Looking nice-ish in summer heat

I usually do the same. ANyway, in Arizona, your options are limited by two things:

a) Ridiculous heat when directly in the sun.
b) Ridiculous A/C power when inside.
As you can tell, I am with Fabienne on this one. Brrrr!
Light trousers, t-shirt and sometimes a jacket for when I am indoors

I don't wear shorts, so it's still the same jeans I wear year round...the biggest difference is I'll wear more buttonfront shirts that are meant to be untucked and 1940s repro Avanti hawaiian shirts. For the most part, I dress the same all year, the exception being long sleeves and sweaters not worn in the summer (obviously)

When its 95 degrees and high humidity, clothes are usually the last thing on my mind!

If I'm working or just doing something not-too-fancy (hanging out, lounging around the house, running errands) I'll just wear shorts and a tee or polo.

However, I've got some linen pants and some really lightweight cotton pants that are pretty cool (temperature wise, and I suppose stylewise too).

It's also pretty easy to find lightweight cotton button-ups (either short or long sleeve) and linen shirts.

well having to spend my summer time in Taiwan..for those of you who hadn't been there..think miami-type heat and humidity... guys are pretty much limited to t shirt/buttom-downs and jeans/shorts too... I totally feel what skalogre was saying.

I think as every guy is left with limited options..what u can pull out of the limitation is the key(duh!)..great jeans and fine t shirts...that's what guys wear all the time anyway...

at times i felt it's harder to be girls during the summer time...think of all the different things they try to pull...

oh...1st post, btw..

The heat down here gets so oppresively bad during the summer that it's hard to wear anything but a t-shirt and jeans. If I'm feeling fancy I'll wear a buttondown with the sleeves rolled up.

People down here actually have problems dressing up for the winter, surprisingly enough. The "winter" down here lasts only 2 weeks-1 month, so nobody buys coats or jackets because their use is so limited.

Where'd you get the linen and cotton pants from?

This is the time when things like watches, cuffs, etc become useful. It's usually the only way I can think of to add a little visual interest in the summer (besides interesting shoes), since like everyone else I'm pretty much limited to t-shirts, s/s button-ups, or very lightweight button-ups with the sleeves rolled back. Also, it's all about fit in the summer. Everything's going to look simple, so the fit has to be spot-on for me.

Was thinking the same. VM?

I don't like khakis and keep t-shirts for exercise or yardwork, so for me it's linen pants in various colors with solid-color polo shirts (don't really like patterned polos) in more Euro-y cuts by the likes of Fred Perry/Comme for FP or French-made Lacostes for as long as they last, camp shirts, or with lighter-weight cotton shirts with sleeves rolled up to my elbow. I don't usually mix linen. Either that, or jeans (I bought the lightweight Eduns I mentioned in another thread for this purpose) with linen shirts or the above types of shirts. For weddings and such, a navy linen suit by Hugo Boss has served me well for a while. I'd also like to get another linen sportcoat of some kind, but the right one hasn't presented itself to me. I might make that my experiment with The_Foxx's tailor Atlanta Custom, as they're more or less local to me. On my feet I'll often do desert boots (Tods), sockless bit loafers (Ferragamo/Gucci) or driving mocs (Gucci/Tods). As for stuff like watches, I rarely wear a watch in the summer because I hate watch tans.

I'm a little surprised by how jeans are most people's no-brainer option for heat. Lightweight cotton and linen pants are generally more breathable than denim, especially the kind of 13+ oz denim preferred by most denimheads.

Another thing that should be mentioned are Topsiders, sans socks. Just don't plan on doing much walking in them, unless you're a masochist.

Regarding the linen pants and the cotton pants...

I'm going to get my ass kicked for saying this, but a few years back before I knew more about clothing, I found three pairs of Kenneth Cole pants on deep discount ($10-20) in my size - one lightweight tan cotton, one drawstring linen, and one really light cream cotton.

The quality may not be the highest, but I have had no problems yet. Also, they are cut slim (without being tight and ill-fitting) and fit very comfortably. No strange details (except for a cool lining on the inside of the waistband), just nice minimal pants.

I've also got a pair from Dolce & Gabbana that is nice, though not worth full retail.

I have a pair from Dolce & Gabbana too, and they are pretty nice. They are, I believe, 86% cotton and 14% linen, but are very lightweight. I don't think they are worth the 300-400 dollars they retail for, but I got them for $50

t-shirts in the day, and a nice tunic in the evenings.

Summer heat is great because it forces you to do back to basics; nice tee or shirt, well-fitting pants/shorts and maybe some accessories.