- Of all the different types of suits
that are appropriate for summer,
a Solaro suit is one of the most unique.
To put it another way,
if you are a student of men's style
then a Solaro suit is like graduate level menswear.
You've kind of got to be a bit of a menswear nerd
to love, understand, and honestly get it.
But it's such a singular piece of menswear that if
you do consider yourself a part of the men's style tribe,
you really need to get to know.
Which is what we're gonna do right now.
But if you don't want this little pre-outfit primer
and history lesson on the Solaro fabric,
if you want to just skip ahead and get to the outfits,
you can go ahead and do that.
It's really easy with the chapter titles we have down below.
For those of you who have stuck around though,
Solaro has a very interesting story.
It was designed in the early 20th century
and is often referred to as one of
the first technical fabrics
in that it was developed for a specific purpose,
which was to protect British soldiers
from the harmful effects of UV rays in tropical climates.
Though it turns out that a lot of the science
behind its inception really doesn't bear out today.
Now, although it might not do what it was intended to do,
that doesn't change the fact that
it is still a very interesting fabric.
It is characterized by a really, really cool
kind of iridescent effect created by
the brick red yarn on the underside
woven into the other yarn, which is typically brownish,
but can also be found in greens and blues.
Interestingly, though we use Solaro
as kind of a catch-all term,
that name is actually patented and that fabric
is produced by Smith Woollens, which is now Harrison's.
What that means is that currently no other manufacturer
can use the name Solaro for their fabric.
Though, there are certainly many other producers
that make a fabric with the same characteristics.
Just a little tidbit of knowledge
should you find yourself discussing the finer points
of this fabric at any point in your life.
That's a quick look at the fabric.
Now let me show you five ways that you can style this suit.
Despite its iridescent quality,
and the fact that it really kinda changes color
depending on how the light hits it,
when you are considering how to style a Solaro suit
it's best to think of it as just a simple brown suit.
Let's actually talk a little bit about the suit
before we get into this particular styling here.
So it is from our collection with Michael Andrews.
This fabric is not the Smith Woollens Harrisons Solaro,
so technically not a Solaro suit.
Our fabric here is from Standeven.
Put the fabrics next to each other,
you cannot tell a difference,
which is why I'm still going to call this a Solaro suit.
Price though, there's a big difference.
It's about half the price of the true Solaro.
Styling details, very simple, very classic.
Two button, notched lapel, flat pockets.
Though, if you would like to emulate
a famous Solaro suit wearer, Gianni Agnelli,
be sure to choose jetted pockets.
The jacket is half lined and has a double vent.
The pants have belt loops, pleats, and a two inch cuff.
First look here is just very simple
and monolithic, white poplin shirt
paired with a brown grenadine tie, sunglasses,
simple white pocket square,
and finished off with some braided leather tassel loafers.
Now of the five looks you'll see in this video, this one,
as well as look number four,
I'm gonna give the superlative to
of most likely to spot at Pitti.
I think we owe a lot of the current,
more widespread knowledge of this fabric
thanks to the many stylish gentlemen spotted wearing it
by the photographers patrolling Pitti Uomo.
Makes sense, it's a serious menswear trade show,
which attracts serious menswear dudes.
What I wanna point out most about this look
is just how natural a Panama hat looks with a Solaro suit.
A classic summer suit and a classic summer accessory
that just go together.
Underneath the story is the stripe.
Combining two different stripes here.
We have a kind of classic stripe in the shirt
paired with the big bold stripe in the tie.
Pocket square fold with a little more flair.
You might have noticed the watch,
I'm wearing the same watch in all of these looks,
it's my JLC Reverso.
And once again, I'm anchoring this look
with some braided leather tassel loafers.
Any way you wanna look at it
a Solaro suit is a standout piece.
It's singular, it's unique, it makes a statement,
and it's a conversation starter.
With any kind of statement piece
the best and easiest way to style it,
and I say this all the time, is to let it be the star,
which means to keep the rest of the outfit simple.
One more time, statement piece
equals rest of the outfit simple.
Remember that.
Nothing more simple than the combination
we've got going on under the jacket here.
It's an ice blue Oxford cloth shirt,
which is paired with a navy silk knit tie,
squared off bottom more casual feel,
perfect compliment to this particular suit.
Now, just to bring in a bit of contrast
and a little flamboyance,
which again really matches this fabric,
we've got kind of a louder pocket square.
Aviator sunglasses this time
with a cool Brown gradient lens.
And chic suede loafers to finish it off.
Another kind of Pitti-ish look here,
though I might also add, rather simple.
Of course, what kinda takes me to
that Pitti vibe is the Panama hat.
You've seen it previously in this video already,
and in other videos as well.
If you're wondering, it is made by Homero Ortega.
Ice blue shirt paired with a green striped tie.
I think this shade of green
really works well with this suit,
and kind of interestingly also with the blue,
which is mentally a little surprising, I have to admit.
Pocket square again is a very subtle contrast,
it's a very light tan with just a little bit of green
peeking out to bring in the color of the tie.
And then I've got on my horse bit loafers.
Personally I like to wear a Solaro suit
with a tie as you've seen,
but like most other suits,
you can also wear it without a tie.
That's what we're doing here.
Really bringing out the casualness of this styling,
I chose a light blue denim shirt.
You'll also notice, in keeping it more casual,
I've rolled up the shirt sleeves over the jacket slightly.
You may recall I did this in a previous video,
great styling hack if your shirt sleeves are too long
and you've neglected to get them shortened,
which I have to admit is the case here.
We're doing another contrasting pocket square here,
Oliver Peoples Banks sunglasses.
And once again, the suede loafers,
which are the Sagan model by Baudoin and Lange.
Solaro is just one of the many fabrics
that are perfect for a summer suit.
And you can check out more of those fabrics,
as well as more summer suit outfits,
with the playlist I created, which is right over there.
Click that and let me show you how
you can wear a suit when it's hot outside.
It's possible, trust me.
I'll see you over there for some more outfits.
And be sure to always stay tailored.