Don’t let the heat keep you from dressing up! Here’s a guide to suiting up when it’s hot outside.
Funerals, interviews, and important life events don’t stop when the mercury rises. Weddings and galas are also frequent in the warmer months.
All this means that a man will likely have occasion to wear a suit when it’s hot outside.
While there is inevitably going to be some discomfort wearing a jacket when it’s 90 degrees in the shade, there are certainly ways to make it more bearable.
Tips For Wearing a Suit In Hot Weather
Here are a few tips to help you stay cool while suited up. Not all of these tips may be appropriate for you in any given situation.
Tip #1: Skip the Tie
You could probably guess this tip was coming.
Having a piece of silk wound around your neck is not ideal in sweltering weather.
Ditch the tie if you can.
If you do choose to leave the house sans neckwear, make sure that your shirt collar and placket look presentable. No one looks good with a sloppy shirt.
Honesty, it can be pretty difficult to find a dress shirt that looks good without a tie. For that reason, I only rarely go tieless. However, I’ve found that a quality pique long sleeve polo is a great alternative to a dress shirt.
Also, seriously consider a pocket square. Pocket squares are almost always a good choice, but are especially a great way to add visual intrigue to an otherwise sparse outfit.
Tip #2: Undo Some Buttons (Within Reason)
Unless you’re pretending to be my favorite detective, if you’re not wearing a tie you should unbutton the top button of your dress shirt.
You can also undo the next button down, but that third button is when you’ve taken things a little too far and you begin to look like a jerk.
For a happy medium, you could unbutton the top two but then use something like this to cover up a bit more.
You can also unbutton your shirt cuffs to allow for more airflow. Some guys even like to wear French cuffs without cufflinks in the summer.
Tip #3: Consider Wearing a Vest
Instead of wearing a jacket, you might try a vest instead.
The vest could match your pants, or not. Just make sure that you don’t mix formalities and wear a formal worsted wool suit vest with jeans, for instance.
Tip #4: Utilize No-Show Socks
In more casual situations, like a beach wedding, you can wear no-show socks instead of long dress socks.
No-show socks allow your ankles to breathe without stinking up your shoes like you would if you didn’t wear socks.
Personally, I’ve tried this look a few times, and I’m not sure it’s for me. However, I’d suggest at least trying it out to see how you feel.
Tip #5: Add an Undershirt
While it may seem counterintuitive, adding a layer by wearing an undershirt can help you feel cooler.
An undershirt helps keep sweat close to the body, cooling you off.
Not only that, it also helps to avoid embarrassing sweat stains from showing.
Tip #6: Lose The Sleeves
No — not the jacket sleeves!
Try wearing a short sleeve shirt under your jacket.
Sure, you won’t have that perfect amount of cuff showing, but that’s ok. It’s better to break that style rule and be comfortable.
Tip #7: Tuck In Your Shirt
Ok, hear me out. Yes, untucking your shirt might make you feel marginally cooler on a hot day.
The thing is, an untucked shirt looks atrocious underneath a tailored jacket — no exceptions.
It’s really not a good look.
Trust me on this one. Don’t wear your shirt untucked when you’re wearing a suit, not even once.
Tip #8: Get a Summer Suit
The most important piece of advice I can offer is to wear a suit specially made for warmer weather.
That’s what the rest of this article is about — summer suits.
Qualities of a Warm-Weather Suit
Here’s what makes a warm-weather suit different from your average suit:
Cut From An Appropriate Fabric
When it’s freezing out you want a suit like this:
When it’s hot and humid, not so much. Thick flannel isn’t exactly comfortable in the heat.
Suit fabrics can make a huge difference in how a suit feels. While most suits are cut from a 3-season worsted wool, when you’re dealing with extremes (hot or cold), it’s a good idea to get a seasonal suit.
In winter, you want thick, cozy fabrics, such as flannel or cashmere.
In summer, on the other hand, I’d recommend choosing from cotton, linen, seersucker, or tropical wool fabrics.
It can be hard to find a well-made cotton suit since cotton is so ubiquitous.
Seersucker is a classic choice, but traditional seersucker patterns are too bold for most.
Tropical wool is just a lighter version of regular wool. When you think of wool you probably don’t think “summer,” but tropical wool is surprisingly comfortable in warmer months.
Linen, one of the world’s oldest fabric types, is fantastic in the heat. However, it’s notorious for how easily it wrinkles.
My suggestion when it comes to choosing a fabric for a summer suit is to opt for a linen blend.
My suit is made from linen blended with lightweight wool.
Not only do linen blends not wrinkle so much, they often also have wonderful textures.
My blue suit, for instance, has small streaks of white throughout. This pattern-like quality of the fabric isn’t noticeable across the room but is easy to see up close.
Minimal Lining (Or No Lining At All)
You could have the lightest and breathable fabric in the world but with a polyester lining you’ll still feel like you’re wearing a plastic bag in the heat.
The problem is, polyester is, essentially, plastic.
It traps heat and moisture — no bueno for a suit lining any time of the year but especially not during heat waves.
If possible, choose a Bemberg (Cupro) lining. Check out this in-depth article about this miracle fabric.
Also, instead of having your jacket fully lined, consider getting one that’s quarter lined or even unlined.
These options can be hard to find in off-the-rack pieces because, believe it or not, crafting a minimally-lined jacket is in many ways more difficult than creating a fully-lined one.
Light Colored (Optional)
Dark colors absorb more light than do light colors. Therefore, all else being the same, you’ll feel hotter in a black suit than you will in a white suit.
That’s one reason why summer suits tend to be lighter colors.
However, if you live in a hot place — say, southern Texas — it might be a good idea to get a dark navy linen-blend summer suit for more formal occasions.
In general, though, I’d recommend lighter colors.
I chose a medium blue (it looks turquoise in some settings) as I wanted this suit to be fun, but also wearable year-round in a variety of situations.
Relaxed Construction
Since summer suits are generally more casual, it’s natural for them to have a more relaxed construction.
Instead of a strong, structured shoulder, reminiscent of a suit of armor, a natural shoulder with minimal to no padding is the way to go, in my opinion.
Other features, such as pick-stitching, patch pockets, and cuffs add can add to a suit’s nonchalant attitude.
I should mention that it’s important to avoid summer suits that are fused. Fused suits have layers that are glued together. This glue is especially prone to separating and creating unsightly bubbling when exposed to heat.
Go for a canvassed suit instead.
Bonus Idea: Get a Three-Piece Suit
If you’re like me, you want your suit to be as versatile as possible.
Since I live in a place that has severe winters and relatively hot summers, to get more use out of my MTM summer suit I ordered it with a vest.
While in the hotter months I won’t be rocking the full get-up, I can wear the vest on its own, or the suit without the vest.
Then, when the temperature drops I add the vest and — “boom” — three-piece suit.
When snow appears, I throw on an overcoat, and for all intents and purposes, I have a suit I can wear all year long (more on that in a moment).
While you’ll be hard-pressed to find an off-the-rack warm-weather suit with a vest, if you’re going custom, I’d highly recommend ordering one.
20 Ways to Wear a Summer Suit
In case you still aren’t convinced that a summer suit is a justified purchase, I’m going to demonstrate just how versatile they can be using my suit as an example.
I’m going to try and convince you that a textured summer suit can be worn year-round and can be one of the most useful garments in your wardrobe.
To drive home my point, I’ve recycled some of the photos you’ve already seen above.
Without further ado, here are 20 ways to wear a summer suit:
Outfit #1: Suit Trousers With Tee
Want to look sharp but it’s sweltering outside? Try wearing linen dress pants with a tucked-in tee.
This combo shows you’ve put in effort, while simultaneously exuding comfortable confidence.
Outfit #2: Suit Pants With Untucked Short-Sleeve Button-Up, No Jacket
For a little more polish, swap out the tee for a buttoned shirt.
This fantastic pairing is ideal for summer date nights.
Outfit #3: Suit With Sneakers and a Tee
This is one of the most difficult suited looks to pull off. Not only that, but it’s too informal for most summer weddings or ceremonies. For these reasons, I’ve only worn this ensemble a handful of times.
It’s an interesting mix of casual and more formal elements that quite honestly looks better in photos than in person.
Outfit #4: Suit With Double Monks and a Tee
As you’ll notice, we’re very gradually bumping up the formality as the list goes on.
Swap out the
Outfit #5: Dress Pants With Long Sleeve Polo
Avoid the ubiquitous off-duty uniform — the “white dress shirt without a jacket” — by getting yourself a perfectly-fitted white long-sleeve polo shirt.
I particularly like this look! It’s simple but not something you see every day.
Outfit #6: Odd Trousers With Vest
Using the previous outfit as a base, consider adding a vest.
A linen-blend vest won’t add much warmth at all, meaning you’ll stay pretty cool despite the extra layer.
Outfit #7: Jacket With Odd Trousers
Ditching the vest for the jacket, here’s another odd trouser/polo variation.
To further relax the feel, I could have worn a casual patterned pocket square instead of a sharp, presidential-folded white silk square.
Outfit #8: Odd Trousers With Polo and Jacket
Continuing with the theme, let’s trade the vest for its matching jacket.
A relaxed, professional fit.
Outfit #9: Odd Trousers With Polo, Vest, and Jacket
When the weather gets a bit cooler, you can wear the vest and the jacket together, along with the odd trousers.
Wearing odd trousers land a polo in the place of the matching suit pants and a dress shirt breaks up the 3-piece look, making you feel a little less buttoned up.
Outfit #10: Suit With Short-Sleeve Button-Up, No Tie
Now, we’ll shake things up a bit by exchanging the odd trousers for the matching suit pants, losing the vest, and switching the long sleeve polo to a short sleeve button-up.
The only way to tell that I’m wearing a short sleeve shirt here is the absence of a sliver of shirt cuff showing.
Outfit #11: Dress Shirt and Tie Without a Jacket
Wearing a dress shirt and tie without a jacket isn’t my favorite, but it can work.
In my opinion, adding a vest or jacket is a good choice in except on all but the hottest days.
Outfit #12: Dress Shirt and Tie With Vest
See what I mean? The addition of a vest looks a lot more put-together.
A double-breasted vest is a bit less common than single-breasted varieties.
Outfit #13: White Dress Shirt, Tie, and Odd Trousers
A plain white dress shirt is going to be more formal than a striped one. Here I’m wearing wool flannel trousers with my linen jacket (both are suit separates).
Since the pants are flannel this look is best reserved for late spring or early fall.
Outfit #14: Three-Piece But With Odd Jacket
Now, here’s the flannel suit jacket worn with the linen vest and trousers of my summer suit.
I was surprised that all of these sartorial elements work so well together.
Outfit #15: Summer DB Vest With a Winter Flannel Suit
While my winter-weight grey flannel suit has a matching flannel vest, my double-breasted linen vest also passes muster.
It’s a bit bold, but not in an “in-your-face” kind of way.
Outfit #16: Suit Pants Paired With a DB Jacket
Here’s a bit of an unusual pairing — a charcoal grey worsted wool suit coat and blue linen suit trousers (both from Bespoke Custom Clothing).
It’s a bit bold, but not in an “in-your-face” kind of way.
Outfit #17: Suit Pants Paired With Flannel Jacket
Showing just how interchangeable suits can sometimes be, here’s the same outfit but with a flannel single-breasted coat.
This look has a bit of an “old-school history professor” feel, doesn’t it?
Outfit #18: Suit Pants Paired With Turtle Neck and Odd Trousers
This, my friends, I feel is the most controversial example of the entire lineup. Can you guess why?
While the colors are subdued and accessories kept to a minimum, there’s so much going on here.
Navy turtleneck, medium-to-light blue jacket, charcoal grey pants, and black shoes — it looks a bit mismatched.
To make this work, I’d recommend wearing the pants that match the blue linen jacket.
I included this example to show that mixing and matching suit separates should be done with caution.
Outfit #19: Full Three-Piece Suit
Finally, we reach the full three-piece suit. See how many variations we went through to get here?
Wearing all three of the warm-weather suit pieces together is perhaps as good as it gets.
Believe it or not, I was quite comfortable, albeit a little sweaty (but not much), wearing all this while walking 2-3 miles in eighty-degree weather. And no, it wasn’t a “dry heat” 😄.
Outfit #20: Three-Piece With an Overcoat
Last off, a summer suit can be worn with an overcoat. Summer won’t last forever, after all.
Unless you live in Malibu, or the Flordia Keys, or one of the hundreds of other paradisical locales. Ok, I guess I should say that “summer won’t last forever for most of us!”
When, or if, the balmy days blow past, an overcoat is essential.
Consider getting one before the chilly winter sets in.
Where to Buy a Suit for Summer
Depending on where you live, it may be hard to source a warm-weather suit.
You might not find one off-the-rack at many major menswear box stores, at least not one that’s really built for the heat.
For OTR options, I’d recommend checking out Suitsupply’s Linen Collection. Besides SS, try stopping by your local menswear haunts to see what they have in stock.
However, I’d highly recommend getting a custom, made-to-measure summer suit if you can.
The suit featured in this article was MTM from Bespoke Custom Clothing. This was my second Bespoke Custom suit. They’ve done fantastic work, and I would highly recommend them.
While my fitting was in Salt Lake City, Bespoke Custom has locations across the US (and are expanding), so check and see if there’s one near you.
Other good options include Suitsupply’s custom program, Beckett & Robb, Enzo, and, if you’re experienced with the MTM process, Spier & Mackay.
FAQs
Here are a few common questions about suiting up in the summer:
Can you wear sneakers with a suit?
You can, but it’s a polarizing sartorial move. If you do, make sure to have clean, minimal sneakers and a suit with notched lapels and a slim tapered trouser with little to no break.
Can you wear you shirt untucked with a suit?
No one’s going to stop you if you wear an untucked shirt with a suit, but I wish someone would…
Avoid this look at all costs.
Can you wear a suit in the summer?
You certainly can wear a suit in the summer!
Can you wear a t-shirt with a suit?
Yes, but make sure it’s the right kind of t-shirt and the right kind of suit.
A suit with notched lapels in a more casual color (e.g. light blue, tan, light grey, and etc.) is going to be best for this look.
As for the tee, find one with a crew neck in a solid, neutral color (white, off-white, and light olive can all work with a suit).
Conclusion
There you go, how to wear a suit in warm weather without overheating.
If you follow my tips you probably won’t overheat, you’re going to sweat. You might even sweat a lot — buckets full. There’s pretty much no avoiding it when it’s over 80 degrees.
Be prepared and bring and consider carrying a handkerchief to wipe your brow.
Don’t be afraid to take off your jacket — unless your shirt’s absolutely drenched in sweat. In that case, do us all a favor and keep it on.
Although warm weather practically demands shorts and a tee shirt in many places, wearing a suit when the mercury soars doesn’t have to be a horrific ordeal. Do your best to prepare to battle the heat, and then try your best to focus on the events of your day ahead.
What’s the highest temperature you’ve ever worn a suit in? What did you do to cope? Let me know in the comments!
www.themodestman.com
