Warm Weather Suiting

The summer is upon us in the UK (an actual summer as opposed to the stereotype consisting of more rain and grey clouds) and this means weddings and garden parties. No one likes to turn up underdressed to functions like this and although your outfit will always depend on the event description, some form of suiting is almost always our choice if the description is a bit vague.

Here are some tips:

1. Fabrics.

- Because it's going to be hot (hopefully), you want to avoid heavy fabrics like wool and stick to lighter fabrics like linen and linen blends. A word of warning: even the most expensive linen suit will always look creased. 

- People fall in love with linen in the summer because it's very breathable and often hangs off the body nicely. However, I prefer a blend of linen with cotton, because you won't have to spend hours ironing the suit, but moreover the material remains very breathable. 

2. Styles. 

- The picture to the left is the most formal you're going to see a summer suit come in and as much as I love the suit, it could be seen as a bit too much for some occasions. On a side note his bottom waistcoat button should be undone, but I'm probably being a bit pedantic.

- Avoid double breasted suits, as if it's hot you're not going to appreciate the extra layer of fabric around your middle.

- Keep to regular fit suits with standard lapels (you don't want to invest in a suit that will fall out of fashion a week later).

3. Buying a summer suit.

- I personally believe that you should be able to buy a suit when you stop growing and have that suit fit you perfectly in several years to come. However, I am a fitness Nazi and I am one of the strange people who enjoys doing exercise.

- I'm going to do an article soon on suits in general, but you can often buy these on the cheap and maintain high quality. I was amazed when I was in Tesco and spotted this stunning summer suit: 

- The material is a high quality blend of cotton and linen and the cut is pretty good for a £55 suit. The only thing I have to complain about is his tie, which I don't think works. 

4. Colours.

- Stick to any colours that fall under the horrendously vague category of 'stony beiges'. You do sometimes see people with more outlandish yellows, pale blues and even browns can look stunning, but for most events keep it simple and stay with the classic colours. 

5. Shoes.

- With summer suits you'll often look more put together with brown shoes and matching accessories, because black can sometimes contrast too much against the major suit colour. 

- The pair below are a great example of shoes that allow you remain smart, but also allow you to cool down the contrast a bit. Moreover, the detailing on the shoe is really nice and will add a bit of class to the overall outfit.

6. Shirts.

-If you're going to wear an open collar shirt you must undo the top two buttons. This is all about creating a streamlined image and if you don't believe me, look in a mirror and give it a go.

- When it comes to colours stick to white or pastels and avoid patterns. Just because the sun is out doesn't mean that you can wear what ever shirt you like! 

I think I've covered all the bases, so until next time:

Dress Hot - Be Hot! 

I own none of the images in this post.