The Summer Luxury: A Dark Blue Linen or Cotton Suit
A warm weather suit in a dark material seems sorta counterproductive. Why make a suit out of a summery material like linen or cotton, yet have the fabric be in a light absorbing, heat radiating darker hue? Because the sun goes down. Because darker shades hide the wrinkles (and the shadows they cause) better. Because most of us spend our time moving from air conditioned car, to building, to car, and then maybe hit a patio as the sun is setting. And because khaki can get a little boring.
No doubt, these things are a luxury, and not as versatile as a pale grey or khaki colored summer suit. But that doesn’t mean they can’t find a place. Picks below are cotton, linen, or a blend of the two… but it’s always good to remember that a tropical wool will feel just as breezy.
Michael Kors Trim Fit Stretch Cotton Suit- $264.95 ($395)
Sharp. 98% cotton and 2% elastane. Doesn’t look like a bulky, stiff chino, but instead a mid-weight polished cotton (that’s a guess though). A call to Nordstrom customer service revealed that it is fully lined, but the rep didn’t know quite what it was lined in. Ships and returns free.
J. Crew Factory Thompson Suit Jacket & Pant in Cotton Pique – $206.00
Excluded from most (all?) codes now, but this one is marked pretty far down as it is, and almost all sizes in the jacket & pant are available at post time. Nice texture to the lightweight fabric. It is fully lined, but at least it’s lined in acetate instead of cheap polyester. Non functioning sleeve buttons make tailoring a breeze. Pics above are of last year’s model, but it doesn’t look like it’s changed at all. Full review here.
Bonobos Foundation Navy Seersucker Jacket & Pant in Standard – $320.00 ($400)
And these were just on sale for 20% off too, so some patience might pay off with them. Fully lined, but it’s in Bemberg. Also available in slim, but know that their slim jackets have even shorter tails… gettin’ close to chopped.
J. Crew Ludlow in Delave Italian Linen – $546
Seems like it could be destined for the sale section, so keep an eye on it. Fabric is washed and dyed in order to give it a slightly faded look. Really wish they would have brought back the Irish Linen in Deep Indigo from last year (as pictured at the very top of the post). Great suit, great fabric, and super-saturated deep navy that looks great during the day or at night.
Massimo Dutti Linen Suit Jacket & Pant – $343.50
Two things: those buttons are not quiet… and… best to wait for a sale. Zara & Massimo Dutti don’t run many sales, but their summer sale should be coming up in the next week or two.
Suitsupply Napoli Linen-Wool Check – $469.00
Not a dark navy, but more of a true blue with a pattern to it. Linen/Wool from Italy. Half canvas. Cut in their timeless Napoli silhouette.
The “would you wear it?” hyper relaxed option: Zara – $159.80
That’s… pretty fashion forward. Looks like something to be worn in the tropics. Super skinny lapels. And… a drawstring at the waist? This is like Suitjamas for summer. First reaction was a recoil + “yikes”. But, on second glance, I think a few guys (especially the super trim) could pull this off for an outdoor party. Just… well, one of those guys is not typing the words which you are reading right now.
Brooks Brothers Fitzgerald Fit – $698
A total classic. The opposite of the Zara. Yes, way expensive. But these were recently just on sale for 30% off, and it dipped em’ into Suitsupply territory. Worth keeping an eye on if you prefer higher quality suits.
Got any leads on other navy or blue summer fabric suits? Is it something you’ve ever considered, or even picked up? Do you find yourself wearing it often?
I feel like that Zara linen suit could be pretty dope if pulled off correctly.
Anybody have the JCF cotton pique? I am curious if it could see wear outside of spring and summer.
Agreed. It’s completely, 100% not for me. At all, but I can really see it working.
Suitjamas! Awesome. I think I found something I can wear to bed on more formal evenings.
Agreed, I’m really tempted to try it, but I have no ties I can wear it with and that’s a deal breaker for me.
am I the only one who doesn’t have a plethora of these “outdoor parties” in which to wear a suit, let alone a summer suit? oh the things i’m missing!
When can we expect to see the review on the new men’s wearhouse suits?
I have 6 new suits, all tailored, that I havent had the opportunity, nor foreseeable one, to wear them at. Damn deals keep reeling me in.
Holy cow. At this point you either create an event to wear them to, or seek out and crash an event. Wear those suits!
When I can get an order to take. They’ve cancelled my order now, three times. Working on a fourth as we speak this morning. Thanks for the patience.
Massimo Dutti has already started their sale in Norway, so I snagged one of these. Could you give any pointers as to what kind of shirts and shoes would complement this suit best?
Lol, that’s exactly how I feel Tom.
no rush! just really curious. Thanks
Totally understood. Fingers crossed that this order “takes” this time. It declined my card, twice (I… I pay my bills, I swear) and then it said it was successful on the third shot.
Time to up the weeknight at-home style standards! (i.e. be that weird guy in the neighborhood who walks his dog in a tux)
The other reason a Navy cotton or linen suit is useful is for work during the summer. I’ve had days where I was in New York and had several client meetings, so I had to walk a lot. Not sweating in an all wool suit would be quite nice.
I got one at the start of the season, and I wear it to work nearly once a week. I live in the Southwest, so it’s ideal for the high-90s temperatures. I could see wearing it in the fall as well because the navy is on the darker side, and, as Joe said, we spend most of our time in climate-controlled havens, safe from the outside elements. That said, once the temperatures dip into the low 50s, I think you’ll want to stick to heavier fabrics, especially if you have to walk any distance outside.
No weddings during the summer that you’ll be attending? Even if they’re indoor, it doesn’t hurt to be wearing linen unless you’re one that gets super cold in AC.
Lmao. I might just use the line!
Joe,
You may want to mention that there are several additional colors available from Zara. I personally prefer the brighter blue option.
This really strikes me as more of a tie-less option anyway. I can see it working well with a light weight pop-over type shirt.
Do you guys think the JCF navy chino suit would work as a summer suit?
Any reviews on Suitsupply’s Havana Blue Plain Traveller suit or their Copenhagen Blue Plain Cotton Linen Suit?
I have the worsted wool Thompson. I’m tempted to purchase the cotton variant, but I can’t get past the padding in the shoulders. I mean, it’s find on my wool suit, but I prefer less shoulder padding on my summer suits.
For what it’s worth, the shoulder padding on the cotton pique isn’t that bad, at least on the one I have from this season. The shoulders are more minimal than on the worsted wool variety. It’s also slimmer in the body, which was a nice surprise. Same for the seersucker blazer, which I purchased at the same time as the cotton suit. They have been my go-to blazers/suits so far this summer.
I got the pique also for Southern California. Too much lining for outdoor summer events, but it will work for 8 months out of the year here(add sweaters and long wool socks). Also I like the texture better than smooth wool for wearing more casually.
The pants have gotten a ton of use as separates.
I don’t even have a khaki suit yet
It does for me. I like it because my office is constantly 64-66 degrees because we can’t control the system, and it is an old system. So instead of a tropical wool, I just went with the JFC navy chino. Holds pretty well. And I like to split the jacket as a sport coat with other, more summer friendly pants. But yes, when I’ve needed to go more business, I’ve used it and it has worked well for me.
Hell yeah I’ll take that challenge! Totally looks like fun. Some nice clean white sneakers to wear too. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit
Anyone looking for an incredibly inexpensive option should look at JCP. It’s $100 but is typically on sale with a 15-25% off. 100% cotton but fully lined in polyester, so not very breathable, but come on, it’s like 80 bucks. http://jcp.is/1iGnKAe
I totally forgot that I own the corded cotton suit as well haha. I’ve only worn it once, but that’s because I haven’t had a lot of places to wear it yet. The padding on that jacket is a touch too much for casual wear for me, but definitely better than the worsted wool. It’d be nice if they would offer a Thompson cut in zero padding. But that’s probably asking a lot from JCF.
I got the BR Modern Slim Fit Navy Linen suit in pieces over a couple 40% off deals in the last month, came out to something like $200. Fused & fully-lined, and I would say it’s definitely lighter than the color I think of as “navy” in my head. But, it’s gloriously slim (I’m a relatively trim fellow and finding trim enough things is often difficult) and it fit great off the rack and the linen is a little coarse but has a fun texture to it. Overall, pretty high-quality for $200. Don’t think I’d pay full price for it though.
Really impressed by the J.Crew design – bravissimo!
http://www.cefashion.net
I recently got the Washington from Suit Supply in a true blue color for a summer wedding. I went for the York Linen and ended up falling in love with the Washington, especially in that color. Needless to say, I looked goooood.
Wearing the Michael Kors suit for the first time today after getting it through this link. The cotton is nice and breathable, and the jacket is lined in poly in the sleeves and something lighter through the body (can’t tell if it’s cotton or something synthetic). The buttons feel a little cheap and plasticky, but I’m nit-picking at this price point. This will be a staple for me through DC’s hot days where dark suits are still expected.
Excellent! Thanks for the feedback Matt…
Wow, you got the whole suit for $200 !?!