Why You Need to Wear a Linen Suit

Impeccably suave without sweating your apples off

Written by Janet Hu[Feature image by Michelle Tirronen, Ties.com Studios]

Withstanding the cruel summer heat can be a losing battle. It is possible to look cool, calm, collected, and tailored to perfection while braving it though.

What is linen?

Linen is a natural textile made from flax plant fibers. Though lightweight, it is highly durable, so much so that linen is used in paper money to keep bills from tearing. Some people know linen to be the strongest natural fiber in the world.

Linen for Summer

Linen is the perfect summer clothing fabric because of its light weight, its breathability, and its naturally moisture-wicking properties. The fabric has high conductivity, meaning it absorbs sweat and remains cool to touch even in humid climates. Fun fact: a higher conductivity is also what allows for some metals to stay cooler.

Linen is stronger than cotton, and it’s heavier but more porous, which allows for greater airflow. Though be wary–this fabric is notorious for wrinkling easily. If you want to wear a linen suit, you’ll have to iron it and make your best attempt at avoiding sitting for prolonged periods, which can cause more creases and impressions.

When to Wear Linen Suits

That being said, the linen suit is still a masterpiece in achieving tailored excellence in spite of humid, blistering heat. You’d far rather endure a few wrinkles than bake in a full-wool sauna. Here are some occasions to wear your magical, forever cool linen suit:

Linen Suit for Summer Weddings

This artfully nonchalant suit is the perfect match for summer wedding attendance. If the ceremony is in a palace garden or villa type setting, opt for a formal polished look. Wear a tan, beige, or khaki linen suit with a floral tie or bow tie. You can even try cream-colored linen or a blue linen suit. Stick to lovely pastels, and pull out all the best accessories, pocket square and lapel pin included.

If you’re attending a beach wedding, feel free to incorporate a bit of Havana style. Perhaps you’ll choose brightly colored accessories or go tieless. Roll up your sleeves and top it all off with a dress hat.

Linen Suit for Work and Office

Having immensely sweaty pits and being just generally irritated hurts performance, of course. To feel clean, energized, and focused at work during heat wave months, try a linen business suit. We suggest a linen-wool blend suit for professional offices so you’ll keep cool while looking impeccably sharp. Mohair is a fine wool that is both high-quality and lightweight.

As for colors, darker tones give the impression of formality, so opt for a dark navy, dark grey, or even a tobacco-colored suit if you’ll be meeting with clients all day. In addition to appearing more professional, dark colors also hide any sweat stains you happen upon.

Casual Linen Suit for Leisure

A lowkey laidback way to flaunt your sartorial finesse. Linen suits are hot. Are you too helplessly opulent to flounce around in board shorts and flip-flops? Well, you’ll certainly be giving off that impression.

The beauty of casual linen suits for summer is that they handle, in fact, they embrace, a little roughhousing. You won’t have to worry about having a pristine and wrinkle-free suit because the creases give character.

Go tieless and sport a cotton v-neck under your linen jacket. You can even wear your suit spezzato style, treating the jacket and trousers as separate clothing items and wearing them individually or mix-matched.

If you want an even softer, more casual look, go for a linen-cotton blend suit. This fabric is less likely to wrinkle, and it’s also less expensive than pure linen.

Janet Hu - Editor of The GentleManual


SOURCE: THE GENTLEMANUAL