During summer, especially when the temperatures are high, wearing a formal suit can be difficult. Nevertheless, the professional environment requires you to follow some dress code. That is why today we will speak about linen ensembles.
Linen is a great fabric for summer thanks to its breathable structure. Even if the temperatures beat the record, linen gives you the feeling of coolness and freshness. It also absorbs humidity well which, along with a more visible texture of linen, makes perspiration marks less visible. When choosing made-to-measure for your summer suit, you can ask your tailor to sew the jacket without the lining that will increase its lightness.
Linen is a fabric of a raw texture, matte in appearance and more associated with an everyday style. But if a professional duty calls for a formal outfit and when it’s too hot for a woolen suit, linen gives a great opportunity. In addition, this material has a very appealing irregular texture and an interesting color palette, so appreciated by women. For a summer ensemble you can choose a pastel color proposed by Holland & Sherry in their South Pacific Linen collection or a stronger tone from the Solbiati catalogue.
However, linen also has a negative feature. It is a fabric very prone to creasing and needs to be ironed after every wearing. Fortunately, the creases and fractures look softer on this type of fabric and some may say, they add a special flair. To reduce this aspect of linen you could choose a fabric that composes an addition of other materials like wool, cotton, or silk. Loro Piana proposes a nice variety of those blends in their Propose Abiti catalogue, as well as Dormeuil in their Naturals collection. An interesting solution is also presented by Holland & Sherry in their, already mentioned above, South Pacific Linen collection. This book includes a comprehensive range of classic and contemporary colors in a blended quality of wool, linen and Teclana®. Teclana® is a technical fiber that offers good crease recovery, and helps the garment maintain its tailored shape. It also gives more softness and smoothness to linen, otherwise quite harsh in touch.
When ordering your made-to-measure suit, pay attention to the length of sleeves and legs. Due to creasing the linen fabric on the knee and arm level will be converging and we can have an impression that the legs or sleeves have shrunken. Thus, it’s advisable to ask your tailor for 1 or 2 centimetres extra on these areas. Since a linen suit is less formal than a woolen one, you can also opt for more casual customizations like patch pockets, printed lining or buttonholes in a contrasting color. As for the trousers, avoid a very slim cut. Choose a larger one, that will help the fabric breathe and give you more comfort.
To complete your summer ensemble you can wear a light cotton shirt, preferably slim fit or a simple cotton blouse if you are looking for a more casual style. And you are ready to start your day!
