Warm Weather

[Justhandguns]

There certainly is a place for the sheepskin in Summer: I wish I'd had one with me one June night when I ended up sleeping rough at a provincial train station after missing the last service back into London. Even in mid June, it was astonishing how cold it was at 5am.

I am still wearing my Vanson B, right now, in suburban London. The met office says it will be a scotching summer this year, but I really doubt it. But I would probably ditch my leather jacket for something like a thin Denim jacket for the evenings during the UK summer.

 

[Creeping Past]

I've spent most of today in a fully lined tweed suit. Spring? Me @rse...

 

[Edward]

I suspect it's all relative: last Thursday at, what, about 18C with no wind, was, here in Central London, my idea of perfect Summer weather.

 

[Hal]

I am still wearing my Vanson B, right now, in suburban London.

I've spent most of today in a fully lined tweed suit.

...last Thursday at...about 18C with no wind, was...my idea of perfect Summer weather.

I'm emphatically with Edward here, and would be delighted if it were cool enough to wear the articles named above all year round. Cool- and cold-weather clothing is smarter, more interesting and more satisfying to wear, while high temperatures encourage sloppy and nondescript casualness.

The met office says it will be a scorching summer this year

I sincerely hope they're wrong!

 

[Creeping Past]

Cool- and cold-weather clothing is smarter, more interesting and more satisfying to wear, while high temperatures encourage sloppy and nondescript casualness.

I know what you mean. But that's all the more reason to keep standards up and rise above the sweaty crowd sporting their very less-than-daring 3/4 length cargo shorts and T-shirts.

Linen and heavy-ish cotton canvas save the day. A bush jacket, a jaunty cap and blaze of colour round the neck in the form of a neckerchief or summer-weight scarf does the job. Delivery drivers and scaffolders in particular seem to find this mode of dress endlessly amusing. I just wave a gloved hand and smile.*

I love hot weather and can't get enough of it, pale as yoghurt though I am.

* The gloves are for illustrative purposes only and don't feature in the real-life version of events.

 

[Edward]

I think that a white Transit must have some sort of environmental impact upon its occupants, simultanously lowering the IQ and raising the willingness to communicate their opinions of and to other individuals.... A few weeks ago, one such creature yelled a particularly vicious diatribe at me. Alas, his diction was so poor that the only intelligable word was an extremely rude one beginning with 'c', so I have no idea whether this verbal attack was motivated by a politically-based objection to my over coat, or bigotry provoked by my hat. The overcoat was a Wehrmacht cut, admittedly, but unbadged and I rather doubt this neanderthal was in possession of sufficient knowledge to spot that. The hat was an Akubra Federation, in Carbon Grey, which did once cause a market trader to refer to me as an unclean, fornicating follower of Judaism, or words to that effect.

There are, I have come to the conclusion, many stylish options for the vintage dresser in Summer, however they do rather stand out much more so than their Winter counterparts. The biggest drawbacks (weather itself aside) are limitations in headwear (I get bored of straw when it is too hot for felt for weeks at a time), and having to suffer the violation of one's cornea by the sight of what the mainstream consider acceptable wear in public when the sun comes out. Grown men in short trousers is the least of it!

 

[Smithy]

Allthough I long for spring and summer (...and Italy) I still find it hard to stove away the ol' IRVIN jacket. Even wore it last night for the occasional cigar at the porch. Not because it was that chilly - but because it was damn nice!

Me too, I wore my old Irvin last night out in the garden having a glass of wine and a ciggie or two

 

[Edward]

Some evening I may just throw on a flight jacket for an after dinner pipe... After a break of around a decade, I have decided to return to my occasional pipe smoking ways. This would be in place of cigars - I go through maybe three cigars a year, but they're getting pricey out for a good one. Carrying the pipe will be much cheaper, and it does have a certain air of gravitas... Also - much, I suppose, like shaving with soap, brush and safety razor - there's the appeal of the ritual...

 

[nicholasb]

Sunny day today in the UK but wish I had taken one of my jackets to wear in the car this morning. With the hood down, it was quite chilly.

The Wested Indy is a good summer choice.

 

[kampkatz]

Last evening it was cool enough to need my A2 for a bicycle ride, along with gloves and an insulated hat.

 

[captaincaveman1]

Gee, I think some of you guys might be a bit over-dressed in the summer.

Me? Count me in as one of the guys wearing cargo shorts and a T when the temps get over 80. I just can't stand heat and sweat like a pig.

 

[Sir Jacket]

I love leather jackets but, equally and perhaps even more so, I love warm - no, hot - weather. But then I did grow up in Australia, so that's what feels natural. l live in London now and there always seems to be a nasty underchill to the weather, no matter how apparently warm.

Sir J

 

[Spitfire]

WooHooo - blame it on Iceland or whatever. But we still have minus at night, snow/cold rain in the daytime. So it's still IRVIN weather!!!!

 

[John in Covina]

With a storm coming thru Southern California it has been cool enought to keep the A2 out.

 

[rumblefish]

Well there's warm and there's warm. Here in southern Arizona I'll wear my Eastman HH A-2 till about 80 degrees. It's a very light A-2, 3 1/4 lbs. Too me, any thing under 70 degrees is not warm; actually 60 degrees is cold. Above 80 and it's short sleeves or T shirts like everyone else. My fun comes in under 60 degrees; what with heavier A-2s, G-1s, M1951s, Carhartt and Filson, it's really tough to decide!

At 80 degrees and above I prefer to wear just the leather God gave me.