Summer's Best Jacket

Summer's best jacket was inspired by colonial military tailoring in the 1930's. The safari jacket has all the pockets a man can reasonably need for travel, can be dressed up or down to suit a variety of occasions, and takes abuse better than a regular odd jacket.

The classic safari jacket is made from tan cotton drill, gabardine, linen or fresco and, if your closet can accommodate two, you should pick one from column a (drill and gabardine) and one from column b (linen and fresco). Whatever the material, a safari should have a yoke back and front, epaulettes, a belt, four gusseted pockets with flaps and buttons (the two lower ones should be patch and bellows) and cuffed long sleeves that can be rolled up above the elbow and buttoned to stay there.

The safari pairs well with a panama hat or linen cap and, in Southern Europe if nowhere else, can be dressed up with a silk scarf at the neck. It needs only a polo or a tee shirt under it, a pair of trousers, and summer shoes that can range from espadrilles to spectators.