Solaro - too casual a cloth for a business suit?

[NorCal_1]

I thought Solaro was too casual a cloth for business wear

does Solaro come with undertones of anything but red or orange? or is that it?

 

[yfyf]

Originally Posted by NorCal_1

I thought Solaro was too casual a cloth for business wear, but this photo of Matteo Marzotto is making me reconsider

does Solaro come with undertones of anything but red or orange? or is that it?

While I like the look, I wouldn't call that business wear by any means.

 

[dopey]

The red is the point. Back in the day, the British thought red reflected heat away (maybe it does).
I have always wanted a solaro suit, but everyone who has one says it wears like gabardine - not great if your sun comes with humidity.

 

[yachtie]

With her next to you, it really doesn't matter what you wear.

Really it's dependent on your business. I have no problem with it but YMMV.

 

[jamesbond]

Who is his tailor? He always looks pretty well turned out and im sure its not Valentino RTW.

 

[bowtielover]

It looks nice but seems like more of an evenign suit, something to wear to the club but not something i'd wear to work.

 

[T4phage]

Originally Posted by NorCal_1

does Solaro come with undertones of anything but red or orange? or is that it?

Real "Solaro" as Dopey says comes only with the red background. There are other manufacturers who make a similar cloth (in terms of weave and sometimes weight) but with a different background. I have two with blue backgrounds which a wit called "lunaro" =)

Then there are morons who call any fabric which has a different color on each side solaro...

 

[Spark]

I have an Isaia made of solaro for the summer and it's absolutely fine for biz wear - question never even occcurred to me, actually.

 

[Biscione]

It makes a great mid-season business suit. But I don't really think it should be worn outside of Italy (Northern Italy, really).

This isn't just because I consider it rather imbedded in that culture, but also because virtually nobody would understand it outside of Italy. It's a perplexing cloth for those unaquainted with it, and it wouldn't go down well in an American office.

 

[Will]

It's a beautiful cloth for daytime and ideal for 60-75 degree weather like we have in San Francisco.

You may want to have independent means, celebrity of some kind or be in the clothing business to wear it though as it's noticeable in the same way a silk suit is noticeable.

 

[courty]

Can anyone tell me if solaro cloth is available direct to the public from Smith Woollens or another source, and the approximate price?

 

[Will]

Smith will sell it to you directly from their London office. The price is probably, based on nothing but general experience, about $120 a meter.

 

[courty]

Thanks

 

[radicaldog]

While the story about the cloth's origins having to do with the alleged anti-radiation properties of red is true, I think in the past it used to be made in different colours as well. In an Arabic (as in 'run by Arabs') cloth store towards the western end of South Kensington I've seen something very similar in light blue with a royal blue/light navy cast. But the original Solaro is a Smith trademark and it now comes only in tan (herringbone or plain).

Unlike silk it is a rather austere cloth, yet it does not go unnoticed. At all. I've promised myself a Solaro suit if I ever get tenure--before that it seems too bold for me.

 

[dopey]

If you put me in a climate where it made sense, I would wear it. I don't see what the big deal is about the undertone.