A Cream Suit for Summer with @Andy57

We’ve featured @Andy57 before, and always admire the ease he brings to tailored clothing. We also think he brings impressive panache to daily life, in a way that we could all learn from. He’s also the resident master of the cream jacket – whether as part of a suit or worn separately – so take notes. We asked him to detail his signature summer look: the outfit he returns to during the warmer months, and why he enjoys wearing it.

: Andy57’s sole cream wool suit

: Andy57’s Heavy Irish Linen DB suit

I would say that my signature summer look, such as it is, would be the cream or ivory linen suit. It’s a look I’ve been iterating on for several years, learning a little from each attempt.

My first foray into wearing a cream suit was a three-piece Brooks Brothers off-the-rack linen suit. As I wore it I started to realize that there were fit issues that I couldn’t ignore and style issues that bothered me increasingly. My second effort was also from Brooks Brothers, and was a jacket and matching trousers from their “Gatsby” collection from a few years ago. I preferred the style, but it was made from a herringbone linen. I have found herringbone linen to be too soft to make successfully into trousers that can keep their shape even slightly.

About a year ago I purchased a suit length of a Fox Brothers vintage bolt in a very lightweight ivory worsted wool cloth. I had this made into a lovely double-breasted suit that I wore extensively last summer. As nice as it is, and it is still in heavy use during the warmer months, I still wanted that cream linen look that I had in my mind’s eye.

Finally, last winter I bought a suit length of a London Lounge heavy Irish linen, in a rich cream color and had it made into another double-breasted suit. Finally I have a linen suit made from cloth heavy enough that it does not wrinkle, it keeps its shape and has that perfect summer vibe to it.

I’ve worn it with a shirt and tie, but my preferred look is to wear it with a Marol shirt with their “holiday” collar, which has that perfect roll and can only be worn open, having no collar button. Worn with spectator shoes, a cravat, and complimentary pocket square, I have my signature summer look.

Editor’s take: when made up in linen, a cream suit really hits the perfect summer note. It’s also particularly versatile in the warmer months, when it can be worn during the day or at night (although we feel @Andy57 would be inclined to put on a dinner jacket). And, as it is definitely not a conservative or business-ready color, cream garments encourage wearing for pleasure.

Want more great cream suits? Follow Andy on Instagram.