What suit to wear for a summer wedding?

The good weather is here, and it's here to stay.

So it's wedding season and you have some coming up. For this occasion, you need to look presentable. More than that, elegant even.

Then comes THE famous question: "What costume should I choose to avoid being too hot?"

We will see this together.

Let’s start with linen, because it’s probably the first option that comes to mind.

Benefits

• Yes, linen is a lightweight, breathable material that is particularly suitable for warm weather. I invite you to read our linen guide to learn everything about this plant fiber.
• Linen suits can be found at relatively affordable prices (and there are some very high-end ones too)

Disadvantage

• Linen is a material that creases .

An obvious fact? Yes, but it is still worth remembering. Some will appreciate this imperfect and living aspect of a plant fiber, where others will disapprove of these folds, finding that it gives a neglected appearance.

Please note: linen tends to wrinkle more on entry-level suits , whose fibers are shorter and also less densely woven, with a view to reducing costs.

The consequence is that linen is not the most elegant material for a summer suit . If you need to be impeccable, linen will not be the most suitable material. On the other hand, for a more casual elegance, linen is quite suitable.

Because a 100% linen material creases a lot, there are blends of materials containing linen.

You lose a little lightness, freshness, but these blends allow the fabric to wrinkle less. They also often allow you to end up with textured fabrics, visually rich.

Wool, linen and silk

It’s THE summer fabric par excellence.

Benefits

• These are very light and breathable fabrics, with silk and wool having good thermoregulating properties.
• The visual aspect is very rich thanks to the combination of three natural fibers. It is simply beautiful, very beautiful.
• The result is elegant thanks to the presence of wool , often more than 50%.

Disadvantage

• The price of this type of fabric is quite high considering the fibers used, which is reflected in the price of the suit.

Cotton/linen

Advantage

• Cotton and linen sets are quite easy to find , and in all budgets, especially quite reasonable ones. Indeed, cotton and linen are not the most expensive materials on the market.

Disadvantage

• The visual rendering is rather casual: it is not the best option if you want a suit with a dressy, elegant rendering.

“Wearing a wool suit in summer? What an idea!”

Well, what an idea. Maybe a good idea, even.

Of course, you shouldn't take out your winter suit made of very heavy and fluffy wool flannel.

But a well-chosen wool suit, for example in a cool "fresco" type wool, will do the trick.

We are talking here about lightweight 100% wool fabrics, with an airy weave that we call tropical wools or cold wools. Fresco precisely refers to a range of fabrics invented by the English spinner Hardy Minnis.

Advantages of cold wools

• They have a rather formal appearance because the composition is 100% wool
• They crease little, much less than linen.
• They are light and breathable. Light because the material is light and airy woven, breathable because wool has good thermoregulation properties

Disadvantage

• They're not the most creative or eccentric. They're pretty classic in appearance. You can look at the Huddersfield website to get an idea of ​​the range of fresco fabrics, for example.

And what about the classic wool suit called “4 seasons”?

It all depends on the temperature and your heat tolerance.

From experience, I would say that a temperature around 26/27° is the maximum to wear a 4-season wool suit. So that opens up possibilities!

For a fresh look, with a more classic wool suit, I advise you to take a very light shirt .

Advantages of a 4-season wool suit

• By definition, it is very Swiss army knife and can be used for a summer wedding but also all the rest of the year , for work or all your desires for elegance.
• It has a formal, elegant appearance and creases little.

Disadvantages

• Not very suitable if it is really hot, for example over 30°

In the family of textured and summery materials, we call it seersucker.

Seersucker does not refer to a particular composition but to its embossed relief which moves the material away from your skin , making it more breathable. The alternation of threads of different tensions (more taut, less taut) gives this wavy appearance to the fabric, giving it character and singularity.

Most seersucker is made of cotton. There are also some made of wool. On more entry-level brands or on products with a specifically technical vocation, we find seersucker made of synthetic material (polyester).

Benefits

• Its structure gives it good breathability
• It is visually rich, different from what you find elsewhere.
• It is soft and comfortable to wear

Disadvantages

• A seersucker remains a little less breathable than a 100% linen fabric.

Benefits

• 100% cotton suits can be found in fairly affordable price ranges , with an interesting visual effect, which is a change from wool or linen suits.
• A 100% cotton suit can be quite light and properly breathable... if the weight of the material is light .

Disadvantages

• Cotton is less breathable than linen. A 100% cotton suit is not the most suitable when it is very hot. I would say that a cotton suit is suitable between 15 and 25°. Above that, it will show its limits.

A good suit for sunny days is not just about the material.

There are other elements that make it up and have an impact on the level of warmth. In particular, the construction of the jacket . What's inside, behind the fabric.

We covered these points in more detail in this article .

To put it very simply: the fewer elements you have in your jacket, the lighter it will be . Logical.

For a fresh look, opt for lightweight constructions around the shoulders and chest.

This is what a soft jacket looks like, without padding, without any rigid part at the shoulder or chest:

One last element that can play on the level of freshness of a jacket: the lining. I am talking here about the fabric, often shiny and smooth, that you have inside the jacket.

There are different ways to line a jacket. This point has been very well explained and illustrated in an article written by our colleague Julien Scavini , who runs the blog Stiff Collar:

The idea here is quite simple: the less lined your jacket is, the cooler it is .

• The wedding guide: how to get your outfit right (1/4)
• The wedding guide: how to get your groom's outfit right (2/4)
• The wedding guide: how to get your best man or father of the groom outfit right (3/4)
• The Wedding Guide: The ideal guest outfit (4/4)