I introduced Harrington jacket last time. Today is the second style of jacket, Safari jacket.
What does a gentleman’s dress look like in summer?
Before answering this question, I think we have to note that we usually refer to the British summer. It was a very cool summer, compared with Italy in southern Europe and most places in China. If we must wear it like this in summer, well, it’s okay to look good in an air-conditioned room.
To answer that question, of course, it is a relatively light fabric, such as linen, or cotton and linen blend, or a suit made of cotton-woven bubble yarn, or a navy blue suit (the material is still the one mentioned above) and then matched with light-coloured trousers. Personally, I prefer this style, but in the men’s clothing industry, there is another higher existence, which is the so-called outdoor style and rural style.
Among them, in summer, Safari jackets are the most well-known and accepted. This dress was originally designed for the tropical region. The style of this dress appeared around the end of the 19th century, but the real popularity was caused by the love of wearing this dress during the British elite rule in Africa.
This dress was originally prepared for hunting, and then in order to adapt to the hot weather in Africa, so I chose the right fabric, unlike the British hunting suit, which is more heavy with Tweed fabric. At the same time, many pockets are used to hold various tools for hunting.
Most jackets have no collar. The collar here refers to the collar like a suit or shirt, not a round collar or a turtleneck. But Safari has it.
Hemingway is the earliest advocate of this style, because the clothes can be washed and then comfortable, with many pockets and strong functionality. Clark Gable wears this style in many movies. Then when Roger Moore played 007, he also wore this dress.
After the end of British colonial rule, the popularity of this dress also quickly fell. But in 1968, St. Lauren quarrelled again and launched the Saharienne series. Although it was French, I wondered if it was the Sahara series. This style has returned to the public’s vision.
Back to the characteristics of the style:
- Four pockets, two on the chest, and two at the normal pocket, are all flap pockets with buttons.
- I haven’t seen a flat collar in a suit so far, but maybe there is. However, the traditional one is still a flat collar, because it is relatively casual style.
- Colour, this is actually very important. Summer clothes are generally light colours. This dress, khaki, beige, and then light green (the elegant one, not very bright) is the best.
- Fabric and linen are definitely the first choice. This is for coolness. But I always think, wearing a shirt inside, and then adding such a layer, can it really cool down?
- A buckle on the cuff can be buckled up or lifted to roll up the sleeves.
- The waist needs to have a certain waist. There are also styles with belts, which depend on personal preferences. Wear a belt. The feeling of outdoor or hunting is stronger.
- The number of buttons, 4 are the most classic, and 3 are not uncommon at present.
- The last one, the length, covers the whole butt. In fact, normally, the length of the suit jacket should also be here.
Let’s take a look at the styles on the market to learn from the key points.
This one, suit collar, linen fabric, khaki colour, four buckles, belt, length covering the buttocks. The only thing is that there is no unravelling opening in the cuffs. But basically, it’s a perfect one, except for the messy pattern on the arm. ( Ralph Lauren’s)
This dress has 3 buttons, and then the cuffs are adjusted and elastic. The colour is dark green, and there is no problem. But my biggest dissatisfaction with this dress is the material of this cotton, which gives people a particularly rough feeling. It can even be said that it feels a little sloppy.
This is also a very perfect particle, dark blue-green, linen material, four buckles, waist but no belt, and the collar is a shirt collar.
Sum up
Generally speaking, I am not very interested in outdoor clothing. For this style, the desire to try is not high at present, but if I want to buy it, I must buy a personal exquisite feeling, that is, the first and third in today’s casual examples. What about the collar? I prefer a suit collar. I wonder what your favourite is?