Having a summer suit made for hot weather - looking for advice on materials and lining please!

[JeremysIron]

Hi all,

As per the title I have just started the process of having a hot-weather/summer suit made and am now looking at materials. I already have a solid formal charcoal suit so this one can be more casual (am aiming at a light grey). My initial thought for material was linen but my tailor has flagged Crispaire and Fresco III Lite as good alternatives that will crease less. Does the community have any thoughts on the best options between these? Either in terms of comfort or coolness. I'm keen to achieve maximum coolness within reason.

With regard to linings I have assumed that to keep things light/cool I should be looking at half or quarter (or "skeleton"?) lining. I've not spoken to my tailor about this yet and have found somewhat contradictory information online about whether quarter-lined jackets preclude tidy pockets (I would ideally like pockets). I also don't know if I should be aiming for specific materials for lining as well.

Any and all wisdom on any aspect of this very gratefully received, including on other aspects I should be considering.

 

[maxalex]

Much depends on your lifestyle but I probably would not counsel linen as a second suit. The “safe” choice would indeed be a fresco or high-twist wool. Should you not be one to play it safe, go ahead and consider linen (heavier Irish weights wrinkle less and can actually be cooler because they drape off the body), or even seersucker although that would not be solid grey. Another option would be a wool-silk blend.

Partial lining is a nice option, and you can still do any type of pocket you like. There are many ways a tailor can make pockets in partially lined or even unlined jackets—have a look at Boglioli’s OTR versions to get a sense.

As to lining materials, virtually all today are bemberg which is manmade. Very few tailors still use silk (one is Rubinacci) as it is not as durable.

 

[JeremysIron]

Thank you for this - between your advice and my tailor's I think I'll be going Crispaire/Fresco Light. I don't suppose you have any views on which of those would be cooler or better by any other metrics or am I safe to pick solely based on colour?

On linings this is also very useful to know - I think I'll probably want some lining but perhaps not much - shall also see what my tailor says about my options there.

 

[rjc149]

Is the suit for business or pleasure?

 

[JeremysIron]

Is the suit for business or pleasure?

Pleasure (casual summer weddings, general casual wear, sometimes just using the jacket) my job is fairly casual anyway so it may make appearances at work but I have my designated "work suit" all sorted for when something more formal is needed so this is the fun one.

One thing it will definitely do is be worn in hot countries in the summer so I'm keen to keep things cool

 

[TheSuitBurnsBetter]

Pleasure (casual summer weddings, general casual wear, sometimes just using the jacket) my job is fairly casual anyway so it may make appearances at work but I have my designated "work suit" all sorted for when something more formal is needed so this is the fun one.

One thing it will definitely do is be worn in hot countries in the summer so I'm keen to keep things cool

Does your tailor have access to the Standeven Explorer bunch? If you're going to be traveling to hot countries, they have this "Sun Cloth" (basically a Solaro) that is a high twist wool.

100% Wool Sun Cloth for Luxury Suits - Made in England 27066

Khaki Green and Red 100% Wool Sun Cloth for Luxury Suiting from Explorer; the ultimate travel suit collection. Woven in England.

www.standevenfabrics.co.uk

It's definitely a drier hand compared to Crispaire, but my understanding is it breathes better (I'm having a light gray suit made from this bunch now).

 

[maxalex]

Thank you for this - between your advice and my tailor's I think I'll be going Crispaire/Fresco Light. I don't suppose you have any views on which of those would be cooler or better by any other metrics or am I safe to pick solely based on colour?

On linings this is also very useful to know - I think I'll probably want some lining but perhaps not much - shall also see what my tailor says about my options there.

I don’t think one or the other is going to affect your comfort level differently, choose what you like.

I see you may wear the jacket separately, in which case you might choose
a fabric with a subtle pattern or weave contrast. This is a good example:

Americans seem to consider wearing “orphaned” suit jackets a more humiliating faux-pax than do Europeans, so it depends in part where you live…

 

[JeremysIron]

I don’t think one or the other is going to affect your comfort level differently, choose what you like.

I see you may wear the jacket separately, in which case you might choose
a fabric with a subtle pattern or weave contrast. This is a good example:

View attachment 1777268

Americans seem to consider wearing “orphaned” suit jackets a more humiliating faux-pax than do Europeans, so it depends in part where you live…

This is almost exactly the kind of pattern I'm looking at!

...and yes I'm in Europe so can hopefully get away with the mis-match on more casual days, I'll try to make sure I bring the matching trousers pants on visits to the US though

 

[JeremysIron]

Does your tailor have access to the Standeven Explorer bunch? If you're going to be traveling to hot countries, they have this "Sun Cloth" (basically a Solaro) that is a high twist wool.

100% Wool Sun Cloth for Luxury Suits - Made in England 27066

Khaki Green and Red 100% Wool Sun Cloth for Luxury Suiting from Explorer; the ultimate travel suit collection. Woven in England.

www.standevenfabrics.co.uk

It's definitely a drier hand compared to Crispaire, but my understanding is it breathes better (I'm having a light gray suit made from this bunch now).

I do not know but I can certainly ask - it looks to be heavier but I appreciate that doesn't always mean hotter. I'm getting a host of swatches to play with soon and will then look at a select few on larger rolls but will add this to the candidate list thank you!

 

[TheSuitBurnsBetter]

I do not know but I can certainly ask - it looks to be heavier but I appreciate that doesn't always mean hotter. I'm getting a host of swatches to play with soon and will then look at a select few on larger rolls but will add this to the candidate list thank you!

Yeah I don't have any solaro but my guess is the twill weave wears hotter than the plain. There's also a "fawn" color in that same book I think would look great as a casual suit or separate jacket.

 

[maxalex]

I do not know but I can certainly ask - it looks to be heavier but I appreciate that doesn't always mean hotter. I'm getting a host of swatches to play with soon and will then look at a select few on larger rolls but will add this to the candidate list thank you!

Note that Solaro is a color as well as a weave; it is always a sort of olive/khaki with a red back weave and is best left unlined to appreciate the reverse. In other words you cannot get it in grey...