Beautiful Shirts Are Everywhere

“There are beautiful shirts everywhere for those who want to see them” - Some guy on Substack in 2026.

Summer is the hardest season to dress well for. There is hardly any layering to play with, and thus a much larger margin for error, which is why the golden trifecta of Giorgio Armani in long shorts, Harrison Ford in short shorts, and The Talented Mr. Ripley have had warm-weather menswear in a chokehold for the past few decades. Time to move on?

During summer in Japan, where the humid air takes on the punishing quality of an overheated indoor swimming pool, people still somehow manage to dress well. I’ve become convinced that the key to this is, instead of immediately devolving into shorts and a T-shirt like most of the tourists here do, is to look to the locals and build a small but mighty collection of breezy-looking button-up shirts.

’Tis the season — brilliant shirts are absolutely everywhere right now, and while shopping content on Wimpy is few and far between (there’s enough of it on Substack), I’ve seen so many lately that I thought it made sense to share them, along with a few other things to buy, drool over, or contemplate.

Below, a list of 20+ things for summer, including where to get the best tank tops, Kapital’s irritating new T-shirt policy, a pair of so-called slutty army shorts, sake-based skincare, and a new brand that’s recycling silk kimonos into camp-collar shirts.

Everything here is chosen simply because I think it’s good; no affiliates, no adverts.

THE SHIRTS

• One of the best things I’ve bought recently is the ‘Boudoir’ shirt by Bourienne Paris, which has ruffled sleeves and a standing frilled collar. It’s a little bit French aristo meets vampire dandy — I’ve been layering like so — but the brand has plenty of other, more palatable styles that are great for summer.

• (Sidenote: I got mine from Mathematics, which is an incredible store in Kanagawa that has the uncanny power to stock every cool brand you’ve never heard of, right before it blows up. More here.)

  

• Akki-Chan is a brand new menswear label that takes apart vintage silk kimonos and reconstructs them into uber-relaxed camp-collar shirts that are all one-of-a-kind, breathing new life into some incredibly special printed fabrics.