From left: P Johnson’s
From left: P Johnson’s Antipodean cool; Ralph Lauren reinvents Jazz Age glamour 70 DEPARTURES hatever else his myriad faults may have been, Jay Gatsby knew a thing or two about dressing flawlessly in summer. F Scott’s Fitzgerald’s ill-fated anti-hero is described as hightailing around Long Island in suits in glorious pink and dazzling white, in “such beautiful shirts I’ve never seen before”, according to Daisy Buchanan, with a penchant for light-toned trousers and gleaming ties. Your own interpretation of formal attire in sunnier climes needn’t be quite so overly mannered, but Gatsby was right about one thing: the season does call for a shift in how men negotiate looking smart in the heat. In searching for just the right tailoring to see you through July weddings to early-September garden soirées, it pays dividends to search out the specialists who’ve made sartorialism in summer months their preoccupation. Which is why Italy excels so spectacularly in this regard: its countrymen have high standards when it comes to that particular sprezzatura dash. “Since 1932, when my grandfather Gennaro Rubinacci first deconstructed a blazer for the King of Savoy, going on to create a similar style for his Neapolitan clientele, we’ve become famous for summer tailoring,” says Luca Rubinacci, the third generation of the family who runs the revered eponymous tailoring house (marinorubinaccicom), based in Naples. It’s a location that’s intrinsically linked to the art of light suiting; to combat the Campania heat, a style evolved where jacket shoulders were softened and the arm holes heightened to ensure fewer creases on the front. “We have perfected our jackets so that they feel like a second skin, but are made with a light, easy construction. It’s pure summer pleasure,” says Rubinacci. The aesthetics might be traditional and stately – navy cashmere blazers, brown plaid suits and princely double-breasted jackets – but it’s the deftness in the crafting process that makes Rubinacci a frontrunner in the field; unlined blazers mean less structure and more aeration, while patch pockets and soft shoulders create a more informal stance. It’s a similar approach undertaken by Florentine tailoring institution Liverano & Liverano (liverano.com), which was founded by two Apulian brothers and continues to be run by one of them. It was that early foundation in the sun-drenched region that informed their particular USP, a sweet spot of uprightness and ease. The house’s capabilities with fabric production are peerless, with all of the clothes handcrafted a stone’s throw from the Arno river. A jacket in cream, for example, is made in wool seersucker, the most airy and breathable of materials, and the focus is on liquid-soft cashmere polo shirts rather than shirts in a more summerappropriate pairing with a jacket. FROM LEFT: © P JOHNSON, STEVEN PAN; PREVIOUS SPREAD CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: © FAVOURBROOK, © OFFICINE GENERALE, ROBERT SPANGLE, © SAMAN AMEL
© DOLCE & GABBANA It was the early education in the ways of Southern Italian sartorialism that prompted Domenico Dolce to join the family business in tailoring, growing up in his native Sicily. And it’s that sensibility of masculine elegance that informs Dolce & Gabbana’s suiting offering now, with sleek pinstripes, nipped-in waists and strong shoulders. In addition to the traditional roster of suits that wouldn’t look out of place in The Godfather, the brand has also built up a stellar range of “cocktail suits” – light, breezy jackets and trousers that sit away from the body, in shades that call to mind the Portofino harbour. Across the pond, America has long finessed a style of tailoring that pays homage to sporty dynamism. It was the polite pursuits of the collegiate class that prompted Ralph Lauren (raphlauren.com) to focus his fashion eye on all things preppy, and even after 50 years, the American powerhouse is still a byword for the kind of casual summer style that Gatsby himself would covet. His Purple Label white suits, for example, are pure Jazz Age glamour. And while the label might be more contemporary, the old-school charm is just as prevalent at cult New York tailor 18th Amendment (eighteenthamendment.com), founded by designer Angel Ramos. This is suiting that steers away from corporate connotations; Ramos is a master colourist, with biscuit, ivory and tobacco-shaded jackets instead of standard blacks and navy, as well as a handsome line-up of loafers, a more casual take on smart footwear in sunnier months. As any tailoring connoisseur will attest, it’s also worth exploring the more niche labels from around the world who have made summer tailoring their preoccupation thanks to their particular environments. “We are a lightweight tailoring specialist, and being Australian, this is really our zone, not only because of climate but because of our approach to life and work here” says designer Patrick Johnson of his Sydney-based brand P Johnson (pjt.com), which sprang to life out of his need for smart clothes in searing temperatures. “Our jackets are typically made with very light canvas, and interfacing so they use cloths like linen, silk and cotton.” That interfacing is significant; it’s a technical detail where a layer is added in between the outer layer and lining, so that even a fabric like linen – which is easily crumpled – can still maintain its form. “It’s the perfect fabric for formal events because it’s lightweight and breathable,” says Oliver Spencer, founder of London’s Favourbrook (favourbrook.com), of the same fabric. “The varieties we use lend themselves well to an unstructured jacket and the drape looks very elegant,” he says. The designer also notes that linen holds colour very well, meaning that summery shades can pop all the more vibrantly. This is also an approach taken by Stockholm bespoke tailoring specialist Saman Amel, who is co-founder of the house that bears his name (samanamel.se), alongside Dag Granath. The need for smartness as well as airiness acts as a playground for experimentation, he says. “Summertime suiting and formal attire open up innumerable ways for us to give the traditional suit a bit more flavour. Materials like linen and cotton have a casual appeal, which when applied to suit silhouettes feel relevant for now,” says Granath. The brand’s focus on neutral colours of fawn, sage and taupe also emphasise a sense of Scandinavian ease and minimalism. A similar technique is employed by Pierre Mahéo at his Paris-based brand Officine Générale (officinegenerale. com), whose formalwear offering consists of suits in olive, chalky grey and caramel. And alongside the more classic silhouettes, Mahéo draws influence from utilitarian workwear; a jacket might be rendered in a shape and style more akin to a worker’s shirt than a traditional singlebreasted. It’s a dress-down approach to formality that’s entirely Parisian in this thinking, says Mahéo. “You might wear a jacket, but with a denim shirt or chinos, it’s more mixed up, a fresh approach,” he says. It’s a twist that can go both ways. Traditional Hong Kong tailoring institution WW Chan (wwchan.com) has applied the form and rigours of suit trousers to its shorts, applying pleats, side-fastenings and sleek lines to them for a more pulled-together and polished interpretation of a carefree holiday staple – proof, like all of these brands, that as the mercury rises, there’s no reason that your wardrobe shouldn’t hit new style heights too. Dolce & Gabbana is known for sleek sprezzatura style 71 DEPARTURES
