Now that the weather is finally doing the right thing, it’s time to start thinking about what to wear during the warmer summer evenings.

So we’ve put together a few outfits which will not only keep you cool in the heat but look hot. Cool?

Hitting the Park

When meeting mates in the park for an afternoon BBQ you’ve got to wear comfy clothes that are great to not only lie around in but make it possible to sprint around after the frisbee. There’s nothing worse then trying to relax when your wearing a tight sweaty t-shirt that has moulded to your skin, that’s why I have recommended a loose cut sleeveless t-shirt from All Saint’s range that will keep you cool throughout the day. To accompany the top a pair of denim shorts would collaborate nicely, however instead of the tight fitted style we have gone for the ‘Denim Carrot Crotch’ which means the crotch part of the jeans hang a lot lower giving the pair a relaxed loose fit and make them alot more comfy then standard cuts. To hold the shorts up the Royal Republiq Scandi belt (one of ours) will do the business and break up the top and bottom garments very well. I would just throw on a pair of Converse with this outfit however I leave that up to you, it is so easy to just rock up to a park in a pair of Havaianas but if you think you would be heading to a pub after that might be a bad idea.

Casual Night Out

A casual night out might be you and the lads meeting at a pub early evening and having a few drinks whilst sitting outside, nothing too smart as you just want to enjoy a beer and chat with your mates. A plaid Scotch and Soda shirt to follow the massive lumberjack trend, worn with a neat pair of chino shorts which may sound smart however worn with a checkered shirt and brown Canvas Fred Perry plimsolls make it feel very casual. To make sure you don’t find your chino’s hugging your ankles a Fossil Blake Brown belt tops this summer outfit off, an aged brown leather belt brings the shirt and chinos out in a subtle way.

Smart Night Out

For those nights where you’ll be meeting old friends for a bite to eat in an upmarket restaurant its time to turn it up a notch. First garment I recommend is a white linen shirt which is available from UniQlo at a very reasonable price of £19.99. Linen will keep you cool throughout the night but also keep your outfit looking smart and professional. Paired up with a great pair of navy military chino’s which can be found online at Hackett as they have a few ideal styles of trousers. The Fossil Braxton Roller is a smart belt which can help to style up the outfit slightly and to sign off this set I can’t forget to add the hugely popular deck shoes, Sebago seem to be the one company that springs to mind when discussing deck shoes as they stock a whole range of styles but for the Smart Summer Night Outfit we put forward the Sebago Mens Spinnakers.

The last teams to play their opening matches of the 2o1o South Africa World Cup has just taken place, and well done to Switzerland for reminding Spain that anything can happen in the World Cup (and re-igniting that faint glimmer of hope we had!). We’ve had a look through all the jerseys that have been played in so far/may get to see at the tournament and thought we’d make some style related commentary:

Although the shirts all look very similar, if you look at them closely you will notice small tweaks that give all of them a distinct look. Our favourite football shirt is of course England’s; not just because it’s our home side but also due to it’s clean, simple and minimal look. We’re obviously over the retro round-neck shirts because the English kit has gone for a small collar again which takes us back to the shirts introduced in the late 80’s which carried on through the 90’s, so actually today we have a sweet combination of this accompanied by the minimal retro look. Cameroon and New Zealand’s kit have a more contemporary style to them, both with a tighter fit. The Cameroonian’s top has a graphic print of a lion on the right shoulder with the brand which is a nice touch and since they’re known as ‘Les Lions Indomptables’ suits them too. All their badges are located slightly higher on the chest then the rest which does give the shirt a slightly different look. Spain’s away kit is another good shirt with the smart looking v-cut front, centralised Adidas logo and offset crest, I really like the navy colour with red and yellow strips on the sleeves making it a smarter football shirt. New Zealand’s kit is almost identical to their rugby jersey; I doubt we’ll be seeing the haka but the shirt might just be enough to shit-up the Italians when they’re running towards them! Come on England let’s show Algeria how it’s done.

Boots have been around for thousands of years, since the Roman Empire. Soldiers would fight in footwear known as ‘caligae’ (a sandal like boot made from leather), and we know that those ‘gladiators’ are now most women’s favourite summer footwear.  You might not ponder this every day, but there has been an explosion in the types of men’s boots that are around, ranging from rigger styles to military to cowboy, and in fashion-terms the time is definitely right for guys to hit the boots. How do we know? Check out the campaign posters for Firetrap, Diesel, All Saints, Topman, and many more which all feature men’s boots.

The most popular type of boot today is the ‘rigger‘ boot, made from nubuck leather and equipped with a hefty steel boot cap these boots go just above the ankle by a couple of inches and are practical boots that look good and can be worn in all conditions. However in terms of trend the style of boot that are big now are ‘military‘ boots. These are higher boots which  go all the way up usually to the mid-point of the shin and are made with a distressed leather to give them a worn-in appearance and with military details. They also usually have a less bulky sole than hardcore work boots. For the very best out there check out ‘All Saints’ who have gone to town with around 15 different styles all made from leather. Although they are around the £150 price mark and should be at the top-end of your boot budget, they look great and will last well. The great thing about military men’s boots is that they can be worn either with skinny or loose cut jeans.

A slightly easier pair to go for would be a pair of ‘riders‘ style, originally designed for motorbike riding but now fashionable footwear. I bought a pair of Wrangler WM0144’s which did look slightly too clean and plasticky online but I wore them several times and they matured very well, turning into an impressive pair of distressed worn boots which I was ultimately looking for, rare to find online however one company jamesandjames stock them at a very reasonable price of £60.

With summer fast approaching you might think it’s the wrong time of year to buy boots, however the original Timberland’s look the nuts with a pair of khaki shorts and it’s nearly festival season! We’ll all be watching the weather carefully, and if you subscribe to the theory ‘hoping for the best but planning for the worst’ it’s a good time to invest in a quality pair of boots to trek through the bog at Glastonbury or Reading. I’ve got military, builder and rigger boots which I wear on a daily basis but if I had to choose it would be the rigger boot any day of the week. Originally designed for heavy construction work they look sweet with ripped jogger shorts and a plaid shirt.

There is one particular pair of men’s boots which I wish I had the balls to wear….Cowboy Boots!! The cowboy look is of course classic Americana and has been around for years but is making it big now and in the past year cowboy kicks made completely of cow leather are back on our shelves and getting a lot of press. One company that do impressive cowboy boots are Sendra, a Spanish company that we came across in Barcelona and luckily they ship around the World so you can get your hands on a pair whether you’re in Oklahoma or Oldham!