What I Wore Yesterday
I know #menswear often laments the decline of the formal office dress code, but I’m thankful for a job that allows me to bike to work wearing this outfit.
For anyone who’s followed me from the beginning, you may have noticed that my style’s evolved over the past year. I try to dress elegantly but without pretention–less showy, with a focus on simple basics that fit well and take into account the season, location and context (no need to be the only guy in the office who wears a tie).
This summer, I focused on garments that take into account my life as an occasional bike commuter during Northern California’s scorching hot summers. Variations of this outfit have been my default: linen or cotton-linen shirt, cotton-linen chinos, no jacket.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when something performs as expected, but I’m still a little blown away at how well linen works on hot days. I made the ten-minute ride home in 91° heat one day last week and thoroughly enjoyed it, barely breaking a sweat by the time I arrived at my front door.
It was on one such ride a few weeks ago that it occurred to me that this is the perfect context for wearing a neckerchief–it absorbs perspiration as I’m riding, can be used to wipe sweat off of my forehead when I arrive at my destination, and serves the double purpose of adding color around the neck. I don’t vehemently oppose men wearing accessories for purely decorative reasons, but the nice thing about function is that it tends to avoid the excesses of “Sprezzatourette’s.”
While almost everything pictured is from Lands’ End, my linen shirt rotation includes Uniqlo, Guy Rover and Brooks Brothers. I’m particularly happy with these cotton-linen chinos, which I picked up in two colors. When sized down and washed, they fit slim without being too tight.
Of course, all my efforts at elegance are negated by my dorky, over-designed bike helmet. While I’d rather be unstylish than dead, surely someone’s figured out how to make a helmet for people who don’t wear cycling kits while riding.
Bandana - Lands’ End Canvas (sold out)
Linen-cotton Shirt - Lands’ End Canvas
Sterling Silver Belt Buckle - Tiffany’s (via eBay)
Cotton-linen Chinos - Lands’ End
Loafers (unpictured) - Allen Edmonds (via eBay)
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