Summer style lessons gleaned from the swelteringly hot streets of Paris .

Can you believe that the SS18 shows are already over? Do you care? Not a problem if you don’t, of course. This is, after all, what we at MR PORTER are employed to do. In fact, while we mull over the various lessons in style that have been served up on the runways of Paris this season, we’d like to invite you to consider some slightly more straightforward fare – that is, not the collections themselves, but the outfits worn by those who attended them. Scroll down for a selection of looks that made us pause, mid-Gitanes and scream “parfait!” as we scuttled between show venues this weekend.

Yes, we are keen on suits throughout the year, but there’s something appealingly rebellious about going for a grey variation at the height of summer, when everybody else is wafting about like they own the season in floral-print Gucci shirts and wide-legged linen trousers. In contrast to all that, this elegant show attendee has only made one concession to the weather, in foregoing a pair of socks. Yet he seems not to have a bead of sweat upon him. Perhaps, in fact, he’s unable to move from the shade of this particular tree (it was more than 30º C in Paris this weekend). In any case, he looks fantastic standing there like that. So why would he need to?

Linen and camouflage. Not necessarily part of the traditional sartorial playbook. In fact, if you open Sir Hardy Amies’ classic tome_, ABC Of Men’s Fashion_, you’ll find it… nowhere. And thank goodness for that. It’s nice to be surprised now and again, after all. The reason it works here is because of the contrast – the shirt is tough and militaristic, the trousers are light, breezy and in a leisurely shade of off-white. Altogether, it’s a breath of fresh air. And we’re not just saying that because this man – MR PORTER Content Director Mr Jeremy Langmead – happens to be our boss. Though, presumably, it’s not exactly going to do us any harm.

This is not a terribly complicated outfit, but doesn’t it look the perfect thing to stomp about in in warm weather? In fact, we feel a little calmer and cooler just looking at the picture. However, it’s also rather sleek – the casual stylings (sandals, open-shirt, untucked T-shirt) are overridden by the austere colour palette of navy, black and off-white. Never have we seen Birkenstocks look so minimal and stylish. Quite the occasion, no?

One of the worst things about travelling to the shows is removing your carefully selected and packed outfits from your suitcase and realising, despite all your meticulous folding, tucking and rolling, they’re all completely crinkled and you’re going to have to iron them again before you leave the hotel room. Achtung Magazine’s Mr Markus Ebner has neatly circumvented this problem here by opting for a knitted T-shirt in a deliberately crinkled fabric, which not only nicely offsets his raffish scarf, but makes him look road-worn in a very good way. Perhaps it’s because of the colour, too – top-to-toe military green has something heroic about it. In any case, we’re guessing that phone call is someone saying “I saw your GarconJon picture – congrats man!”

They love white trousers in Paris. Love them. In fact, you’ll seldom see Vogue Hommes’ Mr Olivier Lalanne or Officine Generale’s Mr Pierre Mahéo without a pair. If you feel like becoming part of this rather stylish milieu, you could do worse than copy the above outfit, an enviably breezy smart-casual look in which a pair of white chinos is nicely offset by a navy blazer and matching sandals. The patterned shirt is a particularly nice touch – in any other colour it might have been a bit busy, but in navy and white, it harmonises perfectly with the rest of the outfit.

The men featured in this story are not associated with and do not endorse MR PORTER or the products shown