Which dress trouser fabric is the coolest?

[stockguy1883]

Hi all,

Can anyone rank the following fabrics from coolest to warmest for dress trousers?


Tropical wool (is this like super 150s?)
Linen
Brookscool
Gabardine
Seersucker

I tend to always be hotter than other people around me. I work in a business casual office. Since I usually feel hot, what fabrics are good choices for trousers? I don't wear a suit to work, just nice dress pants and a short sleeve dress shirt, so a fabric's comfort for jackets isn't important to me.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Testudo_Aubreii]



Hi all,

Can anyone rank the following fabrics from coolest to warmest for dress trousers?


Tropical wool (is this like super 150s?)
Linen
Brookscool
Gabardine
Seersucker

I tend to always be hotter than other people around me. I work in a business casual office. Since I usually feel hot, what fabrics are good choices for trousers? I don't wear a suit to work, just nice dress pants and a short sleeve dress shirt, so a fabric's comfort for jackets isn't important to me.

Thanks for any help!

Assuming they're all the same weight, from coolest to warmest:

Linen (in plain weave)
(All cotton) Seersucker
Brookscool roughly tied with tropical wool (depending on which wool)
Then a long way to:
(Wool) gabardine, which will be significantly hotter than the rest.

To decide how hot a fabric will run, you need to know at least the weight, the weave, and the fibers. The heavier a fabric, the hotter. The more tightly woven, the hotter. Most (flax) linen is woven in plain weave, but some is woven in herringbone, which is a tighter weave than plain weave and so hotter. Gabardine is an even tighter weave than herringbone. The fiber also matters: flax linen breathes better and expels moisture better than cotton of the same weight and weave. Cotton runs cooler than wool of the same weight and weave, but retains moisture for longer.

 

[stockguy1883]

Thank you. This is very helpful.

 

[starro]

Also, consider switching to a linen or linen-cotton sleeve length shirt. You'll be just as cool as in short sleeves, and you upgrade your looks.

 

[stockguy1883]

Thanks for the tips on the linen shorts. I started wearing brooks brothers non-iron short sleeve dress and sport shirts about a week ago and I have had good luck with them so far.