Even if you consider yourself the unflappable type, summer can spell sartorial demise. The sun itself might be welcome – it certainly is for us at MR PORTER’s HQ in perennially overcast London – but the pressure to dress well for the hot weather? Not so much.

When the mercury rises, we’re generally only left with a couple of layers to rely on at most, meaning looking good demands employing a little creative spirit. That’s not to say you need to start dressing like a box of crayons, but instead that you should fill your wardrobe with reliable summer staples that you can mix and match with artful ease.

Thankfully, MR PORTER’s private label, Mr P., provides an excellent place to start. With a spread of striped merino T-shirts, subtly textured trousers in hard-wearing corduroy, shorts in summery cotton, as well as Oxford shirts and soft suede jackets, the spring summer collection for 2023 is jam-packed with carefully considered items that will keep you looking suitably stylish throughout the season, all without breaking a sweat. Read on for a few points of inspiration on how to wear them well.

As any clever menswear nerd worth their salt will tell you, the tiniest details are everything when it comes to a good shirt. Case in point is this checked one from Mr P. Made from soft linen, it’s been finished with buttons crafted from Indonesian mother-of-pearl – note the two pockets across the chest that make a subtle point of difference – as well as a tastefully tonal blue and white check that will go with… well, absolutely anything.

Still, if you want a reliable trifecta to lean on, a great linen shirt will look particularly charming when teamed with a cream T-shirt and a pair of neutral chinos. Easy-peasy, linen squeezy. Or something like that.

A great – and oft-overlooked – way to nudge your outfits up to the next level is by introducing some texture, which is where one of the showstopping items from this collection comes in. Made from supple-but-soft suede that has been designed to age well, Mr P.’s coach-style suede jacket is perfect for tossing on when you want to turn heads for the right reasons. “Suede also provides a great option for a summer jacket as it can regulate heat better than leather,” says Mr Olie Arnold, Style Director at MR PORTER.

The colour is also worth noting. It comes in a subtle sage green and a mustard yellow – which, if you’re brave, you can even match with the Mr P. x Cubitts sunglasses in yellow acetate, as we’ve done here. Call that not-so-quiet luxury.

If you’re not already a fan of drawstring pants, we’ll wager that’s probably because you’ve never tried the right pair on. Consider these from Mr P. as a stylish initiation. Crafted from a linen blend, they have all the comfort of sweatpants with none of the sloppiness. They will look the part when worn with a subtly coloured merino tee, or – even better – as part of a louche-looking suit, finished off with some clean and simple white sneakers.

“Tailoring has been a bedrock of the Mr P. collection since we launched,” Arnold says. “This version has a relaxed feel that takes you from your desk to the restaurant with ease.”

Still panicking about what to wear to look nonchalantly cool, but still respectable for that summer wedding? Consider it sorted.

Hitting that sweet spot between smart and relaxed in the summer can often feel like a struggle – when you want to dress up without looking stuffy. Our advice? Mix things up a bit and play your textures off against one another.

Behold Mr P.’s pair of patent monk-strap shoes, worn with a with a burgundy knitted silk tie, indigo dyed corduroy trousers and a beige suede bomber jacket. Each piece feels dignified and smart, sure, but it’s the deliciously discordant clash of textures and neutral shades together, topped off with a pair of rockstar-reminiscent black frames, that kicks it up a notch. Feels good, doesn’t it?

A controversial modern truth: these days, you don’t need to get your hands dirty to invest in some good-looking workwear. A workwear jacket – also known as a chore jacket – is one of the most useful items in a contemporary man’s wardrobe, not to mention the ideal thing to throw on when summer isn’t summer-ing quite like it should.

A good fail-safe for dodgy weather, and easy to dress up and down, you can shrug it on over a simple T-shirt to keep it casual, or channel a bit of intellectual insouciance (and who doesn’t want to do that?) by pairing it with a classic blue Oxford shirt, allowing the cuffs to peek out slightly from under the rolled up jacket sleeves as we’ve done here.