Seersucker Punch

To kick-off the warmer days ahead, I thought I'd celebrate the quintessential fabric of summer - seersucker.  

The modern name of the lightweight, cotton fabric is a variation of the Hindi sirsakar, which comes from the Persian "shir o shekar" meaning "milk and sugar."  The specific tension weaving process of the warp threads (as opposed to the weft) creates the unique smooth and bumpy texture somewhat resembling milk and sugar.  The wrinkled texture is functional as well, as it keeps the fabric away from the skin, aiding in air circulation and making it the ideal fabric for warm weather.

Trend-setter Anthony Drexel Biddle in a seersucker sport coat with wife and friend
via Dressing the Man by Allen Flusser, p. 105

Interestingly, when the fabric made it's way to America by the early 20th century, it was considered a cheap working man's fabric - a cotton replacement for the original silk material relished by British colonials in India.  Style forward American undergraduates in the 1920's in an act of "reverse snobbery" began sporting the pinstriped fabric, thus securing it as a preppy wardrobe staple.  


In an article from the New York Times, writer David Colman investigates the rise of seersucker in American men's fashion.  He recounts a seersucker clad student in 1945, Damon Runyon, describing his new fashion sense, "causing much confusion among my friends...they cannot decide whether I am broke or just setting a new vogue".  Clearly the young Mr. Runyon was a visionary, as seersucker can be found in preppy retailers across the country.  So this summer, whether heading to the beach, a gathering of friends, uptown, or downtown sport your seersucker with pride knowing that you're keeping a rich history and tradition alive.


Sources: 
David Colman (2006-04-20). "Summer Cool of a Different Stripe". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
Flusser, Alan. Dressing the Man. New York: HarperCollins World, 2003. Print.