Southern gentlemen have long understood the beauty, practicality, and unmistakable coolness of the seersucker suit — and nowhere does this fabric feel more at home than Louisiana, especially New Orleans, where heat, heritage, and high style collide.
This sartorial journey begins at Rubenstein’s, the city’s oldest men’s clothing store, where seersucker suits sell “like beignets” the moment spring arrives. Second‑generation co‑owner Andre Rubenstein explains that New Orleans is a place that loves to suit up — from formal dinners to jacket‑required restaurants — and seersucker remains the city’s most breathable, heat‑friendly answer to its famously sweltering climate.
The magic of seersucker lies in its construction. The word comes from the Persian shīr o shakar — “milk and sugar” — a nod to its alternating smooth and puckered textures. The fabric is woven with tight and loose tension yarns, creating tiny ripples that lift the cloth off the skin, forming natural air pockets. The result? A suit that’s lightweight, breezy, and built for Southern summers.
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No brand embodies this legacy more than Haspel, the New Orleans–born company that turned seersucker into a national status symbol. Fourth‑generation CEO Lori Haspel recalls how her great‑grandfather transformed what was once an inexpensive work fabric into a gentleman’s essential. Haspel suits have since been worn by presidents, authors, celebrities — and most iconically by Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.
To see the tradition in action, a group of New Orleanians gathered at the International House Hotel, each wearing their own spin on the classic. What once symbolized old‑school Southern formality has evolved into something modern, versatile, and inclusive. Men, women, and even kids sport seersucker now — dressed up, dressed down, and always with that effortless New Orleans charm.
As one local put it, New Orleans has mastered the art of being “the coolest place on the planet while also being the hottest.” And the seersucker suit mirrors that duality perfectly — a little rough, a little smooth, always iconic.
