What is the Best Material for a Summer Suit?
So far, our great British summer has been a disappointment, even to us seasoned all-weather dressers. But hope springs eternal, and when the sun does finally commit, you will want to be ready for the inevitability of “lovely day” becoming “bit warm” and, ultimately, “absolutely baking”. A hot day and a well-chosen suit can be best friends, so long as you pick your materials correctly.
Weight First, Then Weave
Before falling in love with a cloth, look at its weight. Suiting is measured in grams (or ounces) per metre, and for summer you want to be at the lighter end, roughly 220 to 260 grams. But weight is only half the story: the weave decides how much air actually moves through the cloth. An open weave in a mid-weight cloth will wear cooler than a dense weave in a feather-light one. This is the detail the high street never tells you, and it is exactly the sort of thing we love talking through when you’re choosing a fabric at the studio.
The Contenders
Linen is the romantic’s choice: wonderfully cool, beautifully textured, and it creases the moment you look at it. Wear it knowingly, because those rumples are the point. Cotton is crisper and more structured, excellent for a summer jacket, though it can wear a little warm in a full suit. Fresco and other high-twist wools are our quiet favourite for weddings and the office: porous, breezy and remarkably crease-resistant, so you arrive looking as sharp as you left. A touch of mohair adds crispness and a subtle sheen that loves an evening do. And seersucker, with its puckered stripe, is the boldest of the bunch, keeping the cloth off your skin so the air can do the work.
Construction Matters as Much as Cloth
A summer suit should be built for the season, not just cut from lighter cloth. Ask for a half-lined or unlined jacket, a soft shoulder and patch pockets if the occasion allows. Lighter colours earn their keep too: stone, sand, pale grey and soft blue all reflect rather than absorb the heat, and look the part at a summer wedding.
Spark That Lightbulb
There are so many considerations to… well… to consider, and the right answer depends on where you’ll wear it, how you run (hot or cool) and what else lives in your wardrobe. Pop in to the Shoreditch studio, feel the difference between the cloths for yourself, and we’ll build you a summer suit that keeps its composure long after the mercury has lost its own.
