Cotton isn’t the typical choice for a formal work suit but it can play a role in a smart casual wardrobe if styled in the right way. This article will look at the ways that you can incorporate a cotton suit into your rotation.

When to wear a cotton suit

By choosing cotton as the fabric for a suit you are moving one notch down in formality from the typical wool option. This means that you don’t want to wear a cotton suit if you have any top formal meetings. However, you can wear one for a lot of the time and you won’t be noticeably less formal than almost everyone else in the workplace.

The thing that makes cotton less formal is the drape of the fabric. It tends to crease more than wool which gives a more casual appearance. This can be the desired effect, however, if we want to not look too formal but still benefit from the sartorial elegance of a suit. It’s a good option if you want to something that can easily transfer from the office to an informal setting such as a restaurant or cocktail bar. We can change some of the styling elements to either dress it up towards a formal suit or down towards a much more casual outfit. Or mix and match those elements.

There is a general impression that cotton is a better choice for warmer climates as it is less insulating than wool. For a like-for-like weight comparison that is probably true, but cotton comes in varying that weights so there is no reason why they wouldn’t be suitable for cold weather. Basically, they are useful all year round and in pretty much all climates.

How to design a cotton suit

The design and construction for a cotton suit is the same as for any other suit. It’s better to have it fully canvassed (or at least half-canvassed). Other elements such as shoulder padding can be changed to how you want it to look. Check out our earlier post on suits here. On the whole, we are going to use this as one of our more casual suits so it will be better if the design reflects this. For example, the above example has lightweight shoulder padding, patch hip pockets and trouser turn-ups. The design is quite classic, though, with a mid-sized lapel size, 2 buttons, double vents and flat front trousers.

How to style a cotton suit

Cotton is generally quite a smooth, non-textured fabric, which gives it a more formal appearance. It can, therefore, be helpful to pair it with some more casual styling elements. It can go with a variety of types of shirts. It can easily be worn with a tie (maybe a textured tie) and smart oxford shoes. On the other hand, it can be worn with a polo shirt and loafers (as in this example).

Cotton can also give you a bit more variation in colours. For example, an olive green, stone, beige or khaki are all colours that sit a bit more comfortably in cotton rather than wool. They harmonise better with the natural informality of the fabric. The fabric can start quite stiff but over time if softens in the shape of the wearer and can give a bit of a ‘worn in’ look that looks attractive. One of the good things about a decently weighted cotton (say 12oz and above) is that it keeps it shape better than lighter weight fabrics.