We’re having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave. Jacquemus style. It’s hot out here right now and it seems our saving grace is Simon Porte Jacquemus’ debut menswear collection. “I grew up here, right behind those big limestone rocks. I grew up here, between the olive trees and the red tomato fields,” he wrote. “My Mediterranean.” And it was his Mediterranean, nonchalant, easy and more sophisticated than simply streetwear. A soft elegance to it. It revved up with light blue, like the “men in blue tracksuits matching blue bags and hats, all light blue,” he grew up watching. Shades of hot red and cool yellows and lilacs flooded Marseille, hit with flashes of printed sunflowers and knitted yellows and oranges. The ultimate summer escape. Ties were crisp and bags hung around necks. Practical. This man has everything. Loose tailored suit jackets worked with shorts, printed satin shirts were unbuttoned just right, pleat front pants fell in time and in collaboration with The Woolmark Company, a whole lot of the world’s finest merino wool was used through sweaters, jackets and T-shirts. “It has been our third season collaborating with The Woolmark Company. Wool is often seen as a winter fabric, but I always like to use it in the summer.” Cool wool works for summer. This was Simon Porte Jacquemus’ collection fuelled by his childhood nostalgia.“I grew up here, barefoot, bare chest, strong perfume. I grew up here, in the Mediterranean.” Smooth sailing through the Mediterranean never looked so good. We love this man.
