You also have the opportunity to play around a little more when wearing a summer suit – perhaps by switching out a shirt for a vest (as Harry Styles and Kanye West like to do) or by going shirtless completely, as seen on the catwalks of Louis Vuitton and Dior.
Winter wool suits
Sure, you might not be a fan of the cooler weather that the winter months bring, but there is one good thing about it: you get to wear a wool suit. Softer and therefore more wearable than tweed, it is a happy medium between comfort, style and warmth, making it our go-to between the months of October and March (give or take a few, remembering we still live in temperamental Britain). Essentially, wool is a better idea than lighter alternatives in the cooler months because you won’t have to cover up all that excellent tailoring under a coat.
Wool is also a good idea because, rather than its polyester counterpart, it is less damaging to the environment. When you want it to, wool will biodegrade in a matter of months, without causing microfibre or plastic pollution. It’s a win-win (unless, of course, you try to wear it in a heatwave).
Linen suits
A linen suit is a warm-weather must-have. Lightweight and loose, the mighty linen suit tends to be constructed in flax fibre with an extremely low thread count (fine cotton tends to be around 200, with a fine linen around 80-150), which means it is a lot lighter than other suits (the wool suit, in particular). If you have any business obligations that take you to warmer climes, then the linen suit should be a bit of a staple.
Whether you wear a linen suit for a formal day look with a pair of sandals and an open, linen shirt (Chris Hemsworth does this well), or wear it with a crisp white shirt and tie, you can guarantee that a sweaty back will be furthest from your mind.
Lounge suits
Historically, the lounge suit was the less formal version of morning dress or morning suit. Today, however, that has changed. Ben Clarke suggests that “these days, I would say that a lounge suit is simply a suit of two or three pieces that has each been cut from the same cloth. After the Second World War the waistcoat rather disappeared because of cloth rationing and so the two-piece lounge suit was born.”
The lounge suit, as we know it today, is something of an umbrella term, covering both two- and three-piece suits. When you read a dress code on an invitation that reads “lounge suit” rather than “cocktail attire” you can expect that your office suit is more than up to scratch, rather than tailored eveningwear.
Essentially, most suits you see on the high street or in the office are lounge suits. The colour, style and shape preferences are up to you.
Made-to-measure suits
While you can find some great tailoring on the high street right now, chances are an off-the-peg fit will always be a little off (unless you’re built to model-sized specifications, of course). If you’re looking for something truly perfect, made-to-measure is your best bet.
Made-to-measure suits are typically taken from a ready-made fit pattern and then altered by a tailor to fit you, meaning the finished garment will be fully customised to your body and style. If you’re looking for a suit that fits like a glove, then you’re probably going to want to go down the made-to-measure route.
Nowadays, most brands offer a made-to-measure service, from Paul Smith to Gieves & Hawkes.
Dinner suits
If you have a black-tie event, then you’re going to need a dinner suit. The classic tuxedo (AKA the penguin suit) is sharp, fitted, and comes in a range of styles with small tweaks. A traditional dinner suit comes with a single-breasted jacket with jetted pockets. Typically, it features peak lapels or shawl collar, which are equally authentic and correct and usually come in silk, satin or grosgrain. Notched lapels aren’t seen as typically acceptable for a black-tie event.
link