9 Summer Style Decisions That Go Hard

Image via Complex Original

This is a style move that many attempt, but few pull off correctly. After all, there is a fine line between looking like Ryan Gosling, with his heat-packing pair of shoulder-mounted artillery, and some lazy, sunburnt #dadbod in a soiled undershirt. And that line is to be crossed with some serious attention to those lats, broseph. Start now, and by the time the sun’s out you may be packing sufficient guns to make any two-toned muscle tank look like an exercise in martial law.

They were designed with the sun in mind, right? The wide-brimmed hat isn’t just for Pharrell when he’s at the Grammys. And with the proper level of élan—and nice, smoky pair of shades wouldn’t hurt, either—you, too, can reap the benefits of carrying shade with you wherever you go. Just remember that this isn’t your beat-up Mets cap with a pair of Oakleys, nor is it the thing that guy in high school wore to go along with his trench coat and Matrix trilogy DVDs; this is serious cool-guy stuff, so act accordingly, and everyone else will have no choice but to play along.

It’s actually pretty practical when you think about it: It’s too hot out, but nobody wants to see those cracked, chapped falcon talons of yours. But the socks-with-sandals combo has gotten serious flack for years as a total nerd/dad/American tourist stereotype, only to be brought back by ’90s nostalgia and “normcore” aficionados into the sartorial spotlight. Not to say, though, that this will be an easy decision to explain at your local sports bar. But if it’s been on the runway for the likes of Micah Cohen and McNairy, it’s perfectly aspirational for you, too.

Men’s jewelry—don’t call it “mewlery,” or we can’t be friends—has been a little, well, delicate as of late, culminating in every dad at every Fourth of July barbecue sporting a whole bangle’s worth of leather rope nautical bracelets, which is why this summer, the move is to go hard, literally, with classic metallic pieces drawn from a bygone era. Like the field jacket or camo prints, the I.D. bracelet’s militaristic roots have made it a touchstone of civilian counterculture for decades. Dean wore one. Brando wore one. And we want you to join, too.

Nothing says confident masculinity like flowers on your shirt. No, seriously. The favorite of beach bums, surf bums, and many other kinds of bums aside, the short-sleeve, Hawaiian-style shirt has been reclaimed from its XXXL, middle-management-in-Maui nadir and restored as a symbol of tropical chill for all. Wear it high and tight if you’ve got the muscular firepower to back it up, or loose and laid-back as a hipster statement (the ’50s kind, not the craft coffee kind) like NBA legend Pistol Pete here. Either way, you might attract some bees just standing out there in the sun, but you’ll draw plenty of birds, too—if you know what we mean.

They came and went, and now they’re back again. But we’re not talking about those boot-cut, stonewashed, early-2000’s embarrassments that more than a few of us wore to the club. The best new jeans are ripped and hole-ridden slim punk-rock numbers that look like they were run through a lawnmower but that’ll look great when you’re having Sunday brunch at the posh place next to what’s left of CBGB in downtown NYC. That scene might be dead, but this is their legacy. Wear it well.

Heavy metal is back. Well, the album art, anyway. Credit it to Yeezus-era Kanye West, whose all-black-everything style, Metallica-aping tour tees, and flame-throwing stage presence injected a new sense of retro swagger into a genre formerly remembered for its feathered hair and 20-minute guitar solos. The point is to wear your band tees like a fan, but not like, you know, a fan. (You know the type.) Go all next-level by wearing them inside-out to tone down the color contrast, and prepare to respond to your friends’ quizzical looks with a disaffected, sunglass-shaded shrug.

Here’s another one that many try, but most fail at. The most common problem, we think, is that people treat accessories like sunglasses as independent elements from the rest of their wardrobe. But donning swaggy sunglasses on top of a dud outfit won’t turn it into a passable ensemble—it looks like you’re failing at trying too hard. Shades need to accentuate the person they’re placed on. So if you’re going the full gold-rimmed aviator route, the rest of your clothes need to be valedictorian of the Top Gun Academy. If the gold trim is subtler, let them be the cherry on the top of your subdued black ninja uniform. Follow the principles of balance and you’ll never settle for the silver medal again.

Sweat is the worst, isn’t it? So why not shave your head to spite the sun? Granted, this is the apex of ballsy style moves. You probably need a quality razor (like this one), not to mention a perfectly shaped cranium, to have any hope of pulling it off. But the upside…well…you could be the king of style this summer, and wear the crown upon your shiny, smooth head.