Summer Suiting – On a budget

Summer is great right? Longer days, sunset cocktails and sweating profusely in your suit! Well, the first 2 are great, the third, not so much.

With the height of summer well on its way it becomes harder and harder to maintain that dapper edge doesn’t it? Winter allows you to layer and layering just looks fancy any which way you do it! But summer makes suiting nearly impossible. Or does it?

See, summer suiting can be pretty simple. The trick is lightweight natural fabrics. Why natural? Because natural fabrics let your skin breath, and when your skin breathes you stop sweating the small stuff…or big stuff even.

What you want to be looking for at this time of year is cotton and linen. Yep, these two will not only keep you cool, but as far as summer goes, it’s the coolest look you get. Linen is famous for its ability to draw out moisture and dry off quickly so you never have that sweaty sticky feeling, it’s also pretty much the strongest natural fabric you get. Combined with the strength and breathability of cotton, you have the ultimate summer fabric that will last you forever.

The suit below and above are both from David Jones at Woolworths and are made up of 55% Linen and 45% cotton. The moment I put them on I knew they would become my summer staples – I’ve been wearing them almost exclusively while away on vacation in Mexico and Florida as they’re just so damn comfortable I seriously can’t get enough of them. The fit was also pretty much perfect off the rack, no tailoring other than a turn up in the cuff to show a little ankle (Ya’ll know how much I love showing off these bony ankles)

So, now you’re probably thinking, “okay fine, but what’s is this all gonna cost me?”. Well, this is why I decided to write this post. When I picked up these outfits at Woolworths I was blown away by the price (true story). The suits are under R2500 each. Yep, that’s not a typo, better yet, the entire outfits are under R4400 including leather shoes. I totally think that’s the best deal you’re gonna find all season.

So, what does this all mean? It means you should probably get them both and start mixing things up a little. The fabrics textures and colours pair so perfectly it gives you a ton of other outfit options. See, the last benefit of Linen is how versatile it is. A good linen suit can easily you can take it from super formal to comfortably casual with the smallest accessory change. Lose the tie, pick up a hat and you’re ready for that sunset cocktail we spoke about earlier.

So, whether you’re in a suit and tie all day, or just looking for something for that summer wedding in the Winelands, I think this is the perfect way to go. If you want to shop the looks above, I’ve laid them out for you guys below, you know, to help you stop sweating the small stuff.

Look 1:

Get the jacket here

Get the shirt here

Get the pants here

Get the tie here

Get the shoes here

Look 2

Get the jacket here

Get the shirt here

Get the pants here

Get the tie here

Get the pocket square here

Get the shoes here

Look 3 is a combination of the above with this hat and this shirt, the shoes are an old pair of tennis shoes I had in my closet.

Okay. Stay fancy.