Survive the heatwave: Top summer fabric picks

shirting summer fabric

While you may think that t-shirts and tank tops are best for summer, they’re actually a lot less practical than long-sleeved shirts. When it comes to summer, the more skin that is covered, the better. Long-sleeved shirts, made from summer-ready materials like voile, linen, and batiste, offer that all-important protection in summer. Summer fabrics like these can also absorb sweat, ensuring you feel fresh and comfortable throughout the day.

Poplin fabric

If you’re looking for summer-ready shirting for the workplace, choose poplin shirting fabrics. Cotton fabrics are great for summer as they’re natural rather than manmade, but choosing the right version of cotton is important. Avoid heavier cottons and stick to lightweight versions like poplin, which will be much cooler than other cotton dress shirts. Cotton fabrics like poplin are also breathable too, absorbing sweat and moisture – ensuring you don’t feel hot, sticky and uncomfortable.

blue check poplin fabric

 

Batiste fabric

Like poplin, lightweight batiste fabric is a cotton too – making it ideal for a heatwave. In fact, it’s even lighter than poplin, so it’s a great choice for hot climates and sunny getaways. One of the disadvantages of batiste though, it that it’s somewhat transparent.

striped Batiste fabric

 

Linen fabrics

Linen shirting fabrics is a go-to material for many during the hot summer season. It’s fresh and breezy and guaranteed to keep you cool – but better suited to holidays and home as opposed to the workplace. As a light, natural material, linen also tends to dry faster and absorb any sweat – while a heavier fabric will cling and trap sweat making you feel hot and uncomfortable.

linen fabric sample

 

Voile fabric

Voile shirting fabric is a great choice for summer. Thanks to its design, the fabric is soft and airy – ideal for ensuring you stay cool in hot climates. It does tend to wrinkle easily though, so if you have to travel long-distance to a meeting if may not be the best choice. The shirt is also more transparent than the other lightweight shirts we’ve covered today – so this may be one to wear at home or layer with during the summer months.

blue and pink check Voile fabrics

 

Other tips for staying cool this summer

 

  1. Choose light coloured fabrics

It’s not just about the materials you wear; choice of colour is also important. While dark colours absorb light, lighter colours, like white, yellow, and pale blue, reflect light – helping you to stay cool in summer.

 

  1. Choose a lightweight, unlined blazer

If you have to wear a jacket for work, make sure you’ve got a heatwave-appropriate option in your wardrobe. The majority of blazers are lined with fabrics like polyester or silk, which are known to trap heat. Instead, choose an unlined jacket. This will better allow air circulation and keep you cool.

 

  1. Team shirting with chinos

We’ve already talked about the benefits of cotton in summer – and that’s exactly why chinos are the perfect trousers for pairing with your summer shirt. Ideal for work and home, they keep your legs covered and protected from the sun while allowing good air circulation and breathability too.

 

For more summer shirting inspiration, why not have a look at our vacation-ready fabrics? You’ll have choice of all the best fabrics and styles.

What tips do you have for staying cool this summer? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @AcornFabrics

We're Rated Excellent

Henrique BarboneHenrique Barbone
22:13 17 Dec 21
Acorn Fabrics is one of the only shirting mills that engages with and sells directly to end customers. Aside from this, the quality of their fabrics is on par with the likes of Thomas Mason and other big players in the market. Their collection has some uniquely interesting colours and patterns such as a red striped heavy Oxford (my shirtmaker in Naples couldn't find a similar fabric from any other mill) or the cotton-linen Aruba denim. Having browsed through shirting swatches from many other mills, I also think that Acorn has the best collection of Tattersall shirtings anywhere. I've taken several of Acorn's fabrics to Naples with me and had them made into beautiful shirts.
sal bsal b
06:09 17 Oct 17
My Acorn fabrics arrived in Sydney today - including the Malham 280 royal. The staff at Acorn are professional and generous, and head an extraordinary company with excellent quality cloth. I feel blessed to have discovered them and will definitely look forward to using them again in future. Sal B in Sydney
Jamie CampbellJamie Campbell
21:41 31 Jul 17
I can't praise Acorn Fabrics highly enough. A wonderful company, I didn't think such companies still existed. Five stars are just not enough!
Tim JonesTim Jones
08:28 14 Jun 17
I have always found Acorn Fabrics to be a splendid company. Their product is of the highest quality, offered across a wide, comprehensive range of fabrics and colours and the 'team' are both veryfriendly and extremely efficient. It is a pleasure to do business with them.
js_loader

Stay In Touch