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" That placid, be-chino&amp;#039;ed stretch of weekends between Memorial and Labor Days (some may call it summer) is finally upon us. In many ways, these months are all about simplicity and comfort, and the season officially starts for me in the simplest fashion, when I trek to American Apparel (despite knowing that look you&amp;#039;re giving me through the computer screen). Once there, I purchase a heaping stack of their white, crewneck, cotton t-shirts, to replace the bunch that were over-washed and over-worn, ripped, torn, and bleached, over the past year. The new ones will be used in the same way the old ones were: worn with a pair of jeans, or under a sweater, as to create that &amp;quot;I just threw on a t-shirt&amp;quot; look. As we move into the intermediate realm of the casual-yet-dressy spectrum, next up are polo shirts \u2014 something else I need to replenish. My own rules stipulate that any polo requiring a trip to the dry cleaners is a complete waste of time, while big branded logos on the front of just about anything are strictly verboten. Thankfully, there&amp;#039;s the fit and cut of Lacoste. At all their stores, there&amp;#039;s a rainbow of le crocodile&amp;#039;d part of my summer uniforms, which I alternate with the several pair of vintage Dunhill polos that are on permanent loan (read: stolen) from my father&amp;#039;s closet. Further down the street (I&amp;#039;m on Broadway, but this could be any street), the vintage inspired Thomas Mason collection at the J.Crew men&amp;#039;s store moved my thoughts to the gingham and pin stripes of the Shirt Proper. In this arena, it seems that short-sleeved and varieties with button-down collars have made a comeback. Whether it&amp;#039;s a tee, polo, or short-sleeved button-down, no man needs to fret over the sizing or styling implications inherent therein. Always see if you can breathe, even after buttoning up, and try to ensure that the shoulder join (i.e., where the sleeve meets the body of the shirt) falls within an inch of where your actual shoulder ends. Feel free to leave the garment untucked if you can see the belt over the shirt&amp;#039;s hem. But whatever you do, do not pop the collar. There&amp;#039;s only one person, under one set of highly specific circumstances, who can do this: Tom Cruise, in Risky Business. (Though, even in that situation, it looked better at rest.) This might come as a surprise, but the summer months are often hot. Those who regularly tend toward a layered look might want to go the way of the henley shirt, preferably in navy with thin white stripes. When wearing a henley, err on the side of looseness. Leave the top few buttons undone, allowing that collar edge of a fitted t-shirt to peak through. Ralph Lauren&amp;#039;s RRL line offered plenty of good henleys, along with chambray shirts, pullovers, and hoodies, though the chunky knits of a mariner-inspired sweater seemed ideal for colder nights. We now move into the realm of the hooded, summertime fisherman&amp;#039;s raincoat. Bet you didn&amp;#039;t see that one coming. Well, neither did I. And yet, like the summer trench and anorak of yore, these are proving a handsome addition to any man&amp;#039;s wardrobe. At Rag &amp;amp;amp; Bone, a bright yellow offering with toggle buttons gave a masculine yet vibrant way to weather any downpour. A few words of warning: Yellow goes well with navy, gray, khaki, and white. Avoid browns, and other yellows, and probably green, lest you want to seem like you&amp;#039;re OD&amp;#039;ing on color. And if yellow slickers remind you too much of the Gorton&amp;#039;s Fisherman, then the sand-toned hooded summer overcoat by Shipley &amp;amp;amp; Halmos is the way to go. With its pin-striped lining and tortoise-shell buttons, this lightweight coat is outerwear perfection. After finding those clothes-for-cool-evenings, I tried not to get distracted by A.P.C&amp;#039;s vintage parkas or sailor-striped sweaters. Though I did allow my mind to wander a bit when I reached one particular pair of pants, in a versatile navy-blue material that I like to call demi-denim, which seemed impossibly lightweight. I also fell for their linen Prince of Wales Check shorts.  You probably have an idea of your favorite shorts \u2014 their cut, their color, even their cuffs. For those grinchiest of grinches who only wear trousers \u2014 and hate sunshine, grilling, and kittens \u2014 remember that shorts are, indeed, an opportunity to wear blocks of seersucker, madras, zig-zags, and checks, without having to worry about the fabric overpowering both your legs or your entire outfit. Indeed, now is the season of seersucker, madras, and, for the more daring, paisley. In fact, Loden Dager, a brand sold at Barneys New York, offered an excellent paisley pair of shorts. Though rooted in the psychedelic, they&amp;#039;re dapper beyond measure. For the traditionalists, and for those who have a tough time deciding what to wear, there&amp;#039;s also the new reversible shorts from Docker&amp;#039;s. Available in khaki and navy, these have an inner-lining of patchwork plaid, so you can wear them inside-out, or cuff them to reveal just enough color. The aquatic first-cousins of the short (i.e., the bathing suit) have long been a source of heated debate. I used to believe that anything falling above too far above the knee was as immodest as a tank top in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But a few months in Italy (how I long to never hear that &amp;quot;La Bomba&amp;quot; song again), and I was inoculated against any Victorian mores of swimwear. The shorter swimsuit has made its way onto American shores, and Gant Rugger&amp;#039;s checkered trunks will add a traditional appeal to your underwater apparel. One of those best aspects of summer style is that we have the opportunity to wear entirely novel shoes, whether it be those Soludos espadrilles, or the 1950s style Rivieras leisure slip-on. But to flip-flop or not to flip-flop, that is the question. Having spent most of my formative years in South Florida, I say yeah, and am a firm believer in the Rainbow Sandal. I&amp;#039;ve owned a pair of their leather ones since my Ft. Lauderdale days, when many a student (and perhaps this writer, though I confess nothing) used to skip AP English List in order to go surf. If flip-flops aren&amp;#039;t your thing, or if you have toes that could be a character on Where the Wild Things Are, then a boat shoe is my preference. Sperry Top-Sider has remade their classic model this year, with soles in orange, blue, yellow, and pink, all allowing you to forego any statement sock temptation and the sweat that comes with that. Because summer has, historically, been a time of getting away, it seems that one day spent shopping for the stuff I need has quickly become a packing list of essential weekend items. Just don&amp;#039;t forget the bag \u2014 Jack Spade has a great one, inspired by vintage industrial coal bags \u2014 and tell me where to meet you. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/style/advice/a14198/summer-shopping-checklist-2012/>