The Summer Suit Search – Bonobos Seersucker

Light colored summer suits have a limited use. No matter how well tailored, they just don’t look right in December.  But while Medium Gray, Charcoal, and Navy suits are the foundation, light & breathable summer suits look & feel pretty damn good from April – early September. Our search for the best affordable summer suiting options is on, and you can send in your suggestions via styletip.

*$50 off if you sign up an email via their new customer link.  Normally $410.

Bonobos does more than pants.  Quite a bit more.  But just like their pants, their suits come at a premium.  And you’d think seersucker in general would be cheap.  It’s supposed to be light, airy, and cotton.  Which this suit absolutely is.  But a lot of cheap seersucker suits feel stiff and restricting.  Which this suit, absolutely is not…

The Pros

• The Fabric: Perfect summer weight.  It’s impressively light yet neither thin nor flimsy.  Not much pucker to it.  Just enough.
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• The Movement: Unbelievably comfortable.  As previously mentioned, some inexpensive seersucker can feel like they’re 30% cardboard.  Not this.  Moves as easy as a pair of pajamas, with a much better fit.
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• The Armholes: Good and high, and set under a pair of you don’t even notice them shoulder pads.
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• The Pattern: The standard for seersucker is blue.  This lighter but still noticeable grey is a real good way to switch it up.

The Cons

• The Price: Yes shipping is always free with Bonobos… but $410 for all cotton is a lot.  In this case you really do get what you pay for, and you’ll end up with a suit that you can wear even when it’s ugly hot.  Still though, you really have to be looking for a seersucker to consider investing.  Even at the $360 first timer level.
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• The Gap Between Fits: A lot of us who are sometimes a 38 and sometimes a 40 are absolutely going to have to invest in tailoring.  Not that we wouldn’t anyway, but it seems like there’s a larger than normal jump between those two common sizes.  38 was too tight in the back.  40 was pretty big at the sides.
  

The Bottom Line

It feels and moves far better than the (non-seersucker) J. Crew striped Ludlow, which comes in at about the same price.  Is it a little more casual thanks to the slight pucker?  Yeah.  But we’re talking almost white summer suits here.  It’s spendy, and for less than half the price you could get the (again, non seersucker), also feels amazing L.L. Bean Signature Twill.  But then you won’t get the stripes or quite the breeziness of the Bonobos Fabric.

This should be at the top of the list for guys who absolutely want a seersucker suit, have some cash to spend, and plan on wearing their chosen suit more than a few times a summer.  So basically 0.5% of the shopping public.  Otherwise, spend a third of the price and go with a light khaki L.L. Bean Signature, which is on sale for $130.

Current Best Summer Suit Standings

Best Dressed Up: Banana Republic Italian Cotton
Best Dressed Down: L.L. Bean Signature New Traditional Twill
Best Ultra Cheap Option: INC Grey Cotton linen blend

For the growing archive of the 2011 Dappered Summer Suit Search, click here.