Tom Wolfe had a great term that captures the essence of these trousers: club elegance. A bit knockabout, a bit tongue-in-cheek. For folks who know how to read between the lines of a dress code.
Evening clothes were never intended to be a strict uniform so much as simply not daytime clothes. The differences were subtle but marked: peak or shawl lapels with silk facing, uncuffed trousers with formal stripes down the side. Within these parameters, men have conspired with their tailors to create garments that respected propriety while pushing its boundaries. The midnight blue tuxedo was such an invention, as was the white dinner jacket and tartan cummerbund. In that spirit, the seersucker dinner trouser is our own contribution to warm-weather evening wear.
We love seersucker. No fabric is more classically or comfortably American. Cut a pair of seersucker trousers lean and clean with an off-white silk satin stripe, and they’ll look at home by the beach or in a summer wedding. Play them straight with a cream or midnight dinner jacket for a big night, then pair them with a lightweight knit the next morning by the pool. Either way, it’s a fresh take on classic clothes that recognizes that evening wear is meant to be fun.
Read Ivy Style’s feature on these trousers on their website.
Check out more summer evening wear in our Summer 2019 Lookbook.
