# When (and when not) to wear linen?



## shrum (Oct 23, 2005)

This is a question to which I can never get a consistent answer from salespeople. The question pertains to when one should generally put away the linen suit? I lived near NYC for about 10 years, and the general rule of no linen after Labor Day (or thereabouts) seemed to work well. However, it is quite another case for southern climates (I'm now in San Antonio).

Is the answer strictly climate/temperature dependent? Yesterday it was 95 F in San Antonio, so the weather is clearly linen-conducive. Also, does color at all matter? For example, I have a midnight blue Armani black lablel linen suit. Thus, it is not an apparent summer color.

On a related note, I also have a tan linen Canali safari jacket. I would like to wear this as a casual sport coat (e.g, with jeans and a knit tie), but am unsure whether the material is problematic this late in the season.

Any advice would be appreciated.


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

shrum:

Some problem with this for us who live in warm climates.

Summer seasonal clothing, especially *white*, is traditionally worn from *Memorial Day until Labor Day*. And can be extended slightly beyond those dates in tropical climates.

It's interesting that those days are American holidays. Most other countries just go by the summer season. And in the UK white can be worn up until the summer bank holiday (except Scotland since their bank holiday is one month earlier).​ 
The same goes for fabric textures. Corduroy and suede are traditionally worn in the fall/winter and silk, linen, canvas, etc. are worn in the spring and summer.​
There is some logic of trying to dress for comfort on a hot March day, but there is something inappropriate with wearing Madras out of season. 

I think even in the tropics, it's getting slightly late for summer/spring colors and fabrics.​


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## Thurston (Aug 17, 2006)

I have a Polo BL linen hacking jacket in light olive with a brown windowpane. There is really nothing about its styling or color that connotes warm weather or summer season. I intend to wear it through the fall.


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## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

I have a slightly-darker-than-camel heavyweight linen jacket which is far too warm to wear in the summer unless I'm under constant air-conditioning, so I wear it well into the autumn. The color is definitely appropriate and the texture pairs well with khakis or cords. If the keepers of the one true flame find this "inappropriate", well... so be it.


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## Drag0n (Aug 24, 2006)

It may not be appropriate, but I go by the weather. If it`s still hot (like 95F) I would still wear linen. Some people might think I look stupid, but I think it looks stupid when some people follow the rules exactly and start wearing fall/winter clothing even though it`s still hot outside.


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## agnash (Jul 24, 2006)

I live in New Orleans, and I generally see linen worn through the end of September, and put back on at Easter. There are several annual social events in late April and early May that put linen down as the preferred dress. That said, seersucker and Madras do disappear at Labor Day, and generally do not reappepar until Memorial Day.


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## alaric (May 23, 2005)

In southern Arizona, linen is a year round fabric! Personally, I tend to not wear white linen during the cold months, i.e., November to February, outside that it's fair game.

alaric


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## Will (Jun 15, 2004)

The same men who put away their white flannels in the Fall took them on their Caribbean winter cruises.

You should change palette in the Fall to encompass more golds, olives and browns and fewer pale blues and creams. As Andy wrote, some obvious summer fabrics like madras and seersucker should go into storage. But with that caveat, dress in fabrics that work for the weather you're in.


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## manton (Jul 26, 2003)

I tend to go by the weather. It was unseasonably warm today in New York, at or near 80 and humid and bright. I did not hesitate to wear a slate blue 8 ounce tropical worsted with a light blue tie. Not October colors, but then this was not really an October day.


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