By Jamie Ferguson.

Fourth instalments are usually the best ones right? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Fast and Furious, The Phantom Menace… Ah nuts.

Well, here’s hoping this chapter in the What I’m Looking Forward to Wearing series is more the classic, high energy of Rocky IV and less the ‘bat-nipples’ of Batman and Robin.

I’m not going to lie, there’s lot of pressure stepping into the well-dressed, gladiatorial PS arena. You’d think I’d be used to it by now but alack, that’s not the case. The weight stems from a belief that you can’t really offer advice to suit one and all (as much as I’d love to) especially when it comes to something as personal as style.

These recommendations are purely what I’m looking forward to wearing and if, along the way, anything you happen to see offers a crumb of inspiration then I consider that a win.

As the great Dominic Toretto once said: “Ask any racer. Any real racer. It don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning’s winning.”

So, without further ado….

1. Fishing/photographer’s vests

Readers of Permanent Style appreciate a niche right? Well, you can’t get more niche than an article of clothing that’s really designed for only doing one of two things: fishing or photography.

Whether you can use it for anything else is a style conundrum I often find myself caught up in. On the one hand, I’m a firm believer that clothing should be practical, especially if it’s been designed for a specific purpose. And, truth be told, I do only wear this Colombia fishing vest when I’m shooting. 

But the problem is, I like the look of it SO much that I’m considering abandoning that belief altogether. Sue me. I’m a maverick, I don’t play by anybody’s rules, not even my own.

These vests tick a lot of boxes. They’re a great layering piece, they have lots of practical pockets, and they’re light weight, so they can easily be packed away into a tote if those judge-y eyes get the better of you.

It may prove impossible to find a way of wearing this vest that doesn’t look odd when you’re not holding a rod or a camera; but I’ve always enjoyed a challenge.

Shirt: Stan Ray
Shorts: Stan Ray
Vest: Marks and Spencer
Jellies: La Meduse
Hat: Ebbetts
Tote: Stan Ray
Sunglasses: The Resort Co

2. The Anthology patchwork madras jacket

I’m a massive advocate of wearing seasonal fabrics out of season. If it’s lighter, layer it up; if it’s heavier, go solo. But there are some fabrics that just look out of place if any attempt is made to wear them during the incorrect season. Enter stage right: the patchwork madras.

I adore this jacket but can only get away with wearing it from maybe late May, if I’m lucky, through September. September at a push mind you. The Irish seasons can be rather unforgiving.

Meaning I have a limited window to wear this and by golly I will wear it up, down, left and right. This results in wearing it dressed up as well as dressed down, which isn’t always easy.

The jacket and shorts thing is problematic and I don’t think it works EVERY time. So I’ve developed a tried and tested two-step process for determining whether it works or not.

Step One: The eyeball test. A quick glance in a mirror will often tell me if something’s a goer or not. I’ve been doing this long enough with enough failures to know if I’m comfortable with how an outfit looks in terms of palette and proportions. I don’t always need to move onto Step Two, but if I get the prickling sensation that I’m pushing any kind of sartorial boundary, I will invoke it.

Step Two: The ask the long-suffering wife test. As much as I say this with tongue firmly planted in cheek, I’ve found that the more vociferously my partner objects to a get-up I’ve thrown together, the more certain I am that said ‘up is a banger. After all, I do not dress to be sexy but for the menswear-ing homiez.

Jacket: The Anthology with cloth from OMTC
Shirt: Kempt
Tie: Model’s own
Belt: Levi’s
Jeans: Levi’s
Sunglasses: The Resort Co
Slippers: Stubbs and Wootton

Shirt: Brycleand’s
Vest: Marks and Spencer
Belt: Drake’s
Shorts: Beams +
Hat: Ebbetts
Tote: Hennerton
Loafers: Morjas

3. Denim jackets

If spring isn’t a time for layering, then when is? There’s nothing I love more than travelling for work during March to mid-May and having to pack for 27 different ambient temperatures.

Now some of you may think I’m exaggerating, but what do you reach for when you’re going from a drizzly, and yet somehow also frosty, Belfast airport, into an unconscionably hot, for some reason, airport lounge, onto an air-conditioned plane, having a sweaty run to a packed train heading to the city, descending into an even sweatier and more packed tube, before finally arriving at the destination where the minute you crouch down to shoot all that accumulated moisture runs into the back of both knee-pits… and then reversing that whole sequence when it’s time to depart?

How does one dress for that???

Asking for a friend.

Denim jackets are the silver bullet to combat this sartorial werewolf.

They’re stylish, layer-able (seeing a trend here?) and easily thrown in the wash upon return from the concrete jungle. Honestly, I think machine-washability can be an undervalued criteria in menswear.

An added, extra-special lightning-round bonus is having one in standard blue denim and one in off white, like this TWC number. It gives you a lot of combinations to play with, from madras-clad prep to light, earth-toned architectural graduate, all the way back to double denim’d Canadian Tuxedo.

Denim jacket: Levi’s
Shirt, jeans: Buck Mason
Vest: Marks and Spencer
Belt: Morjas
Sweater: Aubin
Hat: Hennerton
Tote: Stan Ray
Loafers: Alden

Denim jacket: TWC
T-Shirt: Buck Mason
Sweater: Rubato
Jean’s: Levi’s
Loafers: Alden
Tote: Ichizawa Hanpu

4. LEJ Plage Coat

LEJ has been covered a few times on Permanent Style but I’m here to double down on the ethereal genius that is Luke Walker.

This LEJ Plage Coat in a brown herringbone cotton is my favourite Spring/Summer chore and I’ve been waiting months and months to bust this guy out again.

It comes in a plethora of colours and fabrics online, but it’s the details for the discerning eye that do it for me. As Manish rightly pointed out when he and André reviewed the LEJ offering the longer point collar, the half belt at the back and the enticing price point (depending on cloth) compared with alternates really set it apart.

It’s is a perfect light-layering piece for transitional weather or those summer evenings when the temperature dips.

Shirt and shorts: Buck Mason
Hat: Ebbetts
Tote: Trunk
Sneakers: Buck Mason x Moonstar
Sunglasses: Kirk Originals x FE Castleberry

Coat: LEJ
Jacket: Drake’s
Hat: Wythe
Shirt: J.McLaughlin
Vest: Marks and Spencer
Belt: Morjas
Trousers: Carharrt WIP
Boots: La Botte Gardiane

5. Grenson fisherman’s sandals

The fisherman’s sandal is an interesting one. By now I’m sure you’ve all seen this shoe somewhere. It’s been ubiquitous for the last few years and while not necessarily to everybody’s taste I think there’s life in these old dogs yet. Hear me out.

Personally, I’ve yet to come across a smart, summer shoe that I feel comfortable wearing with a suit or some form of tailoring in warm weather. I enjoy wearing belgians and espadrilles but find after prolonged wear, belgians just don’t have enough support and espadrilles are, frankly, a touch too casual.

Fisherman sandals, however, comfortably bridge that gap. These are Goodyear welted so I can resole them when needed, which adds to the lifespan, and they’re structured enough that I can wear them easily all day. Even when stomping around cobbled, Italian streets.

If you’re at a loss as to how style them I would also check out Davide Baroncini of Ghiaia, who frequently wears a similar model.

Jacket: The Anthology
Polo: Casatlantic
Hat: Wythe
Trousers: Stan Ray
Belt: Berg and Berg
Sunglasses: The Resort Co
Sandals: Grenson

Sandals: Grenson
Coat: LEJ
Sweater: J.Crew
Hat: Ebbetts
Shirt: J.McLaughlin
Tote: Ichizawa Hanpu
Trousers: Carhartt WIP

Denim jacket outfit below

Denim jacket: Blue Blue
Shirt: Drake’s
T Shirt: Hollywood Ranch Market
Sweater: Jamieson’s
Belt: Morjas
Trousers: Carharrt WIP
Glasses: Cubitts