Spring & Summer Guide to mens tops
Summer feels like it’s just around the corner, with the weather turning warmer and the nights getting lighter it’s time to step into our summer wardrobe. This spring and summer season we have a great variety of tops, t-shirts, polos you name it we’ve got it! From easy wearing cotton stretch and mercerised t-shirts to our more luxury linen & silk mix polos, we have a great range of tops to suit any occasion.
This season we have seen a few key colours that stand out across our brand mix which we will share with you. There are four key colours that are making their way through against the classic navy, white, grey and blues. The first one is a Bluette which you can see on three options in the Canali collection for spring summer 22. They are the Canali Mercerised T-shirt, Canali Mercerised Short Sleeve Zip Polo & the button version of this polo. The tone is a mix of electric blue mixed with a Mediterranean blue, perfect for a summer holiday or weekend break in a warm destination.
The second key colour we see more of now is Olive Green, we have been slowly introducing this colour to our collections over the past few years but this season we have seen its popularity increase not only amongst our brands but elsewhere in men’s fashion. Canali touches again on this lovely tone with a variation of their mercerised t-shirt and mercerised zip polo. You will see some other brands touching on the olive green colour also, Brioni have a super soft cotton t-shirt and Zattura have a slight darker variation of green for their mercerised t-shirt. One of the best things about buying into this colour is that it can be worn all year round from summer to winter.
The third colour which is selling well this season is Taupe, this a new colour which we are introducing and so far the reaction has been great. You’ll see quite a few options of taupe which is a neutral earthy tone and again can be worn all year round. Corneliani has a nice capsule of taupe amongst their collection this season with their Honeycomb Stitch Knitted Polo, the Mercerised Short Sleeve Button Polo and a cotton stretch Signature T-shirt which are all in a mix of shades of taupe. Zattura offers a couple of stretch hoodies, bombers, shorts, and tracksuit options in a lighter taupe colour which are more for the summer seasons.
The fourth colour which is exclusive to Herno this season is the mushroom grey as we have named it. This again is from the family of earthy neutral tones but leans to a more conservative grey shade. Herno has two options in this colourway; the Jersey Button Polo which is very light and designed to keep you cool in warmer weather and the Superfine Cotton Stretch T-shirt which is designed for mobility and has elastane in the fabric. This colour is one we believe we will see more of as the seasons roll on and is a nice steppingstone from the classic menswear colours.
When choosing what to wear in the summer or going away on holiday it’s important for all men to avoid two things; 1) Sweat patches and 2) Feeling uncomfortable with the fabric choice. There are a few ways we can try to avoid these two dreaded things and one of the easiest wins is by selecting an appropriate lightweight summer fabric that’s going to keep you cool and feel soft on your skin in the warmer climates. We always suggest fine cotton, silks, soft treated linen and a mix of cotton and elastane. Only go for a wool option if it’s virgin wool and has been specially made for the summer weather.
Some great summer tops are the Corneliani Silk & Linen Contrast Collar Polo, the Canali Garment Dyed Silk Check Polo which comes in Olive and blue with a zip / button variation. The Zattura Silk collection which has some 100% silk t-shirts, button / zip polos available in midnight, royal and mid blue. The Herno t-shirt collection is one of the best we’ve seen, and they have a lovely range including the Herno Superfine Cotton Stretch Pocket T-shirt in white & navy.
One brand we can’t forget about when it comes to summer tops is John Smedley, the iconic British brand has been making clothiers for hundreds of years and they have perfected the summer knitted polo. The most iconic summer short sleeve polo is the Adrian, made with sea island cotton so it feels soft on the skin and keeps you cool in the warmer weather. We have gone classic this season with options available in Navy, Charcoal and Silver.
Finally, to finish off we’ve seen a real trend towards layering garments, not only in the winter but in the summer (weather permitting!). A great look is the relaxed overshirt layered on a plain t-shirt (usually white) or even a polo. So, if you do decide to try some layering options you need both layers to be lightweight and summer fabrics, most of the brands we stock are Italian, and they have heat ingrained in their DNA. When they present their modern capsules they factor in these trends with their designs, two great options of overshirts are the Corneliani Button Overshirt in an almost Petrol Navy tone and the Z Zegna Overshirt in Beige. The Corneliani piece is made with a blend of cotton and polyamide so it’s extremely thin and perfect for layering in the summer. The Z Zegna overshirt is made with linen & lyocell so it’s not as light as the other but it’s breathable due to the strong linen percentage in the fabric.
