Outfit Of The Week 6/30/24 – 7/6/24
It’s “OOTW” – July 4th Edition!
Our family had a lovely day yesterday. We got to spend the day with extended family, go out to lunch, then to the beach, and then have a big BBQ at home.
I wrote earlier in the week about how July 4th is one of the days during the year when you can have some fun with your clothes without feeling silly. I mentioned how it’s become my tradition on the 4th to wear my boater hat and I really leaned into it this year by pointing it out to my sons.
My wife and I were out pretty much all day with the kids. We took them to the park in the morning to get their energy out before our lunch reservation with the rest of the family (my wife’s parents, her sister and husband and their kids). We wanted to make sure our boys were less feral than usual in the restaurant so we figured some play time out in the sun would help ensure they could sit in one spot and eat their lunches.
After lunch, we all went to the beach for a few hours. My sons LOVE the beach! They spend the whole time running and jumping into the water. It’s funny how little time is spent sitting on the beach when you have kids. Literally, the entire time is anxiously standing near them and fishing them out of the surf when they inevitably get knocked down.
After coaxing them off the beach by promising them ice cream, we trekked back to the house to get cleaned up and have dinner. I cooked up some burgers for the boys and plopped them in front of the TV with some PBS Kids and lemonade so the grown-ups could relax and have our dinner.
So, you can see… yesterday was a busy day!
Obviously, the highlight of my outfit was my boater hat. My wife got me this hat a few years ago and I get such pleasure out of wearing it. Even as an avid hat-wearer, I find the fit of this particular hat surprising. It’s the same size as all my other hats, but because it’s so stiff, it doesn’t conform to the shape of my head. Since the hat is rigid, it needs to be a little loose to be comfortable. Interestingly, the leather sweatband is stitched loosely to the straw so it “floats” (for lack of a better term) somewhat independently from the body of the hat. After wearing the hat for more than a few minutes, the heat of my head causes the sweatband to stick to my forehead which secures the fit.
If anyone is interested in getting a boater for themselves, don’t be afraid of a bit of a looser fit at first. Not only will the sweatband conform to your head over time (which is what really matters), but the hat doesn’t really NEED to be super secure anyway. It’s not a work hat. It’s a hat for looking cool and lounging around with a cocktail. Or, in my case, pushing kids on swings and setting up (largely unused) beach chairs.
The shirt I wore was my seersucker shirt from Brooks Brothers. We all know the benefits of seersucker in the summer, but one unexpected perk I discovered was the level of sun protection it offers. I have some other summer shirts, like madras and linen, but I tend not to wear them on the beach without applying sunblock underneath since the fabric is so thin. My seersucker shirt, though, while offering all the familiar cooling benefits, is quite thick which gives me confidence that I won’t get burnt through it.
My pants were my linen trousers from The Territory Ahead. I did a review of these pants some time ago, so I won’t go into too much detail about them here. These are my go-to summer pants. The fit is loose and comfortable. There are plenty of belt loops, too!
My shoes were the navy, Sperry boat shoes I’ve mentioned a million times in this space. I’ve had them for about ten years and they have been all over the world with me. The insole is deteriorating and it’s only a matter of time before I wear a hole in the outsole. I can’t bear to replace them, though, because they were the shoes I wore when both of my sons were born.
The watch I wore yesterday was my steel, Timex field watch. I usually wear my Lorier Zephyr, but I needed a watch with more water resistance since we were headed to the beach later in the day. When we got home, I had to rinse off all the salt water, sunblock, and sweat that had accumulated on the watch during the day.
A busy day out in the sun means tired kids come bedtime and thankfully my oldest son slept in a little this morning.
I hope you all had a fantastic July 4th!
Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
