Outfit field work tropical environments
For my job I sometimes work in tropical or just hot environments for some weeks, mostly in developing countries. I have to work in the field (for example plantations, mines or slums) and I also have more formal meetings with government officials.
I am always struggling with what to wear during these trips. I want to have an outfit I can wear to a slum and a government official on the same day. So it needs to be suitable for a hot or humid environment, comfortable for travel, practical and (semi) formal.
In the past I have worn Blundstones, chino's, lightweight cotton button downs and fleece/rain jacket as outer layer. But I would like to switch it up a bit and hear some ideas. I also don't really like the look of khaki pants with a light blue shirt anymore, because it makes me feel like I am wearing business casual office wear. The fleece is very practical but it makes me look like a tourist when I show up at an office.
I'm not too sure about budget. I can afford to buy something expensive but I don't know if it's smart to do so since clothes tend to get dirty or damaged.
4 Replies
Tough brief you’re laying out here. Pretty small overlap for ‘suitable for government meetings’, ‘suitable for hot tropical outdoor workplaces’ and ‘not business casual’. Also (sorry for the complaints) a lot of brands that do good lightweight stuff are selling Autumn/Winter clothes right now.
That said, the simplest solution here might be:
- add a more interesting jacket but leave it off when you're in the field. Start by looking at lightweight linen or linen blends, tropical wool, and seersucker. Maybe madras. You could go with a sportcoat - Natalino still has some spring/summer jackets in stock, they're substantially marked down right now. Another, more casual, option would be looking for a chore coat or overshirt in those same fabrics and wearing it in the same way. Spier and Mackay have a bunch of options in various designs, for example. Also plenty of secondhand options on ebay, Grailed etc. I own a Monitaly Italian Jail Jacket in lightweight linen that's my go to in these situations - it sits somewhere in between an unstructured blazer and a chore and is cut from paperweight linen and doesn’t trap any heat at all. I see one on Grailed right now although it's in white which might not be the best choice if you're worried about dirt.
- mix up your shoes with a more interesting boot silhouette. Here are just a taste of the bajillion boot options worth considering, to start your hunt: Alden Indy, Rolling Dub Trio Coupen, Astorflex Dukeflex, Solovair Monkey Boots, Paraboot x E.G. Clusaz, Rancourt Acadia Chukka, Yuketen Salvia...I'm sure others could go on and on, those are just some that have caught my eye recently.
- play around with some accessories. Easiest to start with bandanas which are very practical in the sun, and subtle bracelets. An interesting watch. Fun belts? Even just a multistripe grosgrain could add something interesting, and of course easy to pack a couple of options. RRL has some very cool western leather belts, not cheap though.
If that's not enough I'd look at adding some interest with your shirts. Fishing shirts work really well for the kind of thing you're talking about. They button up so they don’t look out of place in an office, at least at first glance, and of course work well in the sun and dry fast. Orvis has a tech chambray in a bunch of colorways that looks nice. One step further out, Howler Bros does a Gaucho Snapshirt that's got a very cool western cut, but in a performance fabric that's better suited to hot weather than most westerns, although the yoke embroidery might not be to your taste. Another option is madras shirts, great breathability and they come in a wide variety of colors and checks, definitely allowing you to break away from the light blue shirt uniform if that’s your goal. J Press and Beams+ always have a really good selection in the spring.
Still not enough? What about a pair of lightweight fatigues or double knee pants? Depending on the context they could substitute in fine for chinos while mixing up the style. Patagonia has a pair of All Seasons Hemp double knees that I own and like. They can take a beating and still look presentable if the top half of your outfit is cleaned up. A lot of brands are offering fatigues right now, but the most interesting pair to me was by Fujito, N.M.W.A. stocked. You’ll have more luck here in a couple months when brands start rolling out their spring summer lines. I’m sure there’ll be a ton of options, e.g. E.G. will almost definitely do their take on fatigues in some fabrics no one else comes close to.
Last thing I’ll mention is the brand Sassafras, which is inspired in part by gardening, so at least in theory it should be durable but looks more interesting than, like, another pair of Kühls. Blue Owl stocks them, they offer some unique patterns in pants and jackets.
Wow thank you for the super detailed response! And I see the complaint about the very small overlap. That's why I was struggling.
But you made some great suggestions, thank so much. I think the first step would indeed be a better jacket. The monitaly jacket looks awesome. And tech chambrays and fishing shirts are great tips.
I've not really considered going for high quality boots, but I might consider it. I think I will try to wear our the Blundstones first though. A problem with nice leather boots is that I would wear them every day, instead of letting them air out for a day.
Interesting watches provide me with another limitation: I should not look rich. I currently wear a Casio G-shock which is great and doesn't look expensive.
For sure man. Good luck. If you figure out something that works for you, hit us up with a fit pic someday
My next trip is scheduled for January, I will!
I actually already got some Stan Ray fatigues and was considering wearing those. Then I found out that it's illegal to wear military clothes as a civilian in some countries (for example Kenya, my last trip). So that might also cause issues.