Optimizing Your Professional Attire For Warmer Weather

            In our previous installment related to preparing your wardrobe for the changing seasons, we covered the best ways to optimize your professional attire for colder weather.  We want to remind everyone that above all else, staying warm and staying safe is a top priority, so we understand that style might not be a major concern at this very moment; but when it is safe and comfortable enough to venture back outside on those brisk morning strolls to the office, it's worth glancing over.  While this isn't the first time a polar vortex has taken North America by surprise and it certainly won't be the last, they tend to fizzle out almost as quickly as they dropped down to those atypical latitudes.  Snow has fallen in Miami within the last century, and the mercury in Los Angeles crept up to 95 degrees one year, in January of all months.  While exceedingly rare, these strange events are certainly not impossible, so it's best to be prepared for anything.  Since spring is just a little over a month away, it's a good time to start thinking about optimizing your wardrobe for those rising temperatures and keeping yourself cool and comfortable as the days get longer.

            Short of keeping a spray bottle at your desk or showing up to work in your swim trunks, in this article we'll go over some tips and tricks to help you beat the heat when you have to suit up for those all-important board meetings and mandatory seminars. 

--Suit Materials--

            Whether you walk outside of your home into a blast furnace or a meat freezer, what your clothing is made of will be the most important component of keeping you comfortable.  In the warmer part of the year, materials that are light and loose will do wonders for your overall comfort level.  This is one of the reasons why linen as a suit material is so popular.

            Linen is derived from the flax plant, and its fibers outperform cotton in terms of strength, durability, absorption, and the length of time it takes to dry.  These properties will keep your body and your clothing free of moisture—and therefore heat—more efficiently than other materials used for garments.  As the individual strands of linen fibers are also more tightly wound together than their cotton counterparts, linen suits can generally get away with lower thread counts, thus increasing breathability of the material.  It's yet another reason why so many suits in pastel colors are made with linen.  The propensity for bright colors to reflect light and heat away from your body, as opposed to black and dark blues, work symbiotically with linen's inherent ability to breathe.

            While at first glance it might seem counterintuitive, wool is yet another popular suit material for the warmer season, in spite of its association with colder weather.  Compared to most other materials out there, wool has superior wicking properties, which means that it is able to facilitate evaporation more quickly by drawing moisture away from the body.  We would advise, however, to stick with thinner wools during the summer months and avoid its thicker varieties such as flannel.  Wool's versatility in terms of its superior temperature-regulating properties is what makes it so widespread across the globe in all climates, as well as the gold standard for suit materials worldwide.

            Even though they're not quite as superior in terms of keeping you cool as linen and wool are, opting for wool/cotton blends is still miles ahead of settling for anything in the synthetic realm.  While blends don't quite have the same wicking properties as pure wool, the tradeoff is that they do come at a generally lower price point and possess a more inherent durability.  If you happen to live in a predominantly hot climate and are required to wear suits often, going with wool/cotton blends is certainly a cost-effective and comfortable option.

            Just as you would avoid synthetic materials in winter, it's even more important to avoid them in the summer.  Synthetic fibers such as polyester do a terrible job of keeping your body cool in spite of their resilience and durability.  While suits made from linen or wool cost more up front initially and require a little more proper care and maintenance, you'll thank yourself later when the temperatures start to rise.

--Accessories and Style Tips--

            For professional attire, winter months tend to give everyone a better ability to accessorize and customize their outfits, as the cold weather requires more layers.  In the summer months, however, less is always going to be more.  But that doesn't mean you have to forego style for the sake of comfort.  When it comes to comfort, it's more about what others can't see rather than what they can.

            Just like it might seem counterintuitive to opt for a wool suit in the summer months, many professionals also don't realize how beneficial undershirts can be when the mercury rises.  If an undershirt adds another layer, how in the world is that going to keep you cooler?  Well, it relates back to the wicking process and drawing moisture away from your body, and this effect is extremely beneficial in hot climates of both humid and arid varieties.  An undershirt will help keep any moisture off your body and perhaps more importantly off your outer clothes.  If there's anything more uncomfortable than wearing a suit made from material that doesn't breathe, it's a suit that's saturated with moisture.  Undershirts will allow you to avoid this unpleasant scenario even in the sultriest climates.

            The fabrics of your dress shirts also play an important role in keeping you cool and comfortable.  Just as you would with your suit jackets and trousers, opt for wool, cotton or linen over thicker materials.  On those scorching cloudless days, color is almost as important as the shirt material itself.  You're better off with shades of white, light blues, and pastel colors rather than black or navy, as you want to reflect light away from you, not absorb it.

            As the human body tends to lose much of its heat from the head and feet, it's important to make sure your socks aren't too thick.  You'll even notice this tendency on your days off in your own home resting on the sofa.  Regardless of where you set your thermostat, you'll feel more comfortable in thinner socks or none at all than you would in socks with a thicker consistency.  Be advised, however, that you shouldn't forego socks altogether when you're required to dress formally, as there still needs to be a buffer between your skin and your shoes to effectively regulate heat and moisture.  So long as the material can breathe and isn't too constricting, you'll be able to stay comfortable for longer, even if you're forced to brave the outside heat in a full suit.  As we mentioned before, it's oftentimes the components of your outfit that other people can't see that make or break a person's comfort level.

            We've all likely been stuck at a wedding ceremony at one point or another that was held in a church not yet retrofitted with air conditioning, and when we find ourselves in such a situation, wearing a tie can really hamper our ability to stay comfortable.  When you purchase dress shirts you plan to wear during the summer, it's important to make sure that the collar size is just right in order to avoid that suffocating feeling when you have to wear a tie.  A good rule of thumb to follow is that you should be able to fit your index finger between your neck and the collar without having to force it, or to get a more precise measurement, use a tape measure around your neck and then add half an inch.  This will ensure that you can wear your tie all the way up to your top button without feeling constricted or having to loosen the tie itself, as that can sometimes detract away from your overall style, depending on the occasion.

--Business Casual As An Alternative--

            If you happen to live in places such as Miami, New Orleans, Phoenix, or Las Vegas, you'll notice that what passes as formal in these cities can be quite different from formality standards in New York, Washington, and Chicago, and this is especially true during the summer.  Sometimes the weather is just too hot to accommodate a full traditional suit during the daytime.  In such cases, many events and places of work opt for business casual in lieu of more formal dress codes, and there's nothing wrong with using that to your advantage.  Wearing a dress shirt, sans tie and jacket, can do wonders for your comfort level.  Just always be mindful of when it is appropriate to dress down a little bit.  If you have no choice but to wear a full suit to wherever you're going, keep a spare hanger or two in your car to hang up your jacket while you drive, as this will optimize your personal comfort as much as possible without having to drastically alter your outfit.  Keep in mind, however, that business casual isn't necessarily an invitation to be casual, in the sense that most people use the word.  Save the polo shirts and floral prints for weekends and casual Fridays.

            For more information on keeping your cool during the summer, check out the Enzo Custom guide to summer suits, or step into one of our showrooms where an expert clothier will help you get fitted and answer all of your questions relating to comfort and style tips.  If you feel more comfortable at home, you can make an appointment with us via videoconference.