The Essential Guide to Summer Style
With Sunspel, MULO, Mackintosh and Ettinger
With the summer months nearly upon us, we take a closer look at some of the best seasonal staples from some of the finest quintessentially British brands
First things first, let’s address the elephant in the room. The chances of any of us jetting off abroad in the foreseeable are growing slimmer by the week. Adios, cocktails on the beach. Goodbye to the tan that never was. So long to the beautiful, briny sea. Summer 2020 is kinda cancelled, guys.
But it’s not all doom and gloom – at least while the British weather picks up the slack. Although our summer plans may have sailed off into the distance, and our lives turned upside down over the past couple of months, this doesn’t mean that our wardrobes should suffer the same cruel misfortunes – which is why we’ve done a little digging to find some of the best seasonal menswear essentials for the months ahead.
These simple, effortless pieces might be a little more stay-at-home than stay-out-all-night, but they certainly deliver an edge of pared-back elegance to some timeless, classic looks. Get ready to dive in and check out our top sartorial picks for the modern man.
The Sunspel Sea Island Cotton Collection
In the vast oceans of fashion and style, the perfect white tee has come to represent that most evasive of literary legends: the White Whale. More a product of fashion folklore than of tangible, touchable reality, the white tee shirt has become an almost mythical thing – oft sought and seldom found. The perfect white tee, my friends, is the Moby Dick of modern menswear.
And that’s because the perfect white tee shirt relies entirely on an almost mystical alignment of elements. Shape, drape, fit and fabric must all come together in a feat of garment mastery that few brands manage to achieve. Unless, of course, you’re Sunspel, a brand that has made masterful design something of a benchmark standard. A British heritage brand with a contemporary approach to luxury basics, Sunspel have been handcrafting garments in the UK for over a century and a half. If anyone is up to the task of creating the last white tee shirt you’ll ever need, it’s them.
Their Sea Island Cotton Collection is the perfect case in point. Not only does it boast some truly peerless construction credentials and an impeccable fit, their pieces also happen to be made from the finest, most sought-after cotton in the world: Sea Island Cotton. Grown and handpicked in the Caribbean by a few dedicated experts, Sea Island Cotton is a uniquely soft, durable fabric that doesn’t just look the part, but feels the part, too. Sitting at the pinnacle of essential, everyday luxury, this is the humble tee shirt elevated to new heights – and with it accounting for just 0.0004% of the world’s cotton supplies, it’s pretty much as rare and legendary as Moby Dick himself.
The Sunspel Sea Island Cotton Collection isn’t just a masterclass in simplicity done perfectly, nor is it merely a benchmark in luxury basics. For all intents and purposes, it marks the end of a lifelong quest in sartorial mythology – it provides glowing proof of the existence of that which has evaded menswear enthusiasts for so long. Call off the search and shout it from the topsails: the perfect white tee has been found.
When it comes to footwear, treading the fine line between fashion-forward sartorialism and first-rate comfort is often quite the task. And, in the current moment, in which we are all finding ourselves increasingly house-bound, it’s never been more important for consumers to prioritise versatility in their pursuit of the perfect pair of kicks.
And this is precisely the philosophy that underpins MULO, the footwear brand committed to manufacturing shoes that offer function and adaptability without sacrificing on the importance of beautiful, timeless design. Co-founded in 2012 by Tobias and Ingrid Cox, the brand has made a name for itself as a master of modern style, pushing the boundaries of the smart-casual intersection with designs that can be dressed up or down without compromising on sartorial excellence.
In particular, the MULO espadrille sits as a benchmark in versatility, balancing perfectly the needs and wants of the contemporary gent. Designed in London and handmade in Portuguese workshops, the brand’s range of espadrilles offers a twist on a time-honoured classic, with a range of colours and styles to suit every occasion. Always serving up a sleek sartorialism, these wardrobe staples offer up an ideal all-rounder to see the modern man through the summer months and beyond.
Now more than ever, we’re seeking out simple, minimalist basics that work to transcend the boundaries of business and pleasure. And, thanks to the style connoisseurs over at MULO, we’ll be putting our best foot forward, whether at home or away.
The Mackintosh x Mr Slowboy Capsule Collection
The latest capsule collection from British fashion giant Mackintosh marks their third collaboration with the iconic illustrator and taste-maker Fei Wang, better known as Mr Slowboy. Conceived around the literary legends of the Bloomsbury set, from the likes of Virginia Woolf to E. M. Forster, the collection, designed with the timeless elegance of the Renaissance man in mind, returns in its Spring/Summer iteration with a renewed sense of simplicity.
With a less-is-more philosophy running through the collection, Mackintosh have taken things back to basics with a range of stripped-back staples. From modest, slogan-style tees paired with colourful paisley silk scarves, to the refined elegance of suede lace-up shoes and sneakers, each and every piece can be paired up to create a range of different looks. From a more casual, relaxed outfit to a smarter ensemble, this capsule collection boasts minimalist style with an edge of versatility.
This latest collaboration with Mr Slowboy certainly attests to Mackintosh’s enduring legacy as a British sartorial institution. But, more than this, it solidifies their reputation as a forward-thinking brand, not afraid to switch things up, reinvent themselves and create a new space to inhabit within the modern menswear landscape.
The art of bringing an outfit together often lies firmly in the minutiae, in the small subtleties that showcase the beauty of sartorial minimalism. And Ettinger, with its famed reputation as one of Britain’s finest manufacturers of luxury leather goods, is proving that the devil really is in the detail.
With a history stretching back to 1934, the London-based brand has long been a purveyor of the highest quality leather accessories, positioning itself at the very fore of contemporary design excellence. Royal warrant holders since 1996, the company, whose manufacturing takes place in the heart of the West Midlands, tread the fine line between heritage style and forward-thinking design with precision and ease.
The Capra Collection, inspired by the golden age of travel in the 1930s, is built around a quiet and refined kind of style – and the pieces from this iconic collection, while discreet and delicate, are sure to bring an edge of pared-back sophistication to any summer ensemble. From the simplicity of the flat credit card case to the heritage-inspired elegance of the coat wallet, the Capra Collection provides a range of ideal statement pieces perfect for the modern man’s wardrobe.
