Jun
It’s on sale: Polo Ralph Lauren seersucker blazer — I’ve written about seersucker before, and this looks like a pretty good deal. Down to $118.50 and available in every size. Plus, I’m a fan of the details on the jacket: a 3/2 roll stance, patch pockets and cotton lining that should be cooler than your typical synthetics.
May
Seersucker suit roundup
Memorial Day marks the beginning of two well-known sartorial traditions: wearing white and wearing seersucker. While many would say to disregard using the days of the calendar to decide what you should wear and when, you can’t really disregard the common sense (or appeal) of wearing seersucker during the warm and sunny months.
I won’t try to convince you that owning a seersucker suit is a staple in your wardrobe, because odds are fairly good you won’t have too many occassions to wear it. I will say, however, it’s pretty easy to split up the suit and wear the items separately. And, best of all, there are a bunch of brands offering seersucker suits as separates, so you can just pick up a jacket, which I think is more versatile of the two.
You can pair the jacket with almost anything and it’s perfect for casual weekend days. I’ve worn a seersucker jacket with jeans, chinos of all colors and grey linen trousers. I find it’s a good jacket to have in your summer wardrobe.
Here’s a roundup of all the seersucker jackets I could find sold separately from their trousers. Many of them are still on sale today, so now might be the best time to get one until after the summer’s over.
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Brooks Brothers (Cambridge fit)
Brooks Brothers (Fitzgerald fit)
Brooks Brothers (Fitzgerald fit)
Brooks Brothers (Fitzgerald fit)
Jul
It’s on sale: Haspel seersucker suit — I’m fairly certain this is similar to the seersucker suit I own, although the stripe width on mine is much smaller and this one seems to be the typical width. Regardless, today’s Sierra Trading Post deal flyer brings the cost of this suit to under $100. (The only way to activate that coupon is through the email they sent out. If you want me to forward it to you, email me.)
In regards to the fit, I found my Haspel suit to fit pretty true to size. The jacket didn’t really need to be adjusted, however, I did have the trousers slimmed and seat adjusted. Another nice thing about the selection at STP is that they have short, regular and long sizing.
The one downside to this suit is that it’s 3/4ths lined. The upside though is that it’s half-canvased. You might be able to have a tailor remove some of the lining if you find it’s making you run a bit hot, but I’m not entirely sure.
As you’re probably aware, wearing a seersucker suit is probably a bit ambitious as a whole, but I’ve found it works well when you wear the items separate from each other. The jacket goes well with jeans, navy and grey trousers and go-to-hell chinos. The trousers work with almost any blue or navy jacket. Get a pair of bucks (dirty or crisp white) and you’re set to go.
Jun
Musings on a summer suit
I’ve been giving some thought to the debate at Esquire between dieworkwear and John Lugg over the question of, “Is the summer suit necessary?”
The short answer is, for me, “It depends” with a complicated nuance toward, “Yes.”
If you’re the type of person who finds himself wearing a suit regularly to work, obviously a summer suit is necessary to you. Like the U.S. Senators above celebrating the annual Seersucker Thursday, some measure of decorum is required for their job and the weather dictates they find something to keep cool in while creating a hot fuss over legislation.
For those of us who work in less rigid environments that don’t have a dress code that requires a suit, I think the necessity (key word there) of a summer suit is questionable and very much reliant on your personal situation.
As both Derek and John pointed out, a blazer is probably in that “essential” category for most people, but a full-on suit I think requires a personal examination into your life and style over the summer.
For many of us, we won’t have very many opportunities to wear full suits throughout the summer. Sure, you could find occasions to wear one (or just wear one to wear one, if that’s your thing), but the necessity is dependent upon obligations you may find yourself under.
The most obvious such occasion would be if you’re at the point in your life where you’re attending weddings. Spending hours sweating in a suit that’s better worn in the other three seasons of the year is not how you should be spending your time celebrating the union of friends or family. I think a suit is necessary for wedding guests and a summer suit can come in handy if you’re finding yourself starting to receive “save-the-date” cards instructing you to mark your calendar during these months.
Still, even if you were just only going to a single wedding during the summer and find yourself struggling to see the utility of a summer suit and not finding occasions to wear it in full, then I think it’s worth bringing up the fact that many summer suits can be split up.
While I own a seersucker suit and have never worn the pants and jacket together, I have worn the pieces separately quite often. Just make sure to wear your jacket and pants equal number of times and you won’t wear one part out faster than the other. I think the idea that you can more-easily split up a summer suit to wear its elements casually is a nice value-add to the purchase. This doesn’t really help with the necessity argument for a summer suit, but it certainly doesn’t hurt it either.
So, to recap: Summer suits are necessary for those that find themselves in a situation of needing one — but it certainly can’t hurt to own, either.
(Photo credit: Bill Clark, AP via The Washington Post)
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