With the flights and hotels booked for our fast approaching June trip to the U.S and the thought of those hot & humid days in the likes of Houston, Washington DC & New York City, I came to the conclusion that a new summer suit is definitely needed….
In my summer collection I currently boast a fantastic Bespoke Sport Coat made from the Portofino bunch by Huddersfield Fine Worsteds which is 100% Bamboo. It’s a great alternative to linen as its more crease resistant, has a softer handle and still wears nice and cool.
Bamboo Sports Coat
I also have a Light Grey 3-Piece Steed MTM suit made from the Smith’s Finamersco. I’ve had this for a couple of years now and it cemented Fresco’s as my favourite summer suiting fabric. 10oz and with the fresco weave it’s very crease resistant for a lighter cloth which is perfect considering the amount of time I spend on Airplanes & in Taxi’s getting to and from the seven cities we visit on our tours.
My current summer suit made from Smiths Finamersco
So bearing in mind that I’m a firm believer in these fresco cloths I saw no alternative when looking through all of our summer suit cloth options. This time opting for the Fresco II made by Huddersfield Fine Worsterds. It’s a little more coarse than the finer Smiths Finamersco which should only add to its durability. It was a straight toss up between two fabrics from this Fresco bunch. The 0533, a solid Dark Navy and the 0571 a traditional Navy Blue with a lovely subtle box check and after much deliberation I went for the 0571 you can see below.
Cloth choice for my new summer suit – HFW Fresco II – 0571
Style wise I’ve opted for a Single Breasted, 2 Button jacket with Side Vents, Flapped Out Ticket Pocket & also a “One Piece Back” as not to disrupte the checked pattern. I’m going to be cutting my generous 4 1/4″ notch lapels with a nice amount of belly which is now my go to styling for my own lapels. Finished with brown horn buttons like all my other blue suits. I never wear black shoes, always brown plus it gives me the versatility of using this jacket as a Summer Blazer.
This versatility is needed considering how much time it takes to convince Dad I need to make myself another bespoke suit or jacket…Therefore making an additional summer blazer may be pushing my luck!
Trousers will be pretty standard baring a slight twist….Double pleats, 1 3/4″ Cuffs, no back pockets but…without a waistband. This is something we have made for a couple of customers recently on both coasts of the U.S. A style made famous by Fred Astaire of which I love the look, plus it’s something you can only get by going bespoke!
Example of a pair of Steed one piece bespoke trousers with no waistband.
The waistcoat will be an elegant Double Breasted waistcoat, which may sound strange for a summer suit but if it’s really that hot then I’m just going to be wearing the suit as either a 2-Piece or wear the waistcoat alone and ditch the jacket.
I’m going to be cutting this myself late next week so keep a look out for photos and video on this via our Twitter & Instagram accounts @SteedTailors
Cheers,
Matthew
