It's hot. Wear this.
Summer, like its evil cousin Winter, is a time of year that
demands your wardrobe's attention. No longer can you just throw on any old bit
of kit, as that glorious sunshine and hot weather warrants specialist professional
equipment. Kind of. To that end we've gathered together some awesome apparel to
don this sunny season.
NEFF Clothing and accessories
NEFF is a Californian clothing company that is making its
European debut this summer... and we're glad they are. Caps, t-shirts, shorts,
watches and sunglasses are all to be found on their site, each with a definite
and unique style. In the past the brand's designers have collaborated with the likes
of Snoop Dogg and Scarlet Johansson to produce collections, so we were keen to
get a selection of their kit to try out here in dear old Blighty. Here's what
we took a look at:
NEFF Tees. Coming
with a variety of pretty interesting designs, the NEFF Tees are a blend of
polyester and cotton, making them exceptionally comfortable and cool on hot
days. All the designs feature surreal blends of Americana imagery, from Las
Vegas signs, to stars and stripes, to beanie-capped skulls (?). The range is
impressively diverse, and the tees are perfect for making individual statements
on a summer's day.
NEFF Caps. Coming
in what seems like an even greater degree of diversity than the Tees, Neff's
range of hats is pretty impressive. We were sent a standard baseball cap to try
out, but there are also bucket hats and snapback caps.
NEFF Sunglasses. Completing
your upper-body look should be a cracking pair of specs. NEFF's range is crazily
varied, from standard fare black sunglasses, to uniquely styled sunnies and brodies.
Many of shades in the range are a variant of the classic 80s black sunglasses,
but some are wonderfully bat shit crazy - and if you can't go a little nuts at
this time of year, when can you?
Visit www.neffheadwear.com
Montane PRIMINO Base
Layer
If your concerns this summer are more performance than
looks, then the new PRIMINO base layers from Montane should right up your...
mountain. The crew neck t-shirts are 50% merino wool, 25% Polyester, and 25%
PrimaLoft. Not only are they exceptionally comfortable to wear, being firm yet
stretchy, they help to keep you warm should it get cool, and cool should it get
warm.
We've worn other merino wool products in the past for more
energetic tests, but those were quite tight-fitting long sleeved tops. The
PRIMINO crew neck t-shirts from Montane seem to be more versatile however,
providing a more comfortable fit and a great solution to the ever fickle
British weather. The tops are fast drying, coated with an antibacterial
treatment, and have flatlock seams to keep it as smooth and as comfortable as
possible. Nice colours too.
£42
Visit www.montane.co.uk
Maui Jim Long Beach
Sunglasses
It wouldn't be summer without a proper pair of sunglasses,
and we're proud as punch to be able to review yet another pair of sunnies from
Maui Jim. After perusing the extensive range on their website, we opted to take
a look at (and through) the newly released Long Beach.
Simple and classic styling is the order of the day here, and
the Long Beach Sunglasses are sleek, slender and cool. The frames themselves
come in a choice of colours including matt black, blue, or orange, and the
whole package gives the buyer a choice of lens. Maui Jim's lens choice
impressed us last year when we first set eyes on (and in) a pair of their
glasses, and the Long Beach are similarly catered for. Choose from neutral
grey, bronze, and rose to truly personalise your specs and get your peepers set
for whatever the summer might throw at them.
£245