Best Suit Fabrics for Charlotte’s Climate: A Bespoke Clothier’s Guide
Charlotte has an interesting climate when it comes to custom suits. Our summers are hot and humid. Our winters can be cold and damp. We get all four seasons, but none of them are extreme. Especially not enough that you need a closet full of suits you can only wear three months out of the year.
After more than 17 years of making custom clothing for clients all over the world, my recommendation for most Charlotte clients is simple: start (and end) with midweight wool.
That surprises some people because they associate wool with heavy, hot, and bulky. But the right wool is breathable, regulates temperature well, holds its shape, and can be worn throughout the year.
For Most Charlotte Men: Lightweight to Midweight Wool
If you're buying suits for business, weddings, dinners, or general use, I usually recommend midweight wool. It’s the most versatile.
It gives you enough breathability for Charlotte's warmer months without making the suit so lightweight that it feels inappropriate when temperatures drop.
Where this may change:
If you spend significant time in hotter climates, I suggest a couple of suits from lightweight wool. But no more than four depending on how much time you spend there. Tropical wool is an excellent option because it breathes well while still looking like a traditional tailored suit.
Wool-linen blends are another favorite of mine. You get some of linen's breathability and relaxed character, while the wool gives the garment more structure. But I wouldn’t recommend them for most of your wardrobe.
Pure linen is also an option, but you must embrace the wrinkles. That's part of linen. Linen is a plant-based fiber, so it will wrinkle if you yell at it. If you want your suit to look crisp at 9:00 AM, an hour after you get to the office, linen is not your fabric.
Don’t choose fabric by the label. Most clothiers will sell you a famous name. But the name doesn’t make the fabric. It just makes the suit more expensive.
A beautiful fabric that doesn't fit your lifestyle isn't a good investment.
When I'm helping a client select fabric, I want to know how often he's going to wear the suit, whether he travels, how much time he spends outdoors, and what he's wearing it for.
The best fabric for Charlotte is midweight wool. Full stop.
That's the advantage of having a clothier who makes your suit and puts his name on the product. Not a salesman who sells suits. I’m not selling you a suit. I’m creating a suit to facilitate your lifestyle.
The question about how often a suit will actually be worn belongs at the top of a sewing brief, too. I’d add time spent commuting and sitting, then shortlist fabrics around that routine rather than the mill’s name. For readers planning their own waistcoat, trousers or jacket, our menswear pattern collection at Sewlore offers different projects to consider. One addition I’d make to the fabric-selection stage is testing the proposed cloth, lining and interfacing together, rather than judging each sample separately.