Reader Questions

Reader Mike writes:

Given our unseasonably cool spring in Boston thus far, and given that our annual Kentucky Derby party is right around the corner, I've been wondering: is it acceptable to pair a sweater with a seersucker suit?  Now, I'm not talking about a wool fisherman's sweater or the like; rather, I mean something more along the lines of a light-weight cotton cardigan or V-neck in a suitably cheerful color.  Does that work, or is it just the stuff of Brooks Brothers catalogs?  Is seersucker so inherently spring-y/summer-y that a sweater is contrary to the very theory of seersucker?

Pictured above is the very outfit I had on when I received this email. A suit in pale blue silk and linen may not be seersucker, but it's about as Spring/Summer as it gets. Given our unseasonably cool Spring, I may indeed have been jumping the gun in the first place with this suit, but I do get bored with the blazer and chinos combination that I tend to rely on in these in-between times. The day was bright and sunny, with temps just at the low 60s, just barely warm enough. Knowing I'd be returning home in it later at night in a much cooler temperature, I opted to add a lightweight cashmere vest by Pringle of Scotland in a suitably cheerful color. Perhaps a bit unorthodox, but I think it works.

Seersucker is going to be more of a stretch, but maybe not impossible. The fabric in the suit above has heft to it, despite its being a Summer cloth. Seersucker is much lighter to begin with, and as such will clash with the weight of most sweaters. However, if you keep the sweater light in both color and fabric, and avoid sleeves, you might make it work. A cotton or light cashmere sleeveless v-neck pullover in pale yellow, baby pink or mint green might be pretty damn sharp with seersucker and a bow tie. Might be a bit much for everyday, but could be spot-on for Derby Day.

Check Twice

Wool houndstooth bow tie, generous gift of Mrs. Ellie La Veer Stager, cream colored, spread collar shirt with tattersall check in black, hunter green and rust in soft cotton flannel by Ralphie ($3.99), lambswool sweater vest, made in England for Brooks Brothers, $4.49.  On top, a Barbour jacket and brown tweed cap with embroidered pheasants; rainy, dreary Autumn day.

All that's missing are some Irish setters, a long flask of single malt, and a couple hundred acres of damp British countryside.

p.s. new ties in the Shop. Go see.