The Summer Suit

[ArrowCollarMan]

Does anyone have any suits that are bearable to wear in summer? Something of a light color with a linen material? If so, how have they faired? Do you like them and do they really wrinkle as bad as I think they do (which is really bad)?

 

[Matt Deckard]

Linen wrinkles heavily... that's part of the mystique. The first suit is a cotton linen blend, not much wrinkling... the second is a giant wrinkle!

These aren't as cool as some of the Palm BEach suits that have been posted in the past... do a search!

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Brooks Brothers cotton poplin is the industry standard:





Seersucker is nice as well. I think it is better for non-business occasions:



I also have a cotton pinstriped suit from J. Crew that is light as a feather.

I have had linen suits, though I tend to wear them out after a single season. Currently, Brooks Bros. has a three piece linen suit that looks rather nice.

 

[BellyTank]

I have a '30s vintage linen suit, which has obviously faired well-
see here-
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=3780&page=2&highlight=linen+suit

Linen is comfortable and good for travelling. There are other fabrics which may appear to be more comfortable but Linen has some special properties-

"...linen is highly hygroscopic as it is capable to rapidly absorb and yield moisture. It evaporates water quickly. It has been established that before giving a feeling of being wet, linen fabric can absorb as much as 20% of its dry weight. That explains why linen fabric always feels fresh and cool.

Linen possesses high air permeability and heat conductivity properties. Heat conductivity of linen is five times as high as that of wool and 19 times as that of silk. In hot weather those dressed in linen clothes are found to show the skin temperature 3°-4°C below that of their silk or cotton-wearing friends. According to some studies, a person wearing linen clothes perspires 1.5 times less than when dressed in cotton clothes and twice less than when dressed in viscose clothes. Meanwhile in cold weather linen is an ideal warmth-keeper;
Linen is renowned for its spectacular durability and long life. The tensile strength of linen thread is twice as high as that of cotton and three times that of wool;
Silica present in the flax fiber protects linen against rotting - the mummies of Egyptian Pharaohs preserved to the present day are wrapped in the finest linen cloth. Linen rejects dirt and does not get teaseled "

B
T

 

[Barry]

Brooks Brothers cotton poplin is the industry standard

Poplin is great. I love Brook's summer suits. If you can catch 'em on sale they are a great bargin. I bought an off-white and brown seersucker suit last summer and I can't wait to break it out this season.

Barry

 

[Briscoeteque]

Those are some neat facts about linen, I just love the stuff. Wish it didn't always look so wrinkled, but it just feels like nothing else. I want to get a linen suit, but vintage ones are near impossible to find, and newer ones are expensive, not to mention are subject to all of the problems modern suits have.

 

[BellyTank]

Wrinkly! No problem-

Don't forget-

Linen LOVES the hot iron!

Linen is the perfect fibre for the Human Animal-

B
T

 

[jml90]

I like a nice lightweight wool for the summer aswell

 

[ArrowCollarMan]

Many a time have I seen that suspender.

I have a seen linen/cotton suit that I've got my eye on. It would cost me a little over $100 to buy. Great cut and very lightweight...I just need to save the money for it. Unfortunatally, I can't afford Brooks Brothers suits...yesh hundreds and hundreds of dollars!

 

[The Mantis]

Summer

This is my Goldfinger suit from Indy Magnoli...perfect for summer heat and drapes nicely. Have already worn it to several buisness events.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

That Goldfinger suit is FINE!

 

[ArrowCollarMan]

I'd wear it! Real nice!

 

[Tomasso]

Does anyone have any suits that are bearable to wear in summer? Something of a light color with a linen material? If so, how have they faired? Do you like them and do they really wrinkle as bad as I think they do (which is really bad)?

I love linen and seersucker as I have much of both, but wool fresco is the highest performing tropical fabric available today. Fresco has a very open weave and is so resistant to wrinkles that it's very difficult to keep a crease. That's the good news, unfortunately fresco is rarely offered RTW.

 

[Indy Magnoli]

Just the thread I'm looking for... I've been looking for a guinea pig to make a linen suit for. I've got a small selection of linens to choose from, so if anyone is interested, drop me a line. I'd love to add something uniquely summer and vintage to my line.

Kind regards,
Magnoli

 

[Wild Root]

Yeah, try these out...

=WR=

 

[Briscoeteque]

What about Palm Beach fabric? Isn't that the ideal summer suit stuff? Why did they stop making it?

 

[Indy Magnoli]

Those are great! The single-breasted one looks identical to my Marshall Suit (only without the waistcoat):

But I'd LOVE to see one in linen!

Kind regards,
Magnoli

 

[IndianaGuybrush]

Hey IM, you may be on to something. Can your guys do a Marshall suit in a linen? I think it would look fantastic!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

What about Palm Beach fabric? ... Why did they stop making it?

Two words: polyester blend.

 

[silhouette53]

Any Fresco Pics Anyone ?

I love linen and seersucker as I have much of both, but wool fresco is the highest performing tropical fabric available today. Fresco has a very open weave and is so resistant to wrinkles that it's very difficult to keep a crease. That's the good news, unfortunately fresco is rarely offered RTW.

Fresco !! now there's a material which I've occasionally wondered about but don't think I've seen. As a kid, I read all the 'Saint' books by Leslie Charteris and for some bizarre reason, part of a small descriptive paragraph from one story has remained lodged in my memory over the years, namely :
"The Saint was wearing his newest suit, a creation in Pearl grey fresco over which his tailor had shed tears of joy in the fitting room"

So what does fresco look like ? I'd be intrigued to see a photo if anyone has one they could post