The weekend just gone felt like the official start of summer. Instagram stories were awash with beer gardens, sun-drenched parks, barbecues, and people manically waving signs in the London Marathon sunshine. It was bliss – a turning point. But take one glance at your preferred weather app, and you’ll realise we’re not out of the woods just yet.
This is the time of year when you can be easily caught out. Leave the house in shorts and a T-shirt and, eight minutes later, you’re back looking like a drowned rat. Head out again in a full GORE-TEX ensemble and another eight minutes on and you’re sweating like a boil-in-the-bag rice pouch. The weather right now is wildly, unapologetically unpredictable – and to assume we’re settling into perpetual sunshine is nothing short of delusional.
What you really need at this time of year isn’t suncream, a fresh pair of shorts or some open-toe Birkenstocks -it’s a lightweight, showerproof jacket. Something you can sling on the moment the heavens open, then scrunch up and stash away just as quickly when the sun edges back through the clouds…
Most people probably associate Farah with legwear, but the brand clearly knows its way around outerwear, too. This lightweight layer pairs clean lines with generously sized pockets, striking that beautiful balance between good looks and genuine utility. The kind of thing you could wear in almost every springtime situation imaginable.
DESCENTE ALL TERRAIN Dynamic Vent Hard Shell Jacket
This DESCENTE Shell Jacket might just be the best lightweight layer we’ve seen in a hot minute. Fully waterproof yet cut with a 3D silhouette to promote airflow, it then also features ventilation zips along the back of the sleeves – all features to keep you dry without tipping you into that aforementioned boil-in-the-bag-of-rice territory.
Sierra Designs Grand Mothership Lightweight Windshell Jacket
The product description for this Sierra Designs jacket majors on three key features – lightweight, water-repellent and packable – which, frankly, are the only three things that matter in outerwear at this time of year. Add in that bright yellow colourway, and you’ve got something that not only performs when the clouds roll in, but brightens things up while it’s at it.
Yamatomichi UL All-Weather Hoody
Yamatomichi has recently landed on the rails at Outsiders Store, and part of the delivery was this rather beautiful UL All-Weather Hoody. It weighs next to nothing, offers full waterproof protection, and looks sublime while doing it. Ideal for camping, bikepacking, or simply commuting to work when your weather app is changing its mind faster than the bus timetable.
This Nanga Sheer Jacket may be labelled as womenswear, but we’re not ones to get hung up on categorisation – especially when something looks this good. Incredibly lightweight and cut from a beautifully semi-translucent face fabric, it’s the kind of jacket that gets us giddily excited about warm-weather outerwear.
Lyle & Scott Tartan Lightweight Hooded Jacket
Someone at Lyle & Scott HQ has clearly had the bright idea of raiding an ageing relative’s picnic basket for fabric swatches – and the results are nothing short of sensational. We absolutely love this jacket, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a piece of outerwear that captures the spirit of summer quite so effortlessly.
