What To Buy This Week: Summer In The City

Boglioli Cotton Blazer in Forest Green

We have harboured on enough times about the usefulness of a summer-weight blazer in the warmer months, and we likely won’t stop any time soon. In opposition to the usual blues or neutrals that you might be accustomed to, this soft Boglioli blazer makes a solid case for investing in a deep shade of forest green. Made from a breathable cotton, it’s available exclusively at Mr Porter and promises to be as versatile as it is stylish. More importantly though, its unstructured cut offers unashamed comfort, which is a necessity when the mercury rises. £575 from mrporter.com

Gucci 1953 Horsebit Loafers in Brown Leather

Steeped in history, the famed Gucci Horsebit loafer is a venerable classic among the shoe elite. Favoured by the Jet Set of the ’50s and ‘60s, its dressy silhouette was matched with innate comfort from the butter-soft leather to create a shoe that would look equally at home at a daytime business meeting as it would poolside in the riviera. Our choice for summer is this 60th anniversary edition, crafted from burnished brown leather and featuring the iconic metal ‘horsebit’, which lends the shoe no small amount of vintage charm. Made entirely in Italy, naturally. £410 from gucci.com

Vintage Dunhill Sunglasses

Whether it’s watches, cars or clothing, vintage items tend to boast inherent character and charm. The overused phrase, ‘they don’t make ‘em like they used to’ often comes to mind. These sunglasses are a case in point. Produced by Alfred Dunhill in the 1980s they are clearly of the aviator family yet feature sharper angles as they taper away from the nose. With twin bridges and tortoiseshell inserts, the detailing is superb but best of all are the cherry pink/rosé/blush lenses, which give them a somewhat louche playboy x Tony Montana vibe. They’re a deadstock, one-off piece so don’t miss out. $599.99 from vintageframescompany.com

Piaggio Vespa PX

You’re a busy man. You plan what you’re going to wear the night before. It allows you ample time to construct an outfit this way, and it saves you precious minutes the morning after. You’re in and out of meetings most days, and you often work remotely from your MacBook Air, which is stored under your arm religiously. You don’t have time to waste. For most, commuting is a chore, yet they do little to change it. You’re different though, you hate complainers and you live by your own rules. Your commute is painless. Slicing through traffic is a skill you’ve mastered, it’s fun even. Each person you overtake is symbolic of your life. You imagine you’re leap-frogging them on the ladder of success. You’re winning. You ride a Vespa. From £3,271 at vespa.com

Floris The Fragrance Journals Collection

Historic London perfumers Floris have a knack for creating evocative capsule collections, which feature genuinely interesting stories behind the scents. The latest is ‘The Fragrance Journals’, a series of three eau de parfums that take inspiration from London in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, respectively. Each scent aims to capture the zest of these distinct eras, for example; the 1962 fragrance’s description for example reads, “in the summer of 1962, music, art and colour had driven Soho into a world of its own, where coffee bars and rock clubs held court. Visiting London for the first time in 1962, the smells of spices, herbs and fruits welcomed your arrival in the city’s bohemian quarter”. I’m sold. Out 1st September, available on florislondon.com

If work dictates that you must remain grounded for the remainder of the summer and not indulge in your usual Rakish travel schedule, then you may feel like indulging in a few items that’ll ensure you forget the woes of familiarity, helping you unlock the full potential of whichever city you happen to frequent.

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