By Manish Puri.

A couple of months ago the stars of friendship aligned for one glorious weekend when two of my dearest London mates – Simon (now residing in South Carolina) and Kevin (now in the Netherlands) – happened to be in New York on the same weekend.

The last time the three of us had taken a trip anywhere was 2009; 16 years isn’t long by astrological standards, but, assuming the same frequency into the future, it would mean our next opportunity to spend this much time together would be in my 60s. That bone-chilling thought hastened me into making arrangements to join them.

Unfortunately, as with most last-minute trips, it wasn’t shaping up to be cheap. A compromise had been reached on the eye-watering costs of NYC accommodation, whereby Kevin and I would share a hotel room so small we’d reach a level of familiarity usually only attained by guests of His Majesty.

In another prudential move, and more significantly from a menswear point of view, I was only going to bring carry-on luggage!

Now, for most of the male population, I concede this won’t seem like much of a sacrifice. But, nestled here in the bosom of my PS brethren, I don’t need to tell you how challenging this was for me – as confided in my Thailand article, I’m one of those overpackers who thinks that he’s just ‘being prepared’.

Into my impossibly small luggage, I would need to cram an unimpeachable selection of clothes; garments that wholly complemented one another, with sufficient versatility to take me from an elegant martini-and-oysters lunch at the wonderful Maison Premiere to sunset beers perched atop plastic children’s stools outside a Chinatown dive. 

My cream and brown holiday capsule (above left) certainly met the brief, but felt too soft and clean for a hard and dirty city like New York – that’s a compliment, by the way. An informal edit of Simon’s cold office outfits (above right) would better suit the environment, but with perfect cloudless skies forecast I wanted something a little warmer. 

So it’s fitting that on a trip where I reconnected with great old friends, I also rekindled my affection for that great old cornerstone of men’s style: the colour blue.

A dozen years ago, in common with so many guys who’ve embarked on that perilous voyage to improve their style, I found the safest passage to be through the darkest of blue waters. The colour navy became a hedge against the financial and social risks attached to trying new (and usually more expensive) clothes for the first time.

Hence, my Saman Amel navy business suit was augmented with navy knits, navy polos, dark indigo jeans and a navy pea coat. My first bespoke trousers from Pommella were navy twill. My accessories – umbrellas, ties, hats, gloves and scarves – were uniformly navy. And I’ll give you one guess what colour my first and only pair of Common Projects (remember those?) were. 

But, lacking the assuredness and wizened charisma of Noboru Kakuta (above), I think I convinced myself that it was all too bland. I was a chicken korma but my heart yearned to be a spicier dish. And like a moody teenager who reflexively thumbs their nose at their parent’s music, I began to reduce the amount of navy clothes I bought and commissioned.

I don’t regret those impulses; without them I might never have learned that I prefer trousers to jeans, commissioned a cream linen suit or discovered that I’ll wear pretty much anything in pink.

But in the last couple of years, I’ve found myself buying more blue clothing once again: steely blue tailoring; cerulean t-shirts; azure workwear; baby blue bombers; and a smattering of navy (of course). I’m also now instinctively building outfits that are more monochrome than monotone: the ease and versatility of blue without the sobriety and conservatism of all-navy. 

So as I started to sift through what I might want to pack, and could see the dabs of blue forming on the palette, I decided to make like Picasso and fully embrace my blue period for New York. To borrow a description from my favourite Nick Drake song, the clothes I took were “darker than the deepest sea…weaker than the palest blue”.

The plaid shirt, which I nabbed at the inaugural PS pre-owned sale, is from RRL. I generally don’t wear work shirts (of the many words that have been used to describe me, ‘rugged’ isn’t among them), but I think the simple porcelain blue and white makes this one a fraction more refined, and thus less conspicuous if occasionally worn more smartly. 

RRL are particularly good at striking that balance, and a cursory Google search threw up quite a few nice options, including one on Marrkt which looks very similar to mine (available at the time of publication). 

The washed denim shirt is from J. McLaughlin; their collars are too small, but the fabric used here is excellent – suitably weathered and textured. In bright sunshine, and with an attendant tan, it pairs well with my vintage 501s (from Holdwest), but on gloomier days, to obviate the risk of looking too washed out, the navy PS cotton knit or slate blue Kamoshita x Decorum jacket help anchor it.

The latter (still available in smaller sizes) has proved a big hit over the summer – worn for every occasion from black tie events to drinks in New York, straight off the plane, with my friend Richie (top). 

The linen-cotton blend fared pretty well in the suitcase, and the lack of structure and more economical RTW price-point meant I wasn’t clutching my pearls as I folded it away.

The other navy-adjacent item I packed was the PS tapered T-shirt. While listed as ‘navy’, I’d argue it’s a shade lighter, with a subtle inky hue that’s easier to discern when worn with true navy (as above, in a look that coincidentally would fit perfectly alongside my holiday attire). The colouring makes a nice point of difference and gives the T-shirt a vintage feel.

I usually wear Uniqlo U T-shirts, which are a decent option at the price. But the PS T-shirt has a better neckline, softer and more substantial cotton, and a more flattering shape. Not to mention it’s a tubular knit. Like a lot of readers, I’ve been on the waiting list for a while and I’m very impressed with it.

The last two pieces I packed – a wide legged trouser from Decorum (above) and a Rubato polo shirt – were navy, and combined to make a smart but relaxed evening look. There’s an interesting parallel with tailoring here: navy on top and bottom rarely draws a second glance, whereas pairing similar, pale blues walks a finer line between being striking and striking out.

However, most successful outfits tend to have some contrast – usually achieved by mixing darker shades with lighter ones or plain fabrics with patterned and textured ones.

For example, in my holiday wardrobe, while the RRL shirt and jeans have a similar tone, the checked pattern of the former helps create enough contrast with the latter. To further delineate top and bottom and add texture, I usually wear a belt; of course, I forgot to do so for this shoot (below), but you can imagine how a nice leather one would help here.

I restricted myself to one pair of shoes – not ideal from a maintenance perspective, but a real space-saver. The lucky pair were black cordovan Alden LHS loafers, the most comfortable leather shoe I own, plus cordovan is generally better at hiding fatigue than calf.

I’ve written before about my general preference for black shoes, but I suspect most readers would take a brown shoe or a canvas sneaker – both of which would work well with this mini wardrobe.

If opting for brown, suede is particularly nice, and for inspiration you don’t need to look further than Noboru Kakuta who wears it almost exclusively in his all-blue ensembles.

So, how successful was my packing? Well, I’ve compiled a full list of the clothes I took with me at the end of the article, and I was happy to pair any one of those items with another. What’s more, in contrast to most previous holidays, I wore every single thing at least once. 

There was even sufficient room in the case to indulge in a little shopping at the beautiful new Buck Mason flagship store on Broadway. (Pro tip: if, like me, jet lag plays havoc with your sleep, the shop opens at 8am and you can simultaneously get both a caffeine and menswear fix).

But my packing’s true success isn’t measured by luggage-space-optimisation, wears-per-garment or ensemble-permutation metrics; it’s about the clarity and confidence a considered wardrobe can bring. 

For the four days I was away, I wasn’t wasting time in my tiny head or my tinier hotel room agonising over what to wear. I was present with my friends, rolling back the years (just with more frequent bathroom breaks). And long after the first hole in the elbow of my jumper appears and the shirts have become threadbare, the memories of our weekend in New York will endure.

Here’s to 2041, lads.

Manish is @the_daily_mirror on Instagram

The full list:

• Decorum x Kamoshita jacket
• PS x Speciale cotton crew neck
• RRL plaid work shirt
• J. McLaughlin washed denim shirt
• Rubato navy polo shirt
• PS tapered navy t-shirt
• Vintage Levi’s 501s
• Decorum x Kamoshita navy easy trousers
• Alden black cordovan LHS loafers