STYLISH GENTLEMAN
Summer Suits
By James Marwood
Many men spend summer dressing less
casually than they would the rest of the
year. For most occasions that’s not a
problem, but there so many ways to stay
smart and beat the heat.
In the UK we tend not to buy summer suits
in the way out brethren in the US and
continental Europe do, which is a real
shame. Summer suits are fun, comfortable
and stylish. Just the thing for heading out
from the office for post-work drinks or for
a weekend dinner. More casual and playful
than the traditional 3-season suit, this gives
more opportunity to wear unusual colours
and patterns. With the right cloth, cut and
careful dodging of standing in direct
sunlight you can still cut a dash whilst
keeping cool. Summer gives us the
opportunity to go for suits and jackets
made from cloths we wouldn’t normally
wear
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Seersucker is favourite. Made from
alternating stripes of smooth and rough
cotton, it has a distinctive look which is
perfect for a more casual summer suit.
Being made of quite an open weave and
being light in weight it is pleasant to wear
when the weather gets hot, which explains
it’s prevalence in hotter climates. You can
wear more normal cottons, but that seems a
shame when seersucker is such fun.
In the UK we’re more often to be seen
wearing linen. This is the oldest of all
cloths, and comes in a wide variety of
weights and colours.
Although we most often see the lighter
weights, don’t be afraid to go a little heavier
for suits. Linen’s main weakness is it’s
tendency to wrinkle and a heavier linen will
resist this, whilst draping bette and offering
a more resilient suit.