Your Essential Buyer's Guide for That Summertime West Coast Style

If you look at the average bro's summer wardrobe from Chicago to Little Rock, Charlotte to San Antonio, you'll probably notice a few common items: floral boardshorts, a surf-inspired T-shirt, perhaps a hemp bracelet or two. And that's all because, for decades on end now, no one does summer better than our friends on the West Coast. Once the weather heats up, we all want to dress a little bit like we live in Southern California. Fortunately for everyone (except maybe the cashiers at Hollister), L.A. style is leading the charge and setting the tone for a huge segment of American menswear. But this West Coast-type fashion is not the same as it was when you used to wear Billabong swim trunks; it's streamlined, sophisticated, and a little more grown up—and not all of it even comes from the U.S., let alone from the Golden State. Here are some essentials for the season to give you that carefree, surf-life look you want. And you don't even need to get sand in your shoes.

The departure of creative director Hedi Slimane turned what was already a coveted Saint Laurent collection into a range full of must-haves. Much of Slimane’s final summer assortment for the French label takes inspiration from the West Coast, particularly the designer’s adopted hometown of L.A. This palm tree print is the ultimate casual-luxury splurge for the season. Yes, it’s pricey, but it’s worth it to take home a small piece of fashion history.

Saint Laurent Palm-Tree Print Cotton Shirt, $690. Buy It Now.

Cotton is one of the best fabrics to wear in the summer because it absorbs sweat. It’s also best to wear light colored shirts to avoid feeling like you’re going to have a heat stroke. This white Our Legacy tee is 100% cotton, and features a cool distressed print inspired by a warm weather retreat to Mexico. Need we say more?

Our Legacy Old School White Misanthropic Love Tee, $134. Available at ourlegacy.se.

A summer fit without sunglasses is like a cake without icing. This pair of shades from Sun Buddies, the eyewear line created by the brothers behind the undeniably cool Swedish brand and retailer Très Bien, is the one you need this summer. The vintage-inspired frames are just different enough to stand out from every other dude's Ray-Bans, but they're simple enough to be add a perfect finish to any outfit.

Sun Buddies Type 04 Sunglasses in Black, $175. Buy It Now.

L.A.’s Noon Goons take a slightly different approach to SoCal surf style, referencing the car club culture of East Los Angeles as much as they do the beach bums of Venice and Malibu. These cotton twill shorts can be the base you need for any number of summer ‘fits, and they should be able to stand a season’s worth of wear and tear--these bad boys are made to last in the US of A.

Noon Goons Tan Twill Club Shorts, $120. Available at ssense.com.

Summer means warm weather, which means a trip to the beach. Since we know you wouldn’t succumb to Speedos, these Saturdays boardshorts are perfect. They’re just above knee-length. They’re not loud, but have enough interesting details to set you apart from basic bros in basic shorts. They’re also affordable. It can’t get better than that.

Saturdays NYC Colin Seamless Boardshort in Navy Iris, $85. Buy It Now.

What is more representative of SoCal style than socks with your Vans and shorts? L.A.-based brand Stampd has the perfect pair to help you replicate the pulled-high style as seen on skaters and cool kids up and down the PCH. You can rep West Coast style this summer even if you've never set foot in the Pacific.

Stampd Vertical WC Socks, $19. Available at stampd.com.