Cotton gabardine suits?

[Stu]

I saw a really nice Corneliani cream cotton suit yesterday in Off 5th. I didn't buy it because I want to conserve funds. I also am instead thinking of having Chan make me one.

I want a summer suit, tan or cream in cotton, flat front, ticket pocket, etc. I know a lot of people kind of frown on tan suits, but I would love to own just one. At any rate, is cotton gabardine something that would look nice? Or is it out with Ty Powers and Cary Grant? Should I look at a cotton blend instead?

Ben Silver had a nice tan cotton/cashmere blend last spring, but at $975 for an Acquascutum suit, I thought that a bit steep, especially if I can get one custom made from Chan.

Thoughts?

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

Cotton suits _will_ wrinkle _fast_. That being said, it's up to you

.luc

 

[Manton]

I've got one. It does wrinkle, no doubt about that. But then so does linen, and so do my shirts. Wrinkling is part of life. No use crying about it. I like the coolness and casualness of cotton. I also chose a light olive color, which I think would look sort of pallid in wool. But it looks great in cotton.

Have no fear of the summer tan suit.

 

[Giona Granata]

Do it in Fresco. Much better then cotton.

 

[Stu]

Do it in Fresco. Much better then cotton.

I thought about fresco, but I really want a smoother texture, a la gabardine. Is there anything that makes gabardine different than regular cotton?

 

[Manton]

Gabardine is a weave. It can be wool or cotton, or almost any material, really. Without going into the boring details, it is characterized by very small diagional ridges running through the cloth. Wool gabardine tends to be hot no matter its weight because it is so dense and has few pores. Cotton gabardine is more breathable and thus cooler. Fresco will not wrinkle nearly as much -- it will wrinkle hardly at all -- but it has a very crisp and "dry" finish. Not at all smooth. It achieves its coolness through porousness. If you're looking for somthing that is smooth, almost shiny, wrinkle resistant and cool, try mohair, or a wool-mohair blend that is more mohair than wool. Be warned: the more mohair there is, the more it will shine. And mohair is really shiny.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

I've got one.  It does wrinkle, no doubt about that.  But then so does linen, and so do my shirts.  Wrinkling is part of life.  No use crying about it.  I like the coolness and casualness of cotton.  

A cotton suit is good for a casual look then. I wear suits at work, not for a casual occasion.
And I hate the idea of going out fresh in the morning with an awfully back wrinkled coat.

.luc

 

[Manton]

Cotton suits are quite common on the East Coast of the US in the heat of summer, wrinkles and all.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

Cotton gabardine will be heavier and thus less prone to wrinkling.
Cotton satin will wrinkle a lot more.

.luc

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

Cotton suits are quite common on the East Coast of the US in the heat of summer, wrinkles and all.

yes, okay. Right. Let me makes myself clearer : 1 - It's not against the rules to wear a cotton suit. 2 - It's against the rules in, most workplaces I have been to, to look nÃ

gligÃ

with wrinkled clothes. Linen being broderline acceptable. Hence, as I have not yet found a cotton coat which doesn't wrinkle, wearing a cotton suit at work is against the rules.

.luc

 

[Manton]

I think because of the oppressive heat and humidity of the East Coast of the US in summer, the rule was bent to allow cotton and linen. Certainly, cotton suits are popular throughout the American Southeast, where the heat and humidity are even worse than in New York.

 

[Concordia]

There's also a peculiar class angle, by which members of the old WASP elite adopted lower-class clothes for their own. Something about being so secure that they didn't have to look crisp or correct--- which is also where a lot of the Duke of Windsor's style comes from. You can't dress like that if you really need your job.

My mother used to kiddingly call seersucker suits or jackets "street cleaners" because that is who used to wear them in the early part of the century. No doubt she picked up that usage from her parents' generation. Didn't stop her from buying them for me, however.

 

[chorse123]

Not intending to hijack, but as we're on summer suits. Does mohair lend itself to specific colors and not others? I would imagine it would be great in a dark navy, but if one isn't in the market for more navy?

 

[Manton]

Not intending to hijack, but as we're on summer suits. Does mohair lend itself to specific colors and not others? I would imagine it would be great in a dark navy, but if one isn't in the market for more navy?

One usually sees swatches of mohair in dull, matte colors: slate blue, gunmetal gray, etc. It certainly does well in colors other than navy. In fact, I would only get mohair in a lighter color. It's more in keeping with its character as a summer cloth.

 

[Renault78law]

Stu, what size are you?