A sandal, a pattern, two looks.

We wanted to make things differently this month before the Back to School, which comes far too quickly, and to show you that, with little, we can do a lot. And this is exactly the way we must think out our wardrobe.

A lot of men realize that they have almost nothing left to wear when hot weather arrives; their t-shirts are faded since they have been worn all winter and their two pairs of shorts of last year have already been worn more than likely. They therefore have to renew their wardrobe, which is often synonymous with nightmare for many.

Here is what I suggest before you go shopping: open the doors of your wardrobe. What are the colors that are predominant, other than black and white?

How many pants, shorts, t-shirts, shirts and jackets do you have?

Is the majority of your wardrobe can easily be combined?

If your answer is “yes” to the last question, you can then easily determine your needs with your answers to the first two questions. If your answer is “no”, you will need to work a little harder...

For our look of the month with Jay, we have created two sets: one more versatile, and the other one trendier in order to be able to go to the beach and after to a BBQ with friends.

Here is how we thought out our purchases:

It is necessary to:

• Have basic clothes which easily fit with everything, but especially with the colors of our wardrobe. So we have chosen the Miles burgundy sandal that is very versatile, but, above all, very comfortable and perfect for the summer, then a dark short with a straight-leg long enough to allow us to roll it in order to create another style, and a regular beige t-shirt. These are purchases that could also be easily combined with the clothes already present in the wardrobe of Jay.

• Find clothes to be linked. For men, the plaid shirt would be a good example; they often have many in their wardrobe which can fit with their different pants and t-shirts. At the time of getting dressed, they simply have to coordinate the top and the bottom to their shirt. Easy. But, above all, it is possible to do so with all kinds of patterns! Be a bit crazy: flowers, geometry, fruits, lines.

The important thing is to keep to the predominant colors of your wardrobe. On our side, we have found a light short-sleeved shirt which, despite a multitude of colors in its flower pattern, can easily fit with the cold colors that predominate the majority of the wardrobe of Jay.

• Have fun. What is your style? What makes you remind of weekends and vacations? Add a bit of fantasy to your wardrobe, either with accessories, a special color or a different cut of garment. You may wear them less often, but you will have the pleasure to do so. Our tip: spend less money since that kind of pleasure is sometimes more ephemeral. We have personally selected a pair of pink shorts and cap that we will easily be able to combine with other clothes.

The important thing is to understand that, sometimes with only a few of the elements in our wardrobe, we can create a lot of combinations; you only have to be imaginative, to know your tastes and to structure your shopping.

But do you have the patience to shop smarter?

Text and stylist: Audrée Bellehumeur

Linguistics and translation: Arielle Desabysses

Model: Jay Chevery

Photographer: Samuel Bibeau