By Cameron Mellin
It’s easy to slack off the style game during summer. With the seasons for layering gone and the months of sunshine, good times and, let’s be honest, perspiration here for the long haul, dressing to the nines becomes an afterthought. After all, what’s the point? No matter the outfit, by the time you hop off the Orange line you’ll be sweating bullets right?
Wrong.
The beach bod’s not the only thing in need of summer sculpting. The dog days demand a headfirst dive into the style pool to fish out fabrics, colors and accessories worthy of a sun-kissed weekday swagger.
So suit up, boys—it’s time to beat the heat and serve up some style points the only way we know how … ICE COLD.
Linen
A vintage fabric, linen suits have made a comeback in the workplace wardrobe due to the style’s subtle flair and breathability. A favorite of F. Scott Fitzgerald, linen gifts you a Gatsby-era kick and is flexible enough for a Friday in the office or an outdoor wedding.
Embodying the season through its naturally light color pigment, linen can stand on its own or tie together striking summer hues with relative ease.
The only catch? Linen wrinkles. And ensuring the suit keeps its integrity during a wash means trips to the dry cleaner.
However, cotton-linen blends (Bonobo’s makes a bomb one) can remedy your wrinkle problems without sacrificing the fabric’s breathability.
Trying to go green this summer? Adding a linen jacket, swapping out a few staples and throwing in new colors turns an outfit on its head.
Seersucker
A staple of the Southern gentleman and every East Coast frat star, seersucker is steeped in tradition and controversy. The latter lets you know the suit is worth the cash because your style is a statement, and what better way to make one than in a lightweight, washable fabric Missouri lawmakers look to outlaw?
Originally considered a blue-collar garment, seersucker fabric, with its airy feel and puckered pattern, was utilized primarily in workwear. It wasn’t until Haspel, a New Orleans-based suiting company, began designing a suit for the steamy bayou summer that seersucker became a go-to for politicians and businessmen south of the Mason-Dixon.
The trick to seersucker, as with any suit, is in the tailoring. The fabric’s natural striping “elongates the torso,” according to Haspel designer Sam Shipley, and necessitates a slim fit to separate the striped trousers from pajama bottoms.
Cotton
From summer to winter and everywhere in between, the cotton suit is always a good call. Crisp and form-fitting, a cotton blazer paired with chinos can take you from a day at the office to cocktails in Clarendon and even brunch on Sunday morning.
Cotton is the most manipulative of the dapper fabrics and is used below in a Topman vest-and-tie combo to keep you and your style game cool.
Pair a cotton blazer with a lightweight harbor-stripe sweater for those sailboat days on the Chesapeake, and make the outfit your own with vintage, all-American accessories. We love what Stag, an Austin-based men’s shop, has to offer.
Real men wear pink, but don’t count out purple, a color bright enough for the summer season yet possessing a subtlety to steer you into autumn colors once September rolls around.
The post Suited for summer: Style inspiration for the debonair man appeared first on Northern Virginia Magazine.
