Summer Suiting Fabrics
When it comes to summer suiting, there are a myriad of ways of keeping yourself feeling comfortable in warmer climates. The right fabric can make a world of a difference. Linen is fair game, however there exists a world of suiting fabrics when it comes to summer wear.
How the fibers are woven greatly impact comforts in various settings. Wool, which is commonly perceived as a winter fabric, can still be worn for summer. High humid environments for instance, will be best paired with a high-twist fabric as it helps with airflow. Linen is always an excellent choice, especially when blended with secondary fabrics such as silk, wool, and even bamboo. Dormeuil’s naturals collection has an innovative mix of blends.
Others collections, like Fox Air from Fox Brothers, are made from wool but are lightweight enough and breathable for tropical environments. Vitale Barberis Canonico’s luxury arm, Drapers, is also excellent for summer suiting. Their Montecarlo collection boasts seersucker, hopsack, and herringbone twill. These suggestions we’ve listed are not an exhaustive list, but they are an excellent place to start.
Summer suiting is incredibly varied. If you’re planning to wear a suit for the summer we recommend thinking about characteristics such as breathability, durability, and flexibility. It’s also essential to think about the styles that you may be trying to emulate. These suiting fabrics each have their unique characteristics and they are all excellent for warmer environments. Each collection has a specific history in how its woven along with the mill’s heritage. These longstanding mills from the UK and Italy define true luxury.
Dormeuil’s Tonik Wool
Dormeuil is well known for its luxury and their commitment to the highest quality. This French fashion house, with mills in Italy, is well known for their transparency and global sustainability. Their Tonik Wool collection begins in the mountains of Patagonia.
The wool that is sheared is of the utmost, finest quality. The fibers are woven using Dormeuil’s high twist, and creates a weighty cloth that still is breathable and flexible. When considering linen, we share this cloth as an alternative as it still emulates the feel but does not easily wrinkle. It’s made for contemporary styles that are still elegant, with patterns that range from subtle stripes to checks.
Dormeuil also adheres to values of sustainability, which can be followed through their latest traceability technology. Each step of production can be learned about including where their wool was sourced.
Fox Brothers’ Fox Air
If you’d prefer a wool that is made for tropical and humid climates, Fox Brothers’ collection, Fox Air is one of the more unusual pairings. It’s made from 100% wool and its excellence comes from how it is woven and twisted. Essentially, the twist is what holds the fibers together.
This collection uses a 2 ply worsted yarn, which is up-twisted, also known as “high-twist”. This process creates a cloth that is naturally crease-resistant and breathable. It’s an ideal choice for travel and on-the-go occasions.
The Fox Air collection is a necessary one for variety when it comes to summer suiting. The patterns in this collection remain true to Fox Brothers & Co. heritage with glen checks, windowpane, and stripes. When looking for traditional suiting that is updated for modern lifestyles, we recommend this collection.
Holland & Sherry’s English Mohairs
For a far more soft fabric that is versatile for bother the summer and winter seasons, you’ll want to wear mohair.
Holland & Sherry’s English Mohairs collection is a selection of both superfine wool and mohair blended together. The result is an incredibly soft blend, as mohair is made from the Angora goat.
This collection features mainly solid colors that are excellent to wear for weddings. Overall it includes an impressive selection of burgundies, greens, blues, and purples.
Drapers Montecarlo
Drapers’ Montecarlo collection features three fabrics. These include a double-twist twill with a herringbone design, seersucker in pure wool, and a wool hopsack. These are all exclusively produced for Drapers by the Vitale Barberis Canonico mill in Pratrivero, Biello in Italy.
- Wool Hopsack
Hopsack, traditionally, comes from the fabric that were used in woven burlap-type sacks that carried hops for brewing beer. Overtime, it’s evolved into a wearable fabric with a similar coarse weave that maintains durability. The wool hopsack from Drapers’ Montecarlo is made entirely from 100% wool and is recommended for all seasons. It makes an ideal choice for summer suiting, because of its open weave.
- Herringbone Twill
Elegance is a notable trait of this collection. The double-twist in the herringbone design is created in mind of both suits and jackets. The weave is naturally crease-resistant, making it ideal for travel. Ultimately, this pairs both the effortlessness that is a hallmark of Italian suiting, while still maintaining the feel of luxury. It makes perfect sense that the sprezzatura of this collection is designed and created in Italy.
- Seersucker
For far more interesting and bold suiting choices, we recommend seersucker. While a small selection, Montecarlo still boasts intriguing color pairings with both contrast and complement. Seersucker is the perfect choice for keeping cool during heatwaves. Wearing this fabric in semi formal-casual settings is also entirely appropriate especially because of its lighter colors.
Drapers Golden Selection Collection
Drapers’ Golden Selection is one of both luxury and vibrancy. These fabrics are available for a mix of suiting, jacketing, and trousers. The latest proposals for spring/summer 2026 have many checks and glen checks for contemporary suiting.
Dormeuil’s Naturals
Returning with Dormeuil, their naturals collection is highly valued because of their ability to blend many natural fibers together and its sustainability. Luxury includes the ability to master the process of invention which is something Dormeuil has always been at the forefront of. We’re excited to see a collection that includes a range of wool with linen, silk with linen, and some bamboo in the mix as well. It creates exactly what is often expected of a linen suit in terms of being breathable and airy. However it’s those secondary fibers that include additional qualities of drape and elegance.
Your Best Summer Suit
While there are a range of traits you may be looking for in a summer suit, individual comfort is a good place to begin. You may prefer a suit that is far more versatile for all seasons, or may prefer a specific suit worn for hot and humid climates. In your appointment, we walk you through our fabric selection with your individual preferences in mind. Take a look at a few wedding suits we’ve designed for the spring and summer seasons.
When you’re ready, book your consultation at our showroom in downtown Seattle.