The London Lounge

Would you get a Summer linen suit in DB or SB?

Generally speaking, if the DB configuration is considered more casual than the SB, then why does DB look wrong on sports coats and is not seen, except in blazers?

uppercase

DB odd jackets used to be seen alot and Etutee has posted some examples from the Apparel Arts books. They tend to be seen more in Summer wear and there is a good reason.

A heavy cheviot tweed DB would require an overlap of 22 ozs cloth. That 44 ozs of sturdy cloth would make any male twiggy look like Hercules without the use of steriods. But on most of us, it would just look awful.

A Summer linen DB suit jacket can be worn with other colors of linen trousers to great effect. But linen always looks best when associated with other linen. You might wear a DB odd jacket in a Fresco cloth in tan, beige or off white. Unlined, of course.

The answer to your first question sort of depends if you are more a DB or SB suit wearer in general. Eighty per cent of my suits are DB, and eighty percent of the linen ones as well.

M Alden

My (one) linen suit is SB for the simple reason that all my summer suits are SB, for the simple reason that I get hot so easily, the less cloth I have wrapped around my mid-section, the less miserable I am going to be on a summer's day.

Manton

I also prefer DB; it is simply more elegant to my eye.

The issue of overlapping fabric in a coat meant for Summer wear could be an issue but perhaps one could suffer a bit to wear an elegant DB!

I wonder if many of the LL members have DB sports coats?

I could see wearing a DB linen odd coat but cannot visualize too many other choices; particularly in patterned material in DB. I'll go back and seach etutee's posts for prints for what works.

BTW, I would recommend that anyone in London pass by the Rubinacci store on Mount Street in Mayfair and examine the construction of the silk DB coat, pictured above, which is on display in London. It's truly a masterfully made coat from the 1930s. Even Rubinacci will tell you that they can't duplicate the work on that coat today. The SB photo above is a recently made coat.

Which is the more beautiful?

My only linen suit is SB, as are all summer jackets except for a single blazer. But I am thinking about changing that. One of the virtues of the DB jacket is that it disguises the condition of your shirt.

W. Bill sells a superb heavyweight Irish linen that might make a good dove grey or slate blue suit. And I've seen some hopsack-like linens that would be hopeless as a SB jacket, but might hold their shape quite well in a DB sport coat.

I have a cream DB in 14 oz. linen which I chose because I thought the look more classic for that particular material.