Lightweight Chinos

They may not top many men’s summer wish lists, but ignore this wardrobe workhorse at your peril. When you’re ready to peel yourself out of your favourite skinny jeans, a pair of lightweight cotton chinos will stride from spring to summer with ease and won’t leave you with back-of-the-knee sweat reservoirs.

Entry Level: Gap

Among all of its wardrobe essentials, Gap’s lightweight trousers are its pièce de résistance thanks to a build quality which belies humble price tags and the fact that you can pick up chinos in almost any shade you can think of.

Mid-Range: J.Crew

J.Crew’s chinos have done a lot to convince the eternally averse that not every pair has to been shapeless and dull: sharp cuts, fabric sourced from some of the world’s finest mills and a price that’s palatable have helped the much-maligned trouser cure its case of bad PR.

Premium: Incotex

Part of the Slowear group, Incotex has become something of a yardstick against which all other well-cut trousers are measured. Prioritising the meeting of design and comfort, lightweight chinos on offer from the Italian brand come with turn ups and pressed creases so sharp even the world’s biggest style pedant couldn’t quibble.

Desert Boots

A little bit casual and a little bit dressy, desert boots are one of those rare pairs of footwear that you can stick on with jeans and a tee for the daytime and smarten up with a shirt come evening.

As long as you’ve done your homework and spritzed them with some fabric protector, you can also wear and wear until you’re sick of the sight of yours, which if you’re anything like us, isn’t all that likely to happen.

Entry Level: Topman

Suede desert boots for under £50 aren’t too common (that short nap is expensive), so the fact that Topman’s range achieves this and manages to pack some sturdy construction under the hood is all the more impressive.