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Summer attire

Mike C.

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I have two questions for members of the Style Forum today: First, I'm thinking of buying a sand colored, linen suit for the summer. I will be able to wear it to my job, and also on a number of parties, graduations, ect... that take place this time of year. What goes well with this suit? I'm thinking of shirtwise; does the fabric need to be the same weight of the suit? I probably couldn't get away with something like twill or some other heavier cotton, so is a linen shirt the only choice? Does the tie have to be linen also? Reponses from guys who have linen suits would be appreciated. Second, what do you think of these shoes. I know they're not Tod's quality, but I only plan on wearing them this summer. Anyone bought this pair? Would they go with jeans, or even the linen suit I plan on buying?
 

Nick M

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Linen suit, linen shirt and linen tie is definitely do-able, but it can often seem a little fussy. I usually wear light, loose-weave cotton shirts with a little texture, given that a linen suit is pretty casual - or, at the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of high-thread-count (140+) cotton shirts that are prone to linen-like wrinkling. How about - dare I say it? - seersucker, maybe a blue-and-white stripe or check? How about one of those multi-colored, multi-stripe shirts? There are plenty of silk ties that look good with a light-colored linen suit - I'm thinking summery light blues and lavenders, caramel, cream and gold colors, maybe floral prints or paisley. As for the shoes, I have a pair nearly identical to the ones in 'mushroom', but with a walking sole as opposed to a driving sole. They look great with jeans, and I can see them working with a linen suit, although I'd probably go with canvas or suede lace-ups, or even brown-and-white spectators. The 'spruce' pair, however, seem a little... swampy. Hope this helps, Nick.
 

Timothy

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In my opinion you should stay away from an outfit in all linen. It will be a few notches down under wearing a suit, shirt and tie in the same exact color on the "what is he thinking?" scale. Personally I look to mix and match textures almost as much as color. Actually I was also on the hunt for a nice linen jacket, or if I can't find one I like then a white dinner jacket similar to Bogart's in Casablanca. Though I did just pick up a baby blue French Connection 3-button jacket, at my local Gabriel Bros for nearly nothing recently, that I may just use this S/S instead. So my hunt has waned until I run into something that just grabs my attention, but if I did find one to my pleasure I would wear mostly light weight cotton shirts in bright colors. For instance today at a Saks store I found a nice Hilditch & Key shirt in a very thin cotton, which was a nice light yellow with a very wide spread collar, that I may go back for that would be perfect for a linen suit. Also cotton blends may be the way to go, like a cotton silk 70/30 blend shirt. And to finish up that leisurely Springtime look I would leave the tie at home (unless you HAVE to wear a tie).

I like those driving mocs, and at that price you can't beat it. They kind of remind me of the Prada's I have, but not as extreme in design. I also think the brown Sierra leather slide from the J-Crew page would be great with the suit you want, but for chilling in, not for work.
 

Mike C.

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Thanks for the insightfull replys. Now I can see how an all linen outfit would look geeky. I'm going to buy the suit tommorow. As for a tie to pair it with, I'm thinking of something orange/peach or mint green (saw a maniquin at the Brioni store with this combo). As for shirts, the blue check is a GREAT idea, very summery, also I have a nice sea island cotton in white that would work also. I'm probably going to pick up a pair of antiquated, brown leather, lace ups.
 

Mike C.

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I finally got the suit. Should I get the pants cuffed of uncuffed? I'll be wearing it as a casual suit, so I thought no cuffs, but I can't picture it without cuffs.
 

Joe G

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Cuff the suit for sure.

I also like the blue-check shirt idea. But I think you're on the right path with BRIGHT solid colours, too. A bright orange, lime green, salmon pink, bright royal blue, purple, etc. would look killer. So does a white polo collar oxford, actually, collar buttoned down or not... If you can find a shirt that matches the blue in your Reiter Sports, they would be a killer combo. Can't do it all the time of course, but it's worth an occasional try.

Peace,

JG
 

Mike C.

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Joe G, are you suggesting I wear running shoes with a suit? I really trust your advice, but this is way of the mark. I don't want to end up looking like Ben Stein you know. Comedians always do this, and it looks just plain dumb. However.

The ONLY sneaker/suit combo I've ever seen pulled off is the Van's Checkerboard Slip-on, paired with a black skinny suit, no tie, open collar.
 

Michael

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Comedians always do this, and it looks just plain dumb.
Well Dave Letterman does it and he isn't funny at all. ::duck::
 

Joe G

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Joe G, are you suggesting I wear running shoes with a suit?
Well, don't do it all the time, but every once-in-a-while, why not? I once hosted a party in a midnite blue DB Valentino dinner jacket paired with blue plaid PJ pants and and all-white trainers, and even though I only did it on a dare
smile.gif
it actually fit that evening. Just don't go too formal with the rest of it: keep the shirt open, skip the tie (although I'm incapable of wearing a jacket without a pocket square, or even an overcoat without one...) and don't look too affected. I wear my brown Tod's bowling shoes with suits all the time. (They have a piece of elastic instead of laces on the vamp, so I guess they look a little "dressier" than laced-up trainers.) Peace, JG
 

LA Guy

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I actually like to wear Converse Chucks and Prokeds with suits. It's sort of a downtown, clubby look. The secret is to have the jacket tight and short and with the shirt unbuttoned and possible untucked over a tshirt. The pants have to either be peg-legged, or pretty baggy. The former is good for arty events like gallery openings. The former is good if you are going to dance (unless you want to split your trousers on the dance floor.)
 

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