Why You Should Be Wearing Wool—Yes! Wool!—During the Summer

When things warm up, most guys reach for cotton and linen suits. It’s expected—the “right” thing to do when it’s hot and the occasion demands a degree of formality. I’m not here to throw stones. If those guys are happy in their (stifling) cotton and (wrinkled) linen, I’m happy for them.

But I employ a different tactic. When I tell people about it, the very idea confounds them (or makes them give me the side-eye).

I reach for wool.

Yes, wool. That quintessential cold-weather insulator. It’s my fabric of choice when the mercury is high. Skeptical? I don’t blame you. But counterintuitive as it may seem, wool is a profoundly practical warm-weather go-to. It absorbs and evaporates moisture more effectively than most other textiles do, making it a temperature regulator. On a cold day, sure, it’ll keep you warm. But on a hot day? The right wool will cool you down.

The right wool? Well, that’s the crux of this whole story. Cotton and linen are often woven more densely to improve the durability of the finished fabric and give it a more uniform, professional look. Wool, on the other hand, lends itself to an open weave in which the threads are spaced farther apart—making it lightweight and airy—while maintaining its visual polish. Look out for terms like tropical, fresco, and high-twist, all of which are good indicators that you’re getting the right kind of wool.

Jacket ($1,400) by the Armoury.

Take, for instance, the sport coat above, which is made by the Japanese brand Ring Jacket from its proprietary Balloon fabric, which is composed of wool. See how the light cuts right through it? That’s exactly what the wind will do on a sweltering summer day. A cotton or linen suit, on the other hand—especially a fully lined one—is going to block that blessed midday breeze.

Plus, it’s just plain easier to wear wool. It doesn’t crease like linen, soak up sweat like cotton, or hold onto smells like synthetics. All of which equates to less time ironing, dry-cleaning, and generally fussing over the look of my clothing and more time to, you know, actually enjoy the summer.

Try giving that the side-eye.