Photo by Muffy Aldrich
The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Sunday, April 17, 2022

Summer Suits

 

A reader question:

I want to build on the earlier question on seersucker suits. I am in my early 30s and I will need to be outside a bit for work this summer in a suit.  I am in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country.  Do people have suggestions for where I can get a summer suit, and what to look for?  And shoes?

 

15 comments:

  1. Frank Stella - summer suits in Seersucker, Linen, and Poplin have a finite life span. Their early season deals are excellent. The suits are classic and very well made for the price point.

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  2. Tell the millennial to go to Maxminimus Blog. UNC & Johns Hopkins grad with a big dose of KA mojo & snap. Do the recon & you can crack the code. Probably the best on clothing & shoes....runs with Boyer & Flusser traveling squad. Strictly he man stuff.

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  3. Jim Hunter @ Hunter-Coggins in Asheville, a good man to know for traditional clothing, has some good seersucker, made by Hardwick in Chattanooga. They too are a good value for the price point. I also saw that Haspel has an expanded color range for the seersuckers this year and maybe Jim carries or can order Haspel, too. Greetings from Detroit.

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    1. Jim's poplins are nice. I have oyster and olive.

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  4. Frank Stella are hard to beat!

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  5. Agreed with Anonymous on Frank Stella -- pretty worthwhile stuff at a reasonable price. Just a tad more expensive -- but worth every penny -- are the seersucker suits, trousers, and sport coats from Haspel, based in Louisiana. They didn't invent the seersucker suit, but they make some of the best. There is, of course, J. Press, which I cannot recommend highly enough. They have several hot season suit fabrics this year, all of which look outstanding. If your budget allows, you can't go wrong.

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  6. Tan, olive, or navy cotton poplin from J. Press. Avoid summer suits with polyester, they are not as cool.

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    1. Yes, get thee to J Press for poplin, seersucker and lightweight wool.

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  7. ^ Oh, and worn with Alden penny or tassel loafers.

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  8. That was fun, imagining clothing designed by Frank Stella.

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    1. I remember when I first encountered the brand in a NYT ad, and as I typed the name in the search bar, I thought, "this is gonna turn up the artist a lot more than the retailer." But I eventually found it.

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  9. I'll amend my previous suggestions to say that J. Crew surprisingly makes a great quality seersucker sport coat. The trousers that come as separates have much too low a rise to look right as a suit (or to look right at all) but I can personally vouch for the quality of the jacket. It's unlined for hot weather, has a flattering cut, and is very inexpensive.

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  10. i tend to be happier with lightweight, light-colored wool suits for the summer than poplin, but they're all pretty popular options. J. Press has the poplin suits if the cut works, or they probably do made-to-measure at this point. My summer suit is a black/white glen plaid wool from Corneliani.

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  11. I'm retired. My summer suits are khaki shorts and navy polo shirt. My winter suits are khaki pants and navy long-sleeved polo shirts. Boat shoes year round. Yeah. I know. I don't care.

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  12. Caveat explained decades ago by an old lawyer...get the Tan & Olive Wash n Wear Haspel...never Navy because the trouser seats develop a shine. Took his advice. Bought em at Lord & Taylor. Hand wash in the sink with Persil.

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