Tying Up For Summer
While your initial response to summer’s heat may be to shed as many layers as possible, the occasional lawn party, country club bash or business meeting mean you can’t spend all of July and August in shorts and a tank top. But nothing says you can’t stay cool—nor look cool—while wearing a tie. Banish your dour, woolen neckwear to the back of the closet in favor of lightweight silks that are also bright in color. , you’ll likely be pairing with lighter hues, whether the occasion calls for a linen suit, seersuckers or a blazer with khaki tros. This is also the season for spritely patterns that synch with a world that is in blossom.
A butterfly motif from Petronius 1926 (lower right, available at Neiman Marcus, $175) stays on a flight pattern that is perfect for the season. Because classes have been suspended until fall, Kiton offers a yellow-and-aqua striped number (lower left, Neiman Marcus, $295) that will never be mistaken for an old-school tie. Even while Paul Stuart flirts with a navy-blue hue (upper left, $175), its jazzed up diamond-cloud pattern is anything but somber. Paisley is a class act that works all year, but in the hands of Zegna (upper right, Neiman Marcus, $195) it exemplifies the carefree summer sensibility. And if flowers are in bloom, Paul Stuart (middle right, $165) apparently thought, why not show a bit of foliage around the neck?
