If you have known me for more than about an hour, you have come to realize that the one item I do not possess that I would like more than all others is a seersucker suit. Living in a perpetually warm, southern climate, I feel it is almost my duty to own one, lest I be banished to brave the miserable snowstorms of the north instead of the mild winters I have come to know.
At a party on Saturday, a good friend reminded me that I have had this blog almost a month with nary a word about my numero uno item of desire. I was struck by my “misrememberance” of a favorite envy of mine, and decided now is the time to pay homage to something I feel every man should own.
Some items in a man’s wardrobe seem to iconically represent something so much more than just a piece of clothing to be worn, and in the case of seersucker, it reminds me of charm, southern hospitality and always using your “polite” words (As we tell our daughter). It reminds me that saying yes ma’am is always appropriate when speaking to a lady.
Culturally, seersucker suits have become popular through a very historic big-screen role and also one or two on the small-screen.
First is Geregory Peck’s famous court scene in To Kill a Mockingbird where, although in black and white, the seersucker can almost make Peck appear cooler than the rest of the crowd packed into the sweltering room:
Next is the famous Ben Matlock (Andy Griffith) always getting his way in the courtroom wearing the forgiving fabric. There must be some lawyer secret to wearing seersucker I don’t know about. Maybe the man who wears it seems more confident and less restricted and therefore can more easily focus on the details of his case:
One thing I did not realize until today is that, every summer, the U.S. Senate holds a Seersucker Day on a Thursday in June. Originally proposed by Trent Lott, it has picked up a following since 1996:
A lot is made about how a man should wear a seersucker suit. And while there are some variations of common standards, straying away from these can sometimes be dangerous.
As you can see from the picture below, you can go a lot of different directions with your preferred color of seersucker, with the most popular being the light blue and white. This is followed, normally, by pink and yellow. I would personally avoid the rainbow option you see at the top of the picture, as well as the lime and fuchsia dyes as well.
Since seersucker is inherently a stripe, I would naturally tend to lean towards shirts and ties that are solids. A white shirt is customary while a navy blue or red long tie or bow tie fall under the most traditional looks. Here are some examples of the look pulled off well:
Good use of using some multi-color with the tie here, and this is more of a gray/white than a blue/white.
White shoes are typical with a seersucker suit – usually some sort of buck shoe. White socks, on the other hand, are not my favorite. High risk but high reward would be to go sock-less.
Good use of the most traditional, no-tie look. Can’t go wrong doing it this way.
Good use here of the bow tie and more color as well. I can promise you, it’s not going to be easy wearing something like this the first few times if you are not used to it, but with all things difficult, effort and perseverance are required.
So where to get it? Where can you find something so dashing and deboniar, yet find it for a reasonable price? Surprisingly, you can pick something like this up more places than you might realize.
Brooks Brothers, who some believe are the standard for quality seersucker, has their suits priced quite reasonably at $398. For the quality, you might not find a better deal.
As of early March, J. Crew had limited colors, but also a great price on their seersucker suit separates, with a jacket going for $198 and pants at $98.
For an ultra-good price, check out the separates on Paul Fredrick’s website. You can get a double-breasted jacket on sale for just $49.95 and pants on sale for merely $19.95! Colors are very limited, however.
Also on sale through the Macy’s website are the seersucker separates that range from $74.99 to $164.99.
Go ahead and buy yours quickly – Easter is coming soon and you will need it to hunt eggs anyway.
