Warm weather narrows the wardrobe, which is a gift. Fewer options, better ones.
Two rules do most of the work. The first is breathability: unlined suede, woven leather and canvas let air move, and a fully lined city shoe does not. The second is proportion — in summer you will often have an ankle showing, and that changes what looks right. Anything heavy, chunky or aggressively soled reads wrong above a bare ankle, however good it looks in November.
The suede moccasin
The single most versatile shoe of the season. Unlined, flexible, and quiet enough to wear with everything from linen trousers to shorts. Brown reads warmer and more relaxed than navy; taupe and sand disappear into a summer palette entirely.
Buy them snug. Unlined suede gives roughly half a size over the first weeks, and a moccasin that feels comfortable in the shop will slip at the heel by the end of the month. Wear them with no-show socks or nothing at all — and if it is nothing at all, keep a cedar tree in them overnight and rotate pairs.
The woven loafer
Ventilated by construction rather than by compromise, which is the whole appeal: it looks like a proper shoe and behaves like a sandal. Woven leather also hides scuffs better than a smooth upper, so it holds up well to a summer of terraces and gravel.
It works with tailored linen and it works with shorts, which very few shoes manage. The one thing it does not like is rain — the weave lets water in as happily as it lets air out.
The leather sandal
Keep the strap count low and the sole thin. Two or three clean straps in a single colour, a leather footbed that moulds to your foot, and a sole that does not announce itself. Anything technical, moulded or brightly coloured belongs on a trail, not at a table.
Fit matters more here than anywhere: you want two or three millimetres of footbed clear at heel and toe. Overhanging toes look careless and wear the strap edges out fast. Leather footbeds darken where your foot sits — that is not damage, and it happens to every pair.
The clean sneaker
One colour, low profile, minimal branding. Its job is to disappear, which means it should be the least interesting thing in the outfit. White is the obvious answer and needs the most upkeep; off-white, sand and grey age far more gracefully and still read as clean.
A leather sneaker will outlast a canvas one by years, but canvas is cooler in real heat. If you are buying only one, buy the leather and accept a warmer foot.
On socks
No-show socks in a fine cotton or bamboo, with a silicone heel grip so they stay put. Bare feet in unlined leather is a fine summer pleasure and a fast route to a shoe that smells; if you go that way, rotate pairs and use cedar trees. Visible ankle socks are a deliberate choice rather than a default — they work with shorts, less so with tailoring.
A four-shoe summer
A suede moccasin in brown, a woven loafer in a natural tone, a leather sandal in black or tan, and one clean sneaker. That is a complete warm-weather rotation, it fits in a carry-on, and every pair works with everything else you have packed.
See the full men’s collection, or go straight to loafers and sandals.