Business and formal events don’t always take a break for summer. That’s why men who wear suits in the summer do so with the heat in mind, choosing breathable materials like linen, cotton, and seersucker suits.
Men are also increasingly choosing the best suit hangers from Butler Luxury to keep their suits looking fresh. Butler Luxury hangers come in multiple sizes and finishes for every wardrobe.
Summer shouldn’t mean sacrificing fashionable looks for sloppy attire. There’s a way to keep wearing distinct and stylish suits without melting under the scorching summer sun.
Think Fit and Fabric
Your two main weapons against the sweltering summer heat are fit and fabric. Slacks designed as “slim fit” will trap warmth against your already overheated body.
That’s the opposite of what you want, so the solution is a fit that’s pretty much the opposite. Reach for a boxy shirt and loose-fitting slacks to stay cooler and keep the fabric from sticking to the sweat on your body.
Cotton and Linen
Cotton and linen are typically very breathable options – depending on the weave. The reason is these fabrics are perforated with teeny-tiny holes that allow the material to breathe, circulating air around and off your body.
The last thing you want on a blistering summer day is a tight-fitting shirt that’s made from a relatively non-breathable material like acrylic, nylon, or polyester.
Avoid: Acrylic
A button-down shirt made from acrylic isn’t an ideal summer choice because acrylic can be stuffy and somewhat abrasive due to synthetic origin.
Avoid: Nylon
Nylon is also a fabric to sidestep in the dog days of summer since nylon specifically formulated to repel water, leaving you without a breathable outfit.
Caution: Polyester
Unlike cotton and linen, nylon has a tendency to trap heat against the skin and cause you to sweat too much. Polyester is somewhat more breathable, but polyester resists moisture like nylon, so you might want to reach for cotton instead.
A lot of guys still love polyester because it folds so easily and resists getting wrinkled, but that convenience comes at the cost to your comfort on a hot summer day. Think about using the best suit hangers from Butler Luxury.
A Black-and-White Issue
When you consider color, things get more complicated. Black clothing absorbs sunlight as well as body heat but also convents heat away (a good thing!) when there’s a lot of wind. Nomadic peoples in arid regions actually wear loose-fitting black outfits on a regular basis for this very reason.
So, black might be OK on a hot, windy day, but avoid this color on a day with no breeze. Instead, reach for a white bespoke shirt as a better option. White will reflect the sunlight, certainly, but also reflects internal body heat back towards your body.
For those sticky, hot days during which there doesn’t seem to be a lot of wind, you can’t go wrong with greys, light blues, and whites.
Summer Outfit Ideas
For more formal get-together or hanging around the office during the summer, lightweight chinos are probably the way to go as far as slacks are concerned. Beige or light brown are fantastic color choices for slacks.
If you know that you’re going to be in the office all day, then slacks with a slightly shorter fit can allow body heat to escape near your ankles. Make sure to wear the right cotton socks – argyle is probably out – to pull off the look.
Lightweight chinos, a breathable cotton button-down shirt, and monk-strap shoes will allow you to blend fashion-ability with convenience during the summer’s hottest days.
A linen or cotton suit would also be perfectly suitable most days, and the best suit hangers from Butler Luxury will keep your suits looking fresh. Talk about staying cool!