At times like these I wonder if Mr Dandy grew up under a rock. Conventional wisdom dictates that a so-called summer suit be in light tan, white linen or Southern (American) seersucker. Ascot Chang (Prince's Building, Central, tel: 2523 3663) sells a fine selection, including a wonderful white linen jacket by Isaia (HK$13,400) with trousers from HK$3,300. If it is a more casual gathering, perhaps cotton chinos (HK$590 to HK$890) and a colour co-ordinated cotton blazer (HK$1,690) from Massimo Dutti would do the trick (50 Queen's Road Central, tel: 2537 8832).
Your confusion is understandable as opinions do differ. There was a time when it was set in stone that navy suits should always be worn with black shoes and belts. The guiding principle is that footwear must be darker than your trousers. My verdict, though, is that a beautiful pair of dark, chocolate brown lace-up shoes set off the blue tones without contravening any darkness laws. Should you need inspiration, I recommend you don the new suit and pay a visit to Tassels (The Landmark, Central, tel: 2789 9911) to see first-hand which pair looks best. This excellent store carries a variety of brands and shoe styles, including Edward Green (HK$8,500), Bontoni (HK$8,500), Alden (HK$6,600) and Crockett & Jones (HK$4,200).
Wow. For Dapper, that sounded almost avant-garde. Almost. I'd say the way to go would be something like Corthay's Arca derby, which comes in an amazing range of colours and patinas (HK$15,000 to HK$16,500; The Landmark, tel: 2523 8877). Berluti has a similar approach with a wide range of skins, finishes and styles such as oxfords and even tasselled loafers (HK$13,600 to HK$19,200; Prince's Building, tel: 3114 7987).