Whip It Real Hard
A lot of us are in the thick of summer. 90+ degree weather (I was talking to a friend in SC and she was mentioning the heat index was 110+!) and those of us that must wear a suit (whether it be to work or a formal function) are hurting. Dan T., The Style Blogger, recently began a series of posts on knowing your fabrics and this is especially important in the summer time. There are quite a few options, other than wool, for men’s suiting fabrics and I want to talk about one of the more overlooked ones: whipcord.
Whipcord, or corded cotton, is often mistaken for seersucker. Though they are both cotton, seersucker has a distinct puckering that whipcord does not. Whipcord has a pinstripe pattern that, to the untrained eye, can look like seersucker from a distance, but once you get close you notice a couple of key differences:
-Whipcord lacks the aforementioned dimples that are characteristic of seersucker.
-Whipcord is noticeably stiffer than seersucker, but still light and breathable.
That said, whipcord is a great material, particularly in suiting. Unlike seersucker, whipcord has a tighter weave and holds it shape better, so it doesn’t look quite as casual as seersucker in my opinion. Typically, you can find whipcord suits in the same colors as seersucker: blue, grey, brown. If the fit is right on both the pants and jacket, they can be worn separately. The pants with polos or button downs and a navy blazer; the jacket with jeans or another pair of light pants. If you can score a 3 piece, go ahead and cop that vest too. Dark jeans+whipcord vest+oxford button down=stylin’ on them. Along with being a great lightweight suiting option, they are also cheap! This blazer from J. Crew is only $120!
<click to cop!>
This is me in my whipcord suit. Wore it to work and turned a few heads on the way in (it is really awkward when people you don’t know comment on your clothes as you are walking… but I appreciated the compliments nonetheless). From a distance, it looks like a light grey cotton suit but when you get closer you can see the stripes. I kept it light all around with a cotton button-down (didn’t feel like buttoning the collar down though), silk tie, ribbon belt, and a cotton pocket square… that you can’t see in the pic.
Here is another example of whipcord suits courtesy of Chris Pine and GQ. This time in a light blue, seersucker-esque variety.
