The Demise of the Summer Suit

[avedwards]

I like your boater - hats don't suit me, alas.

fftopic: Hats suit everyone, the question is just finding the right style of hat to suit you.

 

[Nick D]

Thanks, Feraud and Dan. The white linen is modern. The gray is older though I'm not sure how old, but probably pre-1980.

I don't have a full summer wardrobe, just these two suits and some odd trousers I can mix in for variety. I'm much better with colder weather things, which, considering I'm from the northern Mid-West, makes sense

Cheers,
Nick

 

[ortega76]

Flash is death to a man there.

No truer words were spoken. A Midwesterner's definition of "flashy" can be remarkably inclusive.

 

[H.Johnson]

You're well on the way to being an External Examiner - you just need the expenses claim form!

Welcome to the Lounge, Dan D. I'm a post grad at Uni and I wear suits often, I imagine many of the undergrads think I'm staff. The other people in my department have gotten used to it, and will remark on the change when I dress casually.

I have two 'summer' suits. One is an off-white linen, the other a gray lightweight worsted with an unlined jacket.

Cheers,
Nick

 

[Torpedo]

Hello,

Presently I have two summer suits, one being a DB grey (actually a black micro-houndstooth on light grey, which gives a mid-grey effect); and a light sand SB linen. This is (obviously) the DB:

I have recently acquired a 3 button stone-grey SB summer suit, too it is still on the way.

Also, I have some odd summer suit jackets... one tan with a greyish cast, and one navy blue; also a (non-depicted) pinstripe midnight blue.

My job (law enforcement- I'm a specialist police officer in a crime scene unit) involves both office and field work. I usually wear odd jackets, like those above, with chinos, denim or jeans legwear to work. Suits I reserve for court appearances or similar occasions, and of course, for off-duty.

(BTW, our dress code is very, very casual. I am the only one in the entire outfit who wears jacket and tie - or bowtie - every day, and this includes the higher ranked officers; a couple of them, in the top-ranking slots, wear suits, they having stricter requirements, but keep the tie in a drawer and use it only if in really in need...).

I would like to use more summer suits, but this should entail wearing them to work, hence justifying the additional expense- for this I would need some suggestions on a hard-wearing cloth (both as referred to strength and as to soiling) and at the same time appropriate for warm temperatures. Any ideas?

Field work can be messy, hence these requirements for hardy clothing (BTW, suggestions on winter-fall or all-round weight cloth would be welcome too, but this being off-topic, perhaps use of PMs would be better).

 

[cookie]

11-14 ounce linen or flax or hemp. I just bought 14 ounce artists' painting linen which is a nice grey colour to have made up. They had to use strength to cut it with a Stanley knife (like a box cutter).

 

[anon`]

A quick note on topic: I have but a single summer suit, a nice sandy-tan DB in a fairly open-but-not-quite-Palm Beach fabric, currently off to be cleaned and pressed. However, I've also got a line on a very dark blue SB Palm Beach suit that I'm going to go look into acquiring later today! I will wear both with pride any time it gets warm. Even if it is in the middle of February (and a few years ago, we had a two-week stretch of 75°+ weather in that month). Maybe will even get photos?

And a quick note for Torpedo: I second (heavier) linen. Hemp would probably be just as tough (both are made from fibres taken from the stem of their respective plants), but I can't vouch for comfort, as I've never encountered a textile made from hemp. Only rope, and that doesn't seem like it would be very comfortable to wear! But linen is ridiculously cool (as we all know) and deceptively tough and quite a bit more resistant to abrasion than cotton textiles, and probably wool as well. Just make sure that it isn't lined with nylon: that's the dumbest thing one can do with a linen garment! And best of all, as a vegetable fibre, clothing moths can't digest it

 

[Dan D]

Fabric

I may be lynched for admitting this, but I've a suit that's a blend of linen and Tencyl, a fibre extracted from wood pulp (or so I've read); I admit, it doesn't sound glamorous, but it means the creases drop out of it after hanging it up overnight, which means it returns to a near-pressed state unlike pure linen, and the fabric wears longer.

Like Torpedo, I've a couple of lighter odd jackets that I mix with linen or cotton trousers to make the wardrobe go further, including a Super 100's in a light brown with blue over-check that wears lightly and is cool in the heat.

(P.S; Torpedo, when I first saw your second photo, I thought how young Kevin Spacey was looking - mighty fine!)

 

[Fletch]

No truer words were spoken. A Midwesterner's definition of "flashy" can be remarkably inclusive.

John Molloy's groundbreaking late '70s manual Dress for Success had some good observations on our region, some of which still hold true.
-He observed that people didn't react well if you looked "too" anything. Too sloppy, too put together, too costumed - even too well tailored, 'cause they'd know somehow.
-He advised salesmen avoid "a clash in the lines of patterns" - too busy, I suppose.
-It was one of the few regions where a businessman could wear brown. I don't think $#!! brindle brown, but tan, taupe or even a dark coffee color were all fine, at one time.

My Iowa dad taught me the basics. Except for a brief misadventure with a Minneapolis store called I. Ross in the early 70s, who talked him into a bell-bottomed tan number with cardboard lapels (and shortly thereafter went under), he was and is strictly "American trad." We also had a great store in Des Moines, Reichardt's, our local Southwick/Corbin/Kenneth Gordon/yada yada purveyor (sadly also gone).

I may be lynched for admitting this, but I've a suit that's a blend of linen and Tencyl, a fibre extracted from wood pulp (or so I've read)

I own a Haspel 50/50 cotton/Tencel suit (one of my whites - actually about a 4% grey value).

Tencel is a variant of rayon, but is amazingly wrinkle resistant. And I like that Haspel high roll 3B!

 

[davestlouis]

I actually got a slap on the wrist at work today for wearing a suit that wasn't dark and funereal enough...medium gray wool. The thermometer in the car said 98F when I was leaving the office today, and it was toasty!

I work at a very conservative funeral home, and normally wear DARK solid suits. That is a real drag on hot, muggy days. Just to give you a notion of the level of conservatism, button-down collars are a no-no, as are shirts of any color other than plain old white.

 

[Canadian]

I wore seersucker and cotton suits when working in the provincial Legislature. I was actually laid off while wearing one. Perhaps if I wore black suits every day, I'd still be there.

I just bought a white suit, a linen coat (tan with subtle orange and white stripes), and an blue sports coat. I also wear a white odd coat and two linen safari jackets when out and about. However, my job requires me to dress with a degree of practicality, as I do both sales and hauling packages around down, so quite often it's khakis, a beat up blazer and no tie. Some day I'll post pics, but they may look old, but are mostly brand new, so I don't know how appropriate it would be.

I did just toss a few of my more worn jackets. I generally buy anything that's cheap, because it will get ink and chemical on it eventually. I've got nice suits, but don't usually wear them to work, instead preferring to dress up for going out.

I used to work in a nightclub where an ivory jacket was de rigeur. As there were only 2 employees, it wasn't mandatory (my girlfriend was the GM and it was owned by friends of mine) but it made for a tropical atmosphere (it was a latino dance club, of which I'm not, preventing me from dancing salsa well).

Of course, if I'm traveling or making a big sales pitch, I'll wear a lightweight grey suit. Dark colours are just more appropriate for serious sales work, as people don't think you're a big dandy.

Thomas

 

[Chas]

I wear my Palm Beach with the belted back to the racetrack every summer. I get multiple compliments on it all the time.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I wear my Palm Beach with the belted back to the racetrack every summer.

Don't we all?





Just kiddin'!


.

 

[mike]

I love this one in the summer and in a professional environment, it stands out less than the white. Got it through Boden of all places.

Excellent suit Paddy!
I'd love to see some more examples of vintage summer suits that were not done in lighter colors. I think darker colors could be worn more often and wouldn't show dirt as quickly, even if they attract heat rather than deflect it (or so the old wives tale says.)

 

[ortega76]

Was watching Inside Man the other day. I had forgotten how much I like Denzel's wardrobe in that movie. He sports a beautiful off-white/pearl grey linen suit with a bowtie that looks smashing. Classic and contemporary.

 

[Max Flash]

Was watching Inside Man the other day. I had forgotten how much I like Denzel's wardrobe in that movie. He sports a beautiful off-white/pearl grey linen suit with a bowtie that looks smashing. Classic and contemporary.

Agreed - good wardrobe, but unfortunately that is a badly fitted suit. Shame really, as it is a great colour.

 

[PADDY]

Lilac pants and a white blazer...? :/

Ah, but that's different, Paddy. You don't have pale lilac pants.

It is a slightly worrying combination isn't it!! Think I'll just stick to the total white/cream ensemble Much more "Our man is Havannah'ish."

 

[Dan D]

To wear with white...

I wore the jacket to my white linen suit at a village fayre last month, with a pair of navy blue linen trousers: didn't quite have the courage to wear the full white suit, but I feel white and blue paired together work well. I just need the extra chutzpah for the full outfit: or maybe several gins...

 

[ortega76]

Agreed - good wardrobe, but unfortunately that is a badly fitted suit. Shame really, as it is a great colour.

It's a good suit, it just needs some tailoring. I also like this one from the same movie.

 

[thunderw21]

Late '20s 3-piece summer suit in blue. Very thin, light wool; airy but still pretty warm in the heat. Perhaps more of a Spring/Fall suit than a summer one but it works in the summer.