Navigate summer in style with Hawes & Curtis’ new collection

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Let’s do some word association, shall we? I say shirt, you say tie. I say navy, you say blazer. I say Hawes, you say Curtis. But when I say summer, do you say suit? Probably not. But you should — and one of Jermyn Street’s oldest outfitters is here to tell you why.

The Coastbound collection from Hawes & Curtis sets a new course for summer dressing. We may primarily know the shirtmaker for its trim, office-ready tailoring and poplin cotton shirts, but the brand’s new range is stepping out of the boardroom and into the boarding lounge, redefining its famous formalwear for summer.

But we’ll come back to those lightweight linen suits — because the bigger story is your wider wardrobe. You probably already own a tie or two from Hawes & Curtis; perhaps a merino half-zip or a rain-resistant mac. But this summer, the brand is bucking its desk-ready reputation and giving everything in your suitcase a travel-ready upgrade.

Moving towards a more complete, lifestyle-led way of dressing, Hawes & Curtis starts with the staples, crafting a capsule built on breathability, quality and elevated design — and built for far-flung summers.

Linens are the linchpin, introducing a lightweight, natural feel to both a range of new shirts (from striped to safari) and to several warm-weather jackets. These mid-layers, whether a patch-pocketed overshirt or a slick bomber with elasticated cuffs, are tailor-made for balmy summer evenings — cut effortlessly for coastal café sundowners, or late-night strolls back to the villa.

There are fresh polo shirts, too — also something of a small miracle. We’ve all spent many a casual Friday in a Hawes & Curtis piqué polo, but the latest spins on the style introduce rib textures, cable knits and button-down fronts with bold open weaves. They’re summer saviours; airy heroes. But the real trick? Layered under a suit, they’ll keep working well into the autumn.

Speaking of suits, the Coastbound collection also introduces a more relaxed approach to tailoring, combining off-duty insouciance with some of Europe’s finest fabrics. In particular, the 1913 Luxury Linen Suit collection (named for the brand’s founding year) sees British design paired seamlessly with continental flair, sourcing the finest textiles from renowned Italian mills including Sondrio, Solbiati and Angelico.

Our pick of the range — a selection that also includes a single-breasted light green suit and a white Riviera-ready three-piece — is a double-breasted design. Available in pale sand, a rich rust, or a striped dark brown (another office-to-airport option), it features breathable back vents, side-adjusted trousers and peak lapels sharper than the crack of a schooner’s sail.

Of course, we shouldn’t be surprised. Hawes & Curtis has a long tradition of modernising menswear. Even in its earliest years, the brand helped popularise soft, attached collars for men’s shirts — maintaining elegance while maximising comfort. It’s a similar story today, with every element of the Coastbound collection considered for your summer wardrobe.

Take your shorts, for example. Light linen, yet cut with the crisp sophistication of suit trousers, they come in either pleated or flat-front styles. Or your loafers — cut from supple Italian suede, the brand’s latest slip-ons are available in five understated shades, each more cushioned and comfortable than the last. There’s even a necktie in the Mediterranean mix: in a glass-raising shade of “champagne”, it’s a knitted silk number — ideal for five-star dining and destination weddings alike.

Which brings us back, neatly, to the versatile spirit at the heart of the Coastbound collection. What other brand would you trust to create a capsule that works just as well on city streets as it does on sandy beaches? Because these pieces do exactly that. When you touch back down in Britain and summer follows you home, this is the collection that’ll keep you cool throughout the coming months. You say heatwave? We say Hawes & Curtis.