NorwegianCool

In the Summer

I have a tweed (made from Lovat Mill Teviot fabric) that I wear throughout the summer in Norway. Only on the very hottest of days must I leave it in the cupboard and anyway, on those days, anything more than shirtsleeves is too hot.

The tweed the suit is made from weighs 370g. That is relatively standard for tweed (they tend to weigh from 370g up to 500g) but you can get them as light as 300g. I reckon that you will be able to wear tweed nearly all year round without getting hot. Only during late June to mid-August might you find it a little warm.

The same applies to worsted wool and woollen flannels and other, softer wool mixes. Suits cut from 400g worsted wool can be worn nearly all year round in Norway. That’s not to say you need to buy fabrics in this weight range – see below – but more that if you do, you will not be prevented from wearing them by the summer weather.

In the Winter

At the other end of the scale, some of the fabrics designed for tropical climates start at about 200g. These are lighter and feel lighter when you are wearing them. You can wear suits from light materials in Norway in the winter just as you can wear heavier ones in the summer.

Conclusion

To conclude, then, if you live in a Northern country, you should not rule out any fabric weight between 200g and 400g for a suit based on climate considerations.

If you find yourself travelling to warmer countries and want a suit to wear there, you should consider the 200g to 300g range. Apart from anything else, a tweed suit looks a little odd on the streets of Dar es Salaam.

Fit

There is no doubt that there is a trend for suits that fit, that are cut so the body of the suit follows the contours of the body wearing it. It helps if your shoulders are broader than your chest which is in turn broader than your waist. But even if you don’t possess the physique of an Olympic swimmer, having your suit cut properly with a hint (not too much) of shape at the waist will greatly improve the way a suit looks when you wear it. It is possible to have existing suits adjusted at a good tailor.

Lapels

You could buy a modern briefcase. There are many available and many of them are very nice. However, many of them are not very nice. They are all too frequently made from average quality leather or good quality leather that has been treated in such a way to make it look average. Added to that is the fact that many makers have a habit of overdoing the detail and you will realize that buying a nice leather briefcase is far harder than it should be.

The Style

The style of the suit jacket is shaped by a number of factors, listed here:

Double or single breasted – single breasted suits have been the dominant form for years now but recent trends suggest the double-breasted suit might be making a come back

The cut of the suit – fitted at the waist, straighter, shorter or longer than standard – all can be done but will change the balance of the jacket

Type and width of lapels – notched or pointed lapels effect the shape and line of the suit

Number of buttons at the waist – from one to three buttons are the standards, with the shape of the suit changing with each button added as the line of the lapels will be higher or lower

Type of vent – either no vent, a single vent down the middle of the back or a double vent are the options

Details

As well as some of the bigger decisions, a large number of details make a big difference to how the suit will look:

Number and angle of outside pockets – one at either side with the option of a smaller ticket pocket above one of these

Number of buttons on the cuff – anything from single button to five

The lining of the jacket – bright or reserved or patterned

Cleaning is simple.

Wipe the shoes clean with a damp cloth and let them dry. In Norway this is an important step – particularly in the winter, when grit and salt is spread on the streets.

Apply the polish in liberal quantities and make sure it is well worked into the leather. It is a good idea to polish the edges of the soles as well as the upper part of the shoes.

Let the polish dry for a good 10 minutes before polishing

Polish with a brush and then buff with a cloth

If you have leather boots that you do not want to polish with a coloured polish, use a neutral dubbin-type leather cleaner (mink oil for instance).  To make sure you do a proper job, remove the laces and try to get the cleaner everywhere.

Pay attention to the leather and to the soles. Try to avoid falling into the trap of thinking that, because you live in a Northern country where it rains and snows, you need to buy shoes with extra think rubber soles. This applies equally to black shoes, brogues or boots. The one concession you might need to make is to replace the leather soles with rubber ones. This is a job that any decent cobbler will do. The better ones will have a sole that matches the original and is hardly visible when the shoes are on.

No matter what, you will need a pair of black shoes. Keep them simple. The shorter the leg of your trouser, the better a smart boot will look. These polished Chelsea boots by Loake are reasonable and can be found in Oslo: http://www.loake.co.uk/290.html