Cool in blue

I hesitate to say this because my job involves selling suits, but suits are rarely the most ideal clothing choice when it comes to weather in the extremes. If it’s really cold out, you’d probably rather wear heavy-duty gear or thick sweaters to keep you warm. And if it’s hot, wearing a suit isn’t as appealing to most as just cruising around in shorts and a T-shirt. 

But suits do make almost any guy look great, which is often the whole point of wearing tailored clothing – vanity! So we’ve got a conundrum. 

Unlike fall and winter fabrics where you’re able to get a benefit from seasonal cloth in terms of drape, summer’s less kind. Linen wrinkles. Seersucker is only worn for about three short months. Cotton can sometimes be too thick and dense for the heat, and yet still can look as wrinkled as linen.

What’s left is lightweight wool. You’d think “Fresco” cloth is the only thing worth getting, but there’s a lot of variations out there with an open weave from different mills. Mine in particular is from Ermenegildo Zegna’s “Cool Effects” collection. 

The fabric is 6 ounces and does have a bit of a dry hand to it, but isn’t as “scratchy” as some “fresco”-style fabrics I’ve felt in the past – probably because the weave isn’t as open as others I’ve felt. To be honest, fabrics with too dry of a hand feel cheap to me, but some really enjoy that texture. 

Zegna claims their “Cool Effects” fabric “absorbs the sun’s rays,” which to raises a bit of skepticism in me as to how beneficial that can be, but after testing the suit in Texas it wears about as cool as suit can get in the heat. 

I think the main benefit comes from the weight and partially the airflow. I opted for half-lining instead of full. But the lightness of the jacket and trousers helped a lot. 

Lightweight fabrics aren’t without downsides. They’re not as crease resistant as heavier midweights might be – you’ll get some at the back of your trouser knees and jacket from sitting. A quick steam, however, sorts that out quickly. The drape also isn’t as compelling as heavier fabrics would be, but that’s the compromise. 

I did some other things to make this suit a bit more functional for travel. Patch hip pockets instead of my usual choice of jetted. I wanted to split the jacket up to wear as a sport coat with jeans. I also raised the hem and tapered the trousers a bit more at the leg opening as I think it looks a bit better when worn sockless during the warm months. 

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Suit made-to-measure by PROPERSUIT, necktie & pocket square by Vanda Fine Clothing, shirt by Hugh & Crye, loafers by Alden, watch by Swatch.  

Photo by John Cousert