Wing tips also take on a lighter, easier air in the summer. Because they have such a natural formality to them, you can mess around with the style, the age of the color of wing tips and still have them serve their "dressed-up" function.

For those of you who can't bear the thought of sandals, there are still plenty of options for easy summer shoes. I especially love anonymous sneakers -- ones with no recognizable branding that look like you bought them in a market in some foreign country. I bought two such pairs when I was in Africa eight years ago and I still wear them all the time. I also love new versions of the dock sider -- and since I last blogged about them there are even more fantastic new interpretations. The navy suede Sperrys below are cool, but perhaps my favorite pair are some brown leather laceless ones from John Varvatos -- haven't seen anyone wearing them yet, but I have noticed them in their new Bowery store.

Here's the John Varvatos boat shoe -- you can find it at saksfifthavenue.com.

My husband, Christopher, has a thing for mismatched suits. At first I thought it was just the natural contrarian disposition that comes with his being an artist. But then I started to think that -- in most cases -- mismatching actually works really well. And then I saw this guy in the picture below wearing a pinstripe suit jacket with solid pants, and the guy below him in non-matching gray separates -- which may not be as extreme as Christopher wearing two different pinstripes or mixing a gray Prince of Wales check jacket with brown Prince of Wales check trousers, but it made me realize that perhaps other guys are having the same -- albeit more subtle -- thought. Stay tuned.

Madison Avenue, NYC, 2008.

6th Avenue, NYC, 2008.

These two guys walked down the same block in SoHo, just moments apart. It's a great casual summer look -- button-down shirt, army shorts, chilled-out sandals, and aviators -- and clearly a popular one, too. But they both say different things about their wearer. The first guy looks classic, unfussy, clean-cut; whereas, the second guy works harder to differentiate his look by adding accessories and more personal effects: the umbrella, the not one but two bags strapped over his shoulder, and, of course, the jewelry. I really love his rope/lanyard glasses holder -- very clever.

Prince Street, NYC, 2008.

Prince Street, NYC, 2008.

The styles of the seventies have lived way past their nine lives, making a comeback one way or another in almost every season. It's fine by me -- I relate to seventies style so much that they just read "classic" to me now. In any case, this year's revival seems to be the brown suit.

61st and 5th Avenue, NYC, 2008. This guy has been on my blog before -- to see his other appearance, see my "In Living Color" blog from November 2007.

Check out his three-button high-collar stand.

East 61st Street, NYC, 2008.

60th and 5th Avenue, NYC, 2008.

Looks like businessmen about town are getting an early start on the weekend -- with one sartorial foot in the office and the other headed for the weekend. Or maybe it's just that men really don't have to wear ties anymore...

Soho, NYC, 2008.

Soho, NYC, 2008.

Soho, NYC, 2008.

Soho, NYC, 2008.

In thinking about vests last week, I recalled an old picture I'd seen of Rupert Murdoch at his desk wearing a shirt, tie, and a vest. I realized that even more rare than the man in a vest worn casually is the man in a vest worn formally. I really, really dig this look. Having seen lots of three-piece suits around last fall, I realized that what I didn't see was the man in the three-piece suit sans jacket. Somehow, without the jacket, the look reads part vintage western, part old school gentleman. Who doesn't want to look like that?

Pharell, Los Angeles, CA, 2007. (Photo: Getty)

Steve McQueen on the set of The Thomas Crown Affair, 1968. (Photo: Getty)

David Beckham, London, England, 2008. (Photo: Getty)

Rupert Murdoch, 1977. (Photo: Getty)

Jermaine Crawford, NYC, 2008. (Photo: Getty)

Nat King Cole during a recording session in the Capitol Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA, late 1960s. (Photo: Getty)