Scandinavian simplicity combined with Italian craftsmanship - DressLikeA

The GIGI - casual summer suit


How about a suit featuring shorts as trousers? Starting the week by taking a look of my new summer suit by The GIGI. A suit that might not be the most classic choice and that might not be to everyone's taste but that has quickly become one of my personal summer favorites. The GIGI heroes suit - textures of jacket and shorts

The GIGI Heroes - most casual interpretation of a suit

Since their first presentation at Pitti Uomo 86 the company has got my interest. In general it is to be said that GIGI boldly and smoothly transform traditionally classic clothing such as suits and sport coats into casual setting by innovative fabric treatments and bold patterns making their pieces suitable to combine with casual wear such as sweatshirts, t-shirts and sneakers.

The suit featured here is a model named "Heroes", a piece from GIGIs spring and summer ´15 collection. The jacket is made of cotton fabric (mixed with 8% elastane), totally unstructured and unlined with shawl collar and two patch pockets.

The jacket in fact feels like a shirt. As mentioned, there is no lining (except for the sleeves) and the cloth itself, despite the rough-kind-of texture is pretty light. The buttoning stance (with 2 buttons) is for me pretty optimal even though I believe this is a jacket I'll be wearing more unbuttoned. The shawl collar in fact underlines the casual character of the jacket and for many I believe it can even bring in mind some kind of bathrobe or a housecoat.

The GIGI heroes suitThe GIGI - shawl collar suit jacket and shorts

If someone is complaining that suits are uncomfortable and oppressive, here is a suit that is not. When you have "suit trousers" that come with drawstrings and are made of elastic cotton - one can only be at ease while wearing these. But of course, this is not meant to be worn as a business suit.

Finally, when the suit itself is as striking as the one here, I would personally keep the rest of the outfit pretty restrained. No ties, no pocket squares and no dress shoes. Instead pair it with t-shirts, maybe a casual button-up or a popover and sneakers, slip-ons or loafers as footwear. Also keep the color scheme simple and unpretentious. The GIGI heroes suit - soft shoulderThe GIGI heroes suit - textures II

Shorts and summer casual

I have earlier written about wearing shorts for summer. As mentioned there,  shorts can actually be quite tough to pull of even you wouldn't think that in the first place. It is easily forgotten that in terms of shorts the fit is as important as it is with any other garment. Often you see men wearing baggy shorts that are definitely too big and sloppy, too long or otherwise have just a bad fit. In terms of fit, material, color and of course the use (purpose) of shorts are relevant when choosing the right pair.

When I got the suit and tried the shorts for the first time I wasn't really sure if I could pull them off as they seemed too baggy and too long for my taste (and for my build). After a while I decided to take them to my tailor - even though one of my friends told me that altering them would ruin the idea of how they should fit an look. I asked my tailor to narrow the legs a bit a bit as well to shorten them a bit and finish them with little cuffs to sharpen the final look.

And even though these are not as tight as some shorts in my rotation, I'm very pleased with the result. I think now they look just as they are intended to look - casual and relaxed but still relatively fitted and sharp. I can wear them with the jacket for that total look as done above but they can also be worn separately with a polo-shirt, just with a t-shirt or with some lightweight knitwear.

And as they are comfy as hell - I can wear them at home while laying on the sofa and watching TV without any need to worry about them getting wrinkled or getting dirty.

Polo shirt with cotton shortsThe GIGI heroes - suit with shorts

Sum up

It is clear that this one is not a suit for every guy. It is as clear that this is not a suit I will wear for work-meetings or celebrations with any kind of formal nature. But still this suit has quickly become as one of my favorite summer attires.

There are a lot of remarkable details on the suit such as the shawl collar on the jacket, trousers which are shorts and on top of that the fabric chosen for the suit is quite striking in itself. But in the end I personally think these all are matching to each other and balanced in a right way. As said, this is not a formal suit or a suit that matches the description what we are used to know as archetype of a suit but for a casual summer wear it is more than appropriate.

And as the quality, finishing and details are all top notch - I bet I will keep wearing this for quite many times this summer.

Wearing:

Suit: The GIGI Polo-shirt: Gutteridge Sneakers: Superga


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