Summer suits

[Dr Kilroy]

Hello,

I know that there was a thread like that some time ago, but this one is a but different. As I said in one of my threads, I am planning to wear a lounge suit every day and a dinner suit every evening. However, I have a problem about colours.

1. Do you think a off white tropical wear lounge suit is appropriate for city/town wear? If not, which colour do you find more correct?
2. What do you consider a correct summer city/town dinner suit? Should it be the warm-weather version with white jacket or just a regular black or black-like jacket made of lighter material?

Thank you and best regards, Dr

 

[Wolfmanjack]

I have a off-white linen DB lounge suit that I wear a good deal in the summer, but I would not wear it to a business meeting in town.

 

[avedwards]

I think it depends more on the geographical location. In continental Europe I think an off-white lounge suit is perfectly appropriate in the summer, especially further east where it can get very warm. However I'm not sure about the suitability of a white dinner jacket in Europe - I know it is considered unnecessary in the UK where the climate is relatively temperate, but I'm not sure whether this is the same for the continent.

 

[Salieri]

especially further east where it can get very warm.

Oh, quite unlike Spain and Portugal, then...

Regarding the OP's questions, I think they're ones you can only really answer yourself. You have the best knowledge of the kinds of climates and situations you will be encountering. Ok, so a pale lounge might not be appropriate for transacting business in a formal setting, but that may not be what you do. Thankfully, not everybody is a businessperson. I would say go with your gut. It sounds like you want to attempt these looks so why not try it and see how you feel about it? (Financial considerations permitting...)

 

[avedwards]

Oh, quite unlike Spain and Portugal, then...

I meant eastern Europe tends to be hotter than parts of western Europe which are on the same latitude. The original poster is in Poland which is probably significantly warmer in summer than Germany and France, which is why different rules probably apply as regards warm weather clothing.

 

[listenone]

How about grey one?

 

[Dr Kilroy]

It seems less summery to me.

Best regards, Dr

 

[avedwards]

I have a light grey linen suit and I think it's perfect for summer, especially in the UK where a cream or white linen suit might look a bit strange.

 

[Dr Kilroy]

Hm, well, then I will take it into consideration (though I do not know if I will live in UK ).

Best regards, Dr

 

[avedwards]

A think light grey is a suitable summer colour for any location, it just has advantages in the historically conservative UK. It also has the general advantage of being a more conservative choice than cream, beige or white which makes it useful for formal summer events.

 

[Tomasso]

Summer weight light gray suit.......white shirt......yellow silk knit tie.......and white bucks. Sounds like summer to me....

And BTW, don't forget the suntan....

 

[listenone]

The second one

 

[Tomasso]

The second one

Your ilk is a curious one...............

 

[avedwards]

Summer weight light gray suit.......white shirt......yellow silk knit tie.......and white bucks. Sounds like summer to me....

And BTW, don't forget the suntan....

Suntan? I have a lovely yellow ill-looking complexion that I would never want to substitute for a healthy looking tan.

 

[Fletch]

In the US, anything approaching a white suit smells of feudalism. But I wear off-whites anyway. Only my dry cleaner is subjugated by it, and he gets his by putting in mysterious tan rings from time to time.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

Think Grey! You Know it makes sense

 

[dnjan]

In the US, anything approaching a white suit smells of feudalism.

or a traveling fundamentalist preacher.

 

[Patrick Hall]

If you choose to go with the off-white suit, take care that the overall effect isn't costume-y. Being suited every day in the swamps of Houston means a steady diet of pale summer suits for me - seersuckers, linens, and cotton. But I avoid accessories that make the look too stereotypical - like spectators and the like. I think I'd also go with a standard black dinner jacket, perhaps just a lighter weight wool. I've never understood the efficacy of the white dinner jacket, frankly. The reason you wear white in the summer is because it reflects sunlight rather than absorbing it. How does a white jacket keep you cooler at night?

 

[Dr Kilroy]

Yes, I also noticed this disadvantage of tropical black tie.

I decided that the day lounge suit will be cream or light grey dependant on the location I will live (I do not think I will spend whole life in Poland ). Generally the cream suit is more probable, as light grey suit would be for UK.

When it comes to town dinner suit, I shall choose black dinner jacket made of tropical wool, but because of the budget first I shall wear it with regular trousers (I generally do not feel too warm in any trousers, especially I will wear them at night).

Best regards, Dr

 

[avedwards]

White also absorbs less radiation, meaning even if you're not in sunlight it will be cooler than black. Plus it is acceptable to have a white linen or palm beach dinner jacket which would feel cooler.