keeping you in the loop of what’s hip in the sphere of collegiate threads. You can attend last week’s meeting here, for an argument in favour of the CVO canvas trainer.
The baggies and BD look is great, even better when the button down it looks like the BD was pick up off the floor. A slightly oversized BD looks great in this look too.