Hovig Yacoubian

It may be fitting that the word “seersucker” derives from the Persian words “shir o shakar,” meaning “milk and sugar.”

In the South, it has become a staple, “the Southern gentleman’s summer suit,” says Bruce Baird, owner of Bruce Baird & Co., a men’s clothing store on Broad Street.

If worn with a bow tie and white bucks, a seersucker suit may caricature its Southern heritage, making the wearer appear clownish, says Hovig Yacoubian, manager of Yacoubian Tailors on Broad Street.

There are ways to modernize it and minimize its initial impact, he said.

“It’s a risk (wearing seersucker), but I think it’s definitely a matter of personal taste,” said Mr. Yacoubian. “Not everybody is going to be into it.

“Lately what they’ve been doing to change up the traditional seersucker is either offering it in different stripes than the blue and white. They can be gray and white, burgundy and white. People have also been making the stripe in a traditional wool so it’s a flatter finish, and it’s not quite as traditional-looking as it generally is.”

Mr. Baird suggests enhancing the traditional style. “You can put side vents on it. You can make it double-breasted. You can get it the basic, or you can model it up,” he said.

If a person wants a toned-down seersucker look, Mr. Yacoubian recommends using other fabrics.

“A lot of people will opt for (a) poplin suit instead because it looks like a khaki suit from far away, but it’s still cotton — lightweight for the summer. So if people are afraid of standing out, we’ll definitely choose something like that.”

“Generally you just want to wear a white shirt and tie with it. That’s the dressiest way to wear it. You can wear a regular tie, and a lot of traditional guys lately have been putting patterns like a traditional stripe or what they call a tattersall (weave).”

Seersucker is also appreciated as a fabric.

“Men love it because of the comfort of it and the coolness,” said Mr. Baird. “Especially in Chattanooga, you know it’s humid, and when you put on a seersucker suit, you feel like you’re wearing pajamas. It’s very comfortable. Seersucker is one of those things that never dies. We sell it year after year after year.”

Many are willing to take the seersucker risk and enjoy the fabric for all that it encompasses.

“I thought whenever I graduated law school to practice in the South that it’s kind of a part of the Southern charm or the Southern mystique, particularly with attorneys,” said attorney Robin Flores. “So whenever the weather gets hot, that’s all I wear. Now if I’ve got a trial, I may not, because I want to look conservative in a conservative community, and some folks may not like attorneys looking too attorney-ish.

“But for everyday stuff and non-high-profile trials, these are the things to wear. They’re very light and very comfortable. I could wad that jacket up and throw it in the back seat of my car and put it on and it will still look like it should. If you notice, they’ve got kind of a crumpled look to them anyway. And the britches are real light and comfortable. It feels like wearing pajama pants.”

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