Men's Lifestyle July 16, 2026 0 Comments

Beat the Heat at Work: The Surprising Style Hacks No One Tells You About When It’s 100 Degrees Inside Your Office!

Nothing tests your summer office wardrobe quite like the walk—or worse, the bike ride—through a sweltering, sun-baked cityscape to your desk. Ever arrive looking like you just finished a triathlon, only to be greeted by the Arctic blast of overzealous air conditioning? It’s a battle of extremes that demands more than just your usual button-up and slacks. Trust me, I’ve sweated through enough fabrics and fits to know which summer styles hold their ground and keep you feeling fresh rather than frazzled. The secret? Leaning into breathable linens and cottons, open weaves, and smart pairing that lets you flex your look without compromising comfort—even when the office thermostat feels like a tundra. Ready to overhaul your sweaty commute wardrobe and actually enjoy dressing for that summer grind? Let’s dive in. LEARN MORE

1 min read

Heading into the office in the depths of summer should, first of all, be illegal. Second, it can necessitate a wardrobe change. If you commute via foot, bike, or poorly ventilated underground transportation, you know showing up to your desk in whatever you just spent an hour sweating through isn’t the ideal start to the day. Neither is how cold you feel from the AC once said sweat starts to evaporate.

Luckily for you, we run hot. Thus, we have sweated through our fair share of clothing types—styles, fabrics, and fits—to know what actually makes one office outfit work better than another.

Here, we’re opting for linens and cottons, breathable silhouettes, and open weaves. The key, of course, is how you wear them—in a flexibly dressed workspace, a linen trouser or resort shirt just needs some added structure from the other item to make it feel more fully equipped for the job.

Summer outfits always feel less dressy because there tend to be fewer layers. And if a linen jacket is still too much, a long sleeve linen shirt is an excellent, breathable item to layer. Also very good to have on hand for cold offices.

If you want a more formal linen shirt, Polo Ralph Lauren is the play.

If you want suit separate trousers, Suitsupply is a very, very good place for some tailored linen pants.

Credit: Casatlantic

In that vein, Esquire’s commerce editor, Luke Guillory, is very fond of Casatlantic’s linen trousers. According to him, the El Jadida is the best cut of the bunch.

My favorite hot-weather office hack is to get dressed for work and then take the sweat-prone items off and put on a plain T-shirt instead. Or, wear a super-light layer like Madewell’s Weekend Slub T-shirt—with an airy, boxy makeup—and hope for the best.

If you haven’t gotten your favorite suit pants in a linen variation yet, it’s high time to reconsider. This slate blue is inconspicuous enough that it doesn’t scream BREATHABLE but it is. Wear it with an ironed shirt and nice shoes and it won’t look any less professional.

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Maybe our generous interpretation of office-appropriate scares you. But unless you are in a suit-only space, we tend to think a minimal short sleeve summer shirt can work at work. This white one buttoned up and worn with, say, some linen trousers and a belt make it feel put together.

Credit: brand

Buck Mason’s aptly named Big Chino are a great summer office choice because they are still a proper chino for a more casual office space and therefore won’t make you feel like you’re trying make beachwear work at the office. The secret is in the Big part of the name, where the legs fit wide enough such that air flows through easily.

Tailored Linen-Blend Relaxed Straight Trouser

Abercrombie makes over a bunch of its classic silhouettes with summer fabrics, like this linen-blend trouser. It’s airy for your time outside but maintains a little more shape than a pure linen pant.

Credit: brand

Banana Republic makes a linen long sleeve that wears like a jacket would. We like the darker color options for something that doesn’t necessarily feel like you must wear it on the beach. Though, you can do that too.