Q. My question has to do with the seersucker
jacket. What are the appropriate occasions and times to wear the jacket (though
not the full suit)? My mother says I have “the right build” for them and I am
curious if I should invest in one. (I am somewhat thin and of average height.)
Thank you.
A. The appropriate time of year is easy. Late spring is definitely the perfect time to consider buying a classic seersucker suit or jacket because the seersucker season is a limited one, from Memorial Day to Labor Day -- just as with most "whites."
For the uninitiated, seersucker is an all-American style. The fabric is crinkly, lightweight and cool, mostly all-cotton (but sometimes a cotton blend), and generally less expensive than wool. It is light in color, in part because it is usually striped: blue and white looking from a distance like light blue, brown and white appearing tan, and (less often) red and white adding up to pink.
I am impressed with a young man who pauses to consider "dress advice” from his mother. Either she is very perceptive or he is smart enough to recognize that women of all ages may have a different (and useful) point of view about clothes. Young men often overlook anything slightly unusual, either because they are unfamiliar with it or for fear of seeming like too much of a maverick. As most women will agree: A well-dressed maverick has a certain appeal. And a seersucker jacket is certainly not an “everyman” style.
As for the appropriate occasion for seersucker jacket, I always preach than in men’s clothing, there is a subtle sliding scale of what is quite dressy, what is less so, and what is casual wear. The dressiest item (short of black-tie wear) is the matched suit, progressing in color from dark to medium to light. Perhaps the most casual suit is made of seersucker. More casual than matched suits are sports jackets, the dressiest being the navy blue blazer. Again, the most casual (and jaunty) sport jacket is the cotton seersucker -- in blue, gray, or beige stripes. It has a nice air of different-from-the-usual, without being too quirky.
While my usual advice is never to split up a matched suit and wear the suit jacket as if it were a sports jacket, seersucker is an exception. So long as you always send both parts together to be dry cleaned (so the two pieces do not end up as two slightly different shades), the seersucker suit jacket works equally well as a separate summer sport jacket.
Your seersucker jacket can be worn with any lightweight pants (even white jeans), with or without a tie, and with either an Oxford cloth button-down shirt or a knit polo shirt. If you do wear a tie, choose one that is not too formal, such as a cotton madras plaid, a solid-color pastel linen, or, say, a dark blue knit. Avoid double-breasted styling, French cuff shirts, cufflinks, and other dressy or dandified touches. Seersucker implies a great deal of casual nonchalance and requires more than a hint of self-confidence.
So, when to wear a seersucker jacket? When your friends might be wearing a single-breasted navy blazer or a good-looking summer sweater, you could opt for your seersucker jacket. Summer dress-down Fridays at work are perfect. Other times might include going to a mid-scale restaurant or other less formal night/afternoon out: a local movie date, a Saturday or Sunday slightly-dressy party, or a family function with your mother.
A. The appropriate time of year is easy. Late spring is definitely the perfect time to consider buying a classic seersucker suit or jacket because the seersucker season is a limited one, from Memorial Day to Labor Day -- just as with most "whites."
For the uninitiated, seersucker is an all-American style. The fabric is crinkly, lightweight and cool, mostly all-cotton (but sometimes a cotton blend), and generally less expensive than wool. It is light in color, in part because it is usually striped: blue and white looking from a distance like light blue, brown and white appearing tan, and (less often) red and white adding up to pink.
I am impressed with a young man who pauses to consider "dress advice” from his mother. Either she is very perceptive or he is smart enough to recognize that women of all ages may have a different (and useful) point of view about clothes. Young men often overlook anything slightly unusual, either because they are unfamiliar with it or for fear of seeming like too much of a maverick. As most women will agree: A well-dressed maverick has a certain appeal. And a seersucker jacket is certainly not an “everyman” style.
As for the appropriate occasion for seersucker jacket, I always preach than in men’s clothing, there is a subtle sliding scale of what is quite dressy, what is less so, and what is casual wear. The dressiest item (short of black-tie wear) is the matched suit, progressing in color from dark to medium to light. Perhaps the most casual suit is made of seersucker. More casual than matched suits are sports jackets, the dressiest being the navy blue blazer. Again, the most casual (and jaunty) sport jacket is the cotton seersucker -- in blue, gray, or beige stripes. It has a nice air of different-from-the-usual, without being too quirky.
While my usual advice is never to split up a matched suit and wear the suit jacket as if it were a sports jacket, seersucker is an exception. So long as you always send both parts together to be dry cleaned (so the two pieces do not end up as two slightly different shades), the seersucker suit jacket works equally well as a separate summer sport jacket.
Your seersucker jacket can be worn with any lightweight pants (even white jeans), with or without a tie, and with either an Oxford cloth button-down shirt or a knit polo shirt. If you do wear a tie, choose one that is not too formal, such as a cotton madras plaid, a solid-color pastel linen, or, say, a dark blue knit. Avoid double-breasted styling, French cuff shirts, cufflinks, and other dressy or dandified touches. Seersucker implies a great deal of casual nonchalance and requires more than a hint of self-confidence.
So, when to wear a seersucker jacket? When your friends might be wearing a single-breasted navy blazer or a good-looking summer sweater, you could opt for your seersucker jacket. Summer dress-down Fridays at work are perfect. Other times might include going to a mid-scale restaurant or other less formal night/afternoon out: a local movie date, a Saturday or Sunday slightly-dressy party, or a family function with your mother.
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