The last decade has seen a resurgence in the popularity of seersucker and new combinations of weave and colour, presenting consumers with classic blue and white options through to modern takes in interesting tones.
Made popular during the British Colonial Period, the seersucker we know and love today, gained its greatest notoriety when in 1907, New Orleans clothier, Joseph Haspel created and sold the first, formal seersucker suits. Haspel had selected the cloth due to its ability to withstand the heat, humanity and sweat so synonymous with the area, particularly during the summer months. Thanks to Haspel’s design, New Orleans and Seersucker gained a firm place on the formal dressing map; one that endures today. So popular and iconic is its association with the Southern states that Seersucker Thursdays were introduced to the Senate in the 1996, a tradition that continues today!
It should be acknowledged, however, that whilst Haspel’s appropriation of the cloth was quite a coup in the world of tailoring, its history reaches much further back, with versions of seersucker having been produced for centuries and already familiar to the wider populace. The fabric had most prolifically been worn in the US by the poor working classes and was valued for its comfort for carrying out manual work. It made a pendulum swing from proletariat to preppy, the classic blue and white stripe still popular today.
The name Seersucker derives from the Persian phrase shir-o-shakhar, meaning “milk and sugar” and refers to its alternating textures. Whilst we are familiar with cotton versions, the cloth can also be produced in linen, silk, or a combination of textiles. Yarn is woven on a loom with threads set at different tensions, both loose and tight, creating smooth and puckered stripes.
The core benefit of seersucker’s puckering is that it sits away from the skin, making it breathable and cooler to wear, dissipating heat. Another advantage, and one that makes it particularly beneficial when it comes to perfect shirts for holiday, travel or days on the move, is that it needs little, if any ironing. Hooray!
Budd offers seersucker shirts as part of its ready to wear collection. Cut from our casual fit block, with a straight hem (for wearing either tucked-in or out) and button-down collar, we have opted for simple navy and white options, the self-stripes lending for a contemporary look. The subtlety of stripe means that the shirt transcends easily from day to night, looking equally as good when teamed casually with a pair of shorts, or teamed with a blazer and cotton trouser for evenings out.
Casual Fit Seersucker Button Cuff Shirt in Navy
Casual Fit Seersucker Button Cuff Shirt in White
For those wanting to explore other seersuckers, classic or creative, or have particular styling in mind, our made to measure service offers up a variety of puckered options, with further patterns available upon request from our cutting and shop team. Today’s mills have really explored seersucker and repositioned it far beyond the preppy, with our friends in Italy excelling exceedingly well in this field.