SHOW THE SHORT-SLEEVED SHIRT SOME LOVE!

It's time to show the short-sleeved shirt some love. Let us cast aside any dated associations with IT technicians, missionaries and Homer Simpson, and remind ourselves that a shirt with short sleeves can be just as stylish as its longer-armed brother - with a few provisos, of course. The first is that short-sleeved shirts should never be worn with a tie or any sort of neckwear, unless you actually are at the controls of a jumbo jet. The second, and no less important, condition is that you must choose the right short-sleeved shirt to look good: think well-cut, and not baggy, with sleeves that fall at least a few centimetres above the elbows and won't flap about like a pair of wings. This is where MR PORTER brands, from Burberry to Saint Laurent, come into play, with their breezy interpretations of the style jumping straight onto our summer wish lists. Whether you go for the 1950s counterculture and rockabilly aesthetic (embodied by the likes of Messrs James Dean and Eddie Cochran) or prefer to think tropical or preppy, click through the gallery, below, to discover some of our favourite short-sleeved shirts as well as the men who wear them well!

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STARS IN THEIR CARS!

There is more to being well dressed than just the clothes. It's about the life as well as the wardrobe, and a man's method of transport is an important element of the stylish life. We're promiscuous when it comes to transportation: we're big fans of cycling and we're certainly not above public transport, but we also love driving. It's undoubtedly easier to make a good impression if you emerge from the cabin of an Italian coupé, rather than from an underground station, and if you're offering someone a lift home after dinner it's more tempting if she knows that you've got the keys to an Aston in your pocket, rather than the keys to a D-lock. This is something the men in the photographs, above, knew well, and they set an almost unbeatable benchmark when it comes to automotive style.

OFF-DUTY ELEGANCE: OUT OF OFFICE NEEDN'T MEAN OUT OF STYLE!

Any fool can look sharp in a suit. However, as politicians the world over discover every summer, dressing down successfully is far harder than dressing up. In 1971 President Richard Nixon, keen to co-opt some of the late President John F Kennedy's youthful appeal, posed for some photographs on the San Clemente shore in California. The result was that he was widely mocked for wearing suit trousers and dress shoes on the beach. In the end his awkward appearance contrasted so unfavourably with JFK's exemplary off-duty style that the stunt did nothing but accentuate the differences between the two men. 

The reason for this is that relaxation is the key to the success of any holiday, and so the ideal vacation wardrobe should look and feel relaxed. Aside from underwear nothing that a man sports in the workplace deserves a space in your suitcase. Because we spend our days in an air-conditioned office we need to be reminded of what works on holiday, so we've dug out these old photographs to conjure up a mood of off-duty elegance. The images remind us that it's vital to get the fabric and fit of clothes right. Substantial natural fabrics (we're talking cotton and linen here) are the key, not only because they "breathe" but also because they wear well and can be thrown into the washing machine when dirty. It's hard to be relaxed around sun cream, sand and melting ice creams if everything you're wearing has to be dry-cleaned.

 As far as fit goes we believe that slightly looser clothes work best in the heat. They allow the air to circulate, and the way that they feel is conducive to relaxation. So save your slimmest trousers and close-fitting shirts for the city, and take a leaf out of Mr Gregory Peck's book and wear clothes that can move with the breeze. Colour is the final part of this puzzle, and strong light provides a great opportunity to wear brighter colours than usual. Whether that means a lavender-coloured pair of J.Crew's Stanton shorts, or a Burberry Prorsum shirt with a bold print, is down to taste. But either way the summer is the time to turn up the brightness, although if you have very pale skin it's best to wait until you've caught a tan before going for the boldest shades of orange, red and yellow. Check the gallery, below, to see seven men whose off-duty style was exemplary. 

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