Out of curiosity, what size do you wear?

 

I like my JAB seersucker. It's soft and very wearable. Only critique is that the jacket is fully lined which seems backwards for a supposedly lightweight summer suit.

Frankly though, while I'd love a BB, Press, or other fancy seersucker suit, for the 5-10 times per year that I wear it, the JAB fits the bill.

 

^ Exactly, for the few times a year you'll wear it I think the one from Jos A will work

 

^^
However, should he shop the BB end of season clearance sales, BB Seersucker jackets, as well as occasionally suits, can be had for Jos A. Bank's prices!

 

AshScache is right about the JAB being fully lined. It really isn't any cooler that a hopsack blazer, IMO. My local mens store had a Haspel seersucker suit on sale this past Fall and I took the opportunity to examine the jacket construction. The Haspel was half-lined and much lighter (and I suspect cooler). The BB I've seen are constructed similarly to the Haspel.

 

I'd buy the one that fits better.

I got mine at a BB clearance event.

 

The last Haspel summer suit I owned had just as much linebacker padding in the shoulders and even bigger armholes than the JAB. Not comfortable at all, and terrible quality. That was a poplin suit and I owned it a few years ago, though, so maybe they've changed things.

I got my seersucker suit at a J Crew outlet on sale for, IIRC, somewhere around the JAB price you mentioned, or a little more. If you have an outlet near you, it might be worth keeping an eye out there for one.

 

I have a different experience than Orgetorix. If you are thin/slight of frame, the JAB will probably work fine. But my one Haspel jacket (seersucker) has softer shoulders than anything from JAB. I'm a big guy with broad shoulders, so I'd pay the extra for Haspel. To throw another option in the mix, look at Hardwick. Last Spring, I bought a tan poplin suit from Men's Suit Separates: although fully lined, it has softer shoulders and is better constructed than Haspel.

Sewell is another manufacturer of summer suits. If you have any independently-owned men's stores in your area, you might drop by and see what they offer. By the time you include tailoring, it's often competitively priced.

 

My seersucker suit is actually separates from PRL. I bought the jacket at a thrift store and saw the pants at a department store, deeply discounted. I went back a few days later wearing the jacket to be sure they matched and sure enough, they were a perfect match. Total cost was $5.50 for the jacket, $39.50 for pants. However, I rarely wear them together. I usually wear the jacket with pink pants and the pants with a solid OCBD.

 

Oh goodie! It's mid-twenties outside and I've got an excuse to wear my seersucker suit. So, I actually had the same dilemma and ended up choosing Haspel. I liked the history, the fabric, and some parts of the construction.

The seersuckeriness is toned down just a tad in the fabric: the stripes are on the thinner side and the blue is more of a faded slate than a French blue or navy. I thought it looked a touch more dignified and offered a touch more flexibility in when I could wear it.

Construction-wise, the jacket is a touch above JAB as it's half-lined and self-faced. I wanted the lighter construction as A) I sweat like a stuck pig and B) it gets pretty hot and muggy. There's also around 3" of material in the sleeves. I need to take advantage of that.

The pants fit well, also. They manage to be both pleated and semi-trim-fitting. While pleats might not technically be trad, they're definitely traditional down here in the South.

I will say, though, that the arm holes are rediculously large and the shoulders, while lightly padded, aren't exactly natural. I had to have my tailor add a small piece of felt to keep them from dimpling excessively.


Pictures:


















Couple of "in the wild" shots from last summer:

 

The very image of a young Southern Gentleman. Well done, that man!

 

The very image of a young Southern Gentleman. Well done, that man!

Thanks Oldsarge! I surprised her on vacation with a private carriage ride and high tea, so of course we had to go all out, with a seersucker suit for me and a Lilly sundress for her. For a carpetbagger, she sure does southern trad well.

 

Looks like Haspel has significantly decontstructed their jackets since I last bought one, which is good.

 

New Haspel stuff is very lightly padded. I bought a linen sportcoat last summer that is 3/8 lined with virtually no padding.

 

That's about my experience with Haspel: the limited lining is nice, and it fits well if you stand still. It wears very cool. But if you move, the armholes really do get you. Given that the rest of my summer suits are fully lined (anyone know a tailor in Nashville who'll cut that out? send me a PM), the Haspel gets a fair amount of wear.

 

I definitely seem to be leaning toward the Haspel now, primarily because of the lack of lining (living on the gulf coast with 8 months of summer and humidity, I want to purchase seersucker for practical reasons in addition to aesthetic). Where can Haspel suits be purchased other than online? I was looking at the Hunter and Coggins site primarily, but would like to try one on first

 

If you have any old-school men's shops nearby, try there. I don't think Macy's carries them anymore.

 

Reuben, your seersucker rig looks exceptionally well put together. Pure class and nothing costumey about it. I especially like the way your SoPro bow tie is set. The whole thing look very to the manner born.

 

I loved the S.Proper bow with the suit versus the fun shirt tie. Don't get me wrong, I really like the fun shirt tie. I just felt the bow elevated the rig to a new level.

 

I will say, though, that the arm holes are rediculously large and the shoulders, while lightly padded, aren't exactly natural. I had to have my tailor add a small piece of felt to keep them from dimpling excessively.
]

Wait, you can do that? How exactly does that work? I have a few jackets that dimple oddly that I would like to rectify.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - now Free

 

Wait, you can do that? How exactly does that work? I have a few jackets that dimple oddly that I would like to rectify.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - now Free

Nearest I could tell, he just folded a piece of felt into about the right shape and size, stitched it together, and then stitched it to the shoulder. This was made a good deal easier because the jacket was only partially lined, but I bet you could do it in a fully lined jacket too.

 

Oh goodie! It's mid-twenties outside and I've got an excuse to wear my seersucker suit. So, I actually had the same dilemma and ended up choosing Haspel. I liked the history, the fabric, and some parts of the construction.

The seersuckeriness is toned down just a tad in the fabric: the stripes are on the thinner side and the blue is more of a faded slate than a French blue or navy. I thought it looked a touch more dignified and offered a touch more flexibility in when I could wear it.

Construction-wise, the jacket is a touch above JAB as it's half-lined and self-faced. I wanted the lighter construction as A) I sweat like a stuck pig and B) it gets pretty hot and muggy. There's also around 3" of material in the sleeves. I need to take advantage of that.

The pants fit well, also. They manage to be both pleated and semi-trim-fitting. While pleats might not technically be trad, they're definitely traditional down here in the South.

I will say, though, that the arm holes are rediculously large and the shoulders, while lightly padded, aren't exactly natural. I had to have my tailor add a small piece of felt to keep them from dimpling excessively.

Reuben, is your seersucker jacket darted? I'm guessing yes, but it's hard for me to tell in the images.

 

Reuben, is your seersucker jacket darted? I'm guessing yes, but it's hard for me to tell in the images.

Sadly, yes.

 

I definitely seem to be leaning toward the Haspel now, primarily because of the lack of lining (living on the gulf coast with 8 months of summer and humidity, I want to purchase seersucker for practical reasons in addition to aesthetic). Where can Haspel suits be purchased other than online? I was looking at the Hunter and Coggins site primarily, but would like to try one on first

OF, just saw this thread as I had posted in the WAYW thread that you might want to consider J.Crew also as they, for summers past, have put out a very nice seersucker - grey-blue and white (a bit muted versus the trad blue and white but still very clearly seersucker) and also unlined. Being 6'1" and 150lbs, the J.Crew fit is better for me than Haspal - which even with tailoring looks boxy on my frame. Just another thought (and as always with J.Crew), if you like something, watch on line - or sign up for email alerts - as they do a 25% off orders over $150 quite frequently.

 

Where can Haspel suits be purchased other than online? I was looking at the Hunter and Coggins site primarily, but would like to try one on first

Is there a Belk nearby? That's where mine came from.