So what to wear to a polo match? This is a follow-up to an Instagram post about the ensemble I wore to a match at the Greenwich Polo Club (its website) in June.

Here I am in a hot pink Tom Ford 100% linen jacket, a very lightweight purple on white gingham shirt with a two-button high collar stand, white 100% linen pants and sand-colored suede penny loafers.  Everything is by Tom Ford.

I have to admit that I received countless compliments on my clothes at the polo match. If you are going to buy a fuchsia jacket, that is certainly the place to wear it. It helped that the jacket fit me very well.

That being said, there are few places other than a polo match that you will get useful wear out of this jacket. You could wear it to a nice restaurant in the suburbs (but never in the city); but overall your return on investment is minimal. So my recommendation would be to buy a navy blazer and if you want to stand out, wear it with pink pants. (Note:  In a shortly forthcoming post, I’ll explain what the definitions and differences are for “blazers,” “sports jackets,” and “odd jackets”).

Still, since even June, I’ve perfected my knowledge of the rules of style enough to see (and be irked by) the minuses of this outfit.

First, most people don’t realize that linen is a very heavy fabric (though it breathes well, meaning it lets air circulation through). But for an outdoor event in hot weather, I would recommend an unlined wool, or wool-silk, hopsack fabric (meaning an open weave that permits air circulation). Linen can be great for shirts, but is basically too heavy for jackets, and for trousers.

Second, the sleeves on the shirt are too long, especially on the right sleeve. You should show half to 3/4 inches of cuff, no more. On the plus side, the shirt’s two-button high collar stand (i.e. button placement) is ideal to wear with a jacket sans tie, because the collar stays up and doesn’t collapse. I’ve never understood why this style isn’t more popular–probably because it’s more complicated and hence expensive to manufacture.

About that pocket square… As I’ve discussed elsewhere, I would only wear a white linen pocket square, so my choice of a blue patterned silk square is incorrect.  The jacket is already so ostentatious that it doesn’t need a shiny, patterned square. One thing I did get right was that I didn’t match the colorful square to any other element of my outfit, but chose similar colors the color wheel (if you must wear a silk square, which again you shouldn’t, this is the way to do it).  Also the lapels on the jacket are a touch too narrow – they should extend halfway to the shoulder.  Finally, I think tassel loafers would look better than penny loafers because they more closely approximate the formality of the rest of the outfit, but this is a very minor quibble. Given the color of the jacket, the shoes were best in a subdued tone. Stay tuned for an article to come on men’s shoes.

So on the whole, still not bad, maybe 8 out of 10.  But again, I’ve rarely received so many compliments on what I’m wearing. Most people focus on what they like, while I only ever see the imperfections. Once you’ve got the bug, you can’t shake it.

Click for more Charlie’s Rules of Style.