Rumpled & Poised

Note the dress and pose of a young Walt Whitman, sophisticated and laid back – an ideal combination.

As summer bakes us, the only thing most of us want to do with our clothes is have as little as possible (and we guys want to see the ladies do the same). But as the seasons shift, our style too adjusts, and summer is by far the most casual. Luckily on the Door Peninsula, casual comes with the territory, but it doesn’t mean having to look like a slob.

Summer duds should be rumpled, frayed, laid-back, but still poised – it’s about making an effort and still beating the climate. We don’t have to look back too far to see that American men once excelled at this balance. Look no further for attitude and inspiration than one of our Pulse mascots, Walt Whitman. He was a pioneer, ahead of his time in the way of rumpled grace, as we see here as he stood at age 37.

It’s a grand thing to have the panache to not just throw on those board shorts and the Tommy Bahama shirt (which your ladyfriend thinks looks stupid), so here’s a few small changes to consider before hitting the county streets:

• Breathing, rumpled cotton looks good on any body. Seersucker harkens back to a more stylish era, yet feels great and airy.

• Invest in good sunglasses…and if you insist on wearing those wrap-arounds for sporty escapades, for heaven’s sake don’t hang them on the back of your head when you come inside.

• Lose the socks. They have no business on summer feet. Find some comfortable loafers or not-too-hobo-y moccasins to traipse around in.

• If your night requires a bit more genteel flair, a cotton dress jacket in the summer is afforded the liberty of rolling up the cuff slightly.

Now, O pioneers of western youth, channel your inner Walt, and hit those hot summer days in style.