Seersucker -- a Summer Classic

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.

How do I choose the right tie for my new sports jacket?

Q. What pattern of tie is needed to wear with a windowpane-patterned sports jacket and a striped shirt? I don't want to look boring, but I also want it to work as I see in GQ.

A. Well, if what you see lately in GQ is the look you like, I would say you can add almost any tie on your tie rack. But I’m afraid I don’t really think such publications are giving much helpful advice these days. All too often their glossy photographs show models decked out in what I see as multiple clashing patterns. Some combinations are so busy, they can make your head spin. But, because the models are super handsome and are so well photographed, readers may be lulled into thinking these are good examples to follow. I don’t agree. 

Men’s clothing guidelines have evolved from safe styles of the past to more innovative current looks. For many years, the art of wearing patterns was a no-brainer. The total opposite of what you see now, it was easy. Sartorial advice about patterns was primarily limited to: “Wear only one patterned item at a time, and everything else should be plain (solid color).” Today, such advice is totally dated and might indeed be dull. So, I'll try to provide you with advice between the classic looks I prefer and the clownish mix often presented as acceptable. But before we get to which is the right tie, how do you go about combining two patterns?

The main rule, when mixing two patterns: Avoid combining two large, busy patterns. Combine one small pattern with one that is large and more widely spaced. Thus, with your windowpane patterned (a large, widely-spaced plaid) sports jacket, your striped shirt should not be a wide, bold stripe, but a thin, close-together stripe.

       

Two more rules that apply when mixing patterns: 1.] Make certain that the colors are exceptionally well coordinated. The colors in the patterns should not look as though they just happened to fall together, but rather that they were the result of thoughtful planning 2.] Repeat colors. In your example, if your windowpane plaid is a shade of blue with a very fine red line, then your shirt could be either a red-and-white or a blue-and-white stripe. Or, if the jacket’s windowpane is basically brown with, say, a narrow blue line, the striped shirt could be beige-and-white or blue-and-white. 

      

For some reason, fashion magazine stylists of today seem to think that if combining two patterns is good, three (or even more) must be better. Three patterns can be worn together, especially by sophisticated dressers. Still, whenever the question is asked at my seminars, my advice is, “Never wear three patterns together unless you have impeccable taste – and you’re not the only one who thinks so.”

      

So, yes, you can wear a patterned tie with your windowpane plaid jacket and a striped shirt (perhaps a small all-over foulard tie), but it is so difficult to do well that I strongly suggest you stay with a solid. When you put together a guaranteed-to-look-good mix, you can end up looking terrific. So, why seek out ways to make dressing a problem when it can be easy? To follow the safest path, choose a solid-color tie that repeats one of the colors you are wearing. In that earliest example, your choice could be a solid tie in some shade of red or blue. The second one calls for a solid-color tie in brown or blue. 

      

Then, when you follow this advice, your only remaining decision is what type of solid-color tie to choose. The easiest and surest one is a knit tie. It always works. Another possibility is a dressier solid silk in a smooth or slightly pebbled texture. Oddly enough, most men do not own solid-color ties even though they are among the most versatile and useful additions to a man’s wardrobe. They work well with patterned sports jackets, with navy blazers, with matched suits, with striped shirts, with plaid sports shirts, and also with sweaters.

And, for those needing to provide something for a well-dressed man, one of these in navy, black, brown, or dark red could make a great Father’s Day gift. 

Send men's fashion queries to

Male