Our Fabrics - Seersucker

"If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." 

Atticus Finch gave this fine advice to his daughter and what man wouldn’t like to be more like Harper Lee’s fictional hero? You can start by wearing a seersucker suit as Gregory Peck did when he played Atticus in the film adaptation of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. You will need to work on the decency and honour and being unflappable yourself.

Seersucker is a thin cotton fabric that is woven so that some threads bunch together, giving the fabric a wrinkled, puckered appearance in places. It is usually blue and white striped and is used to make clothing for summer wear. The word originates from the Persian words "shir o shekar" which mean "milk and sugar" and probably refers to the resemblance of seersucker’s smooth and rough stripes to the smooth texture of milk and the rough texture of sugar.

Although it originates from India, seersucker is associated with America. Originally worn by poor Americans, it’s image was shifted in the ‘30s and ‘40s by Princeton students and the Duke of Windsor who was a serious style icon of the day. Nowadays it’s not so common which makes it a good choice. As a consequence you will attract attention when wearing it and you will need Atticus Finches confidence to carry a full suit. But it makes a classy outfit when paired with some well worn tan shoes and a pair of vintage RayBan Clubmasters. A less bold choice is to go for one seersucker piece - like a pair of shorts, a jacket or this Litton shirt.

Antoine Ventouse