Formal Seersucker Tuxedo

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The Brooks Brothers spring catalog arrived last week, a refreshing reminder that this long, brutal winter has to end at some point. Once the balmy weather arrives, the venerable haberdashers are suggesting we stay cool on formal evenings with a novel seersucker tuxedo.

Table of Contents
Seersucker Dinner Jacket Tuxedo with grosgrain silk peaked lapels by Ben Silver
Seersucker Dinner Jacket Tuxedo with grosgrain silk peaked lapels by Ben Silver

This tropical take on evening wear actually originated in the early 1960s when the fashion industry pretty much threw out the rulebook on formal tradition. At that time manufacturers retained seersucker’s distinctive striped pattern but limited the fabric to summer dinner jackets.

1964 Seersucker Tuxedo ad by Galey & Lord
1964 Seersucker Tuxedo ad by Galey & Lord
Still from Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte, released in 1964. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Still from Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte, released in 1964. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Vintage After Six jacket with black cloverleaf lapels. The seller describes the colour as black or very dark navy depending on the light.
Vintage After Six jacket with black cloverleaf lapels. The seller describes the colour as black or very dark navy depending on the light.

After that period there doesn’t appear to be any reference to seersucker formal attire until 2009 when Brooks Brothers introduced a black grosgrain edged jacket styled more like a business suit than a dinner suit. Its $1,200 price tag was a far cry from the $45 models of the 1960s. Matching Bermuda shorts were extra.

Black Fleece Banner

Leap forward another six years and the company is now offering a much more traditional interpretation in the aforementioned Spring 2015 catalog. The jacket is classically styled with peaked lapels and a single button and comes with matching trousers all for an extremely modest $498. Interestingly, the suits have been produced in a limited run of 250 which is why they are advertised exclusively in the catalog and not online.

The Brooks Brothers Spring 2015 catalogue
The Brooks Brothers Spring 2015 catalogue includes guidelines for proper black-tie attire that reflect the time-honoured rules championed by classic sartorialists.
The Brooks Brothers Spring 2015 catalogue includes guidelines for proper black-tie attire that reflect the time-honoured rules championed by classic sartorialists.

However, the Brooks Brothers website does offer another formal seersucker option that harkens back to the original 1960s models. It retails for $795.

Stripe Seersucker Formal Jacket from Brooks Brothers Black Fleece line.
Stripe Seersucker Formal Jacket from Brooks Brothers Black Fleece line.

Finally, competitor J. Crew is currently offering their own take on the black seersucker tuxedo (ironically described as a “formal look that we’re sure nobody else will have this summer”). The jacket is $358 and the ridiculously slim-fitting matching trousers are an extra $190.

J Crew Ludlow tuxedo jacket in Japanese seersucker.  Click for a super high-res look at the texture of the fabric.
J Crew Ludlow tuxedo jacket in Japanese seersucker. Click for a super high-res look at the texture of the fabric.
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Reader Comments

    1. I’d love to hear about your experience. I still can’t get over the unbelievably low price.

  1. Whilst the Brooks Brothers suit doesn’t look bad, even in the promotional photo the J Crew suit looks poor. It doesn’t seem to fit properly.

    I know that complaining about skinny fit suits is a pointless exercise (and quite like slimmer fitting suits) but even by the standards of the shrunken suit that’s been popular recently this is pretty dire.

  2. Hi Chris,
    You’re not going to get much better quality than Brooks Brothers in general and certainly not for that price point. As for coloured bow ties and cummerbunds, the rules are laid out in the Black Tie Guide (no for the former, okay for the latter). However, I noticed that the cummerbund you’re considering attaches with velcro which is something no respectable gentleman would allow anywhere near his formal wardrobe.

    1. Hi Peter,

      I would like to thank you for your prompt reply.

      I believe you mean it is acceptable for the bowtie/cummerbund be a midnight navy while the suit is still black. I understand you are busy, so I will treat a lack of reply as a confirmation.

      Best,
      Chris

  3. Peter many men in the law firm I work at wear a very sheer nylon formal dress sock. They look great. I know it’s not silk cause I get the BB silk socks and these nylon socks look much more sheer and certainly more elegant. I have noticed them at plenty of weddings, etc… I don’t want to ask the guys at the office where they get their socks, so I can ask you… where can you get them?

    1. Hi Thomas,
      The Brooks Brothers socks are actually a blend of silk and nylon (80/20) which is why they aren’t as sheer as some other formal socks. I have other pairs that are more sheer but unfortunately I didn’t keep a record of where I purchased them. Typically I buy them from upscale menswear shops in Toronto and they are often the Pantherella brand.
      Peter

  4. Hi Peter,

    Thanks for the great guide. I was wondering how you felt about a midnight blue jacket with black trousers (as in here).

    Thanks,
    James

    1. I think that’s a nice combination in the right context. Interesting fabric.

  5. Is a light blue seersucker jacket appropriate for a 5PM June wedding ceremony at a historical inn on the shores of Lake Champlain? If so what would be the best color for the trousers?


  6. The Brooks Brothers spring catalogue arrived lastย week, a refreshing reminder that this long, brutal winter has toย end at some point”
    I don’t agree. This guide on seersucker is better
    – Dimple

  7. I only just found this site. I purchased one of the limited edition seersucker tuxedos from Brooks when it was offered. Overall, I like it very much. It is a decent, classically styled dinner jacket that looks completely conventional from a shirt distance away, only revealing its unusual material when quite close. It is the only black dinner jacket and the only RTW dinner jacket that I wear fairly regularly.

    I do not use the trousers.

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