Travel In Style

Stuart Husband suggests looks that are both smart and practical for life on the road.

There’s an old Chinese proverb: “He who strikes the best deal will always be wrinkle-free.” Well, actually, there isn’t – we just made it up – but it’s an aphorism that will strike a chord with any worldly gentleman whose business trip to Shanghai – or San Francisco or Stockholm – has been blighted by wardrobe malfunctions of the creased, rumpled, or wrong-side of-the-smart-casual-divide kind.

“Lots of friends of mine have important senior jobs in global companies,” says Mats Klingberg. “And they get quite stressed about the idea of packing for a trip that takes in meetings, fancy dinners and more casual events. How can they put together a series of different looks that ensures they look fresh and smart enough for each occasion without being too over-burdened?”

Luckily, Klingberg is in a great position to help them out. He runs Trunk, a London menswear emporium whose stock is rich in the modern crease-resistant fabrics and formal-informal blurring that can keep men looking sharp from shore to shore. Today, he’s wearing a soft-shouldered navy blazer by Italian brand Boglioli – “It’s cotton, with a touch of elastane to allow for stretch; you could fold it into your bag and it would just snap back in place when you took it out.”