Tomorrow marks the Capitol’s annual “Seersucker Day” where politicos gather to conduct the state’s business in this traditional crinkle-striped garb of the South — a tradition perhaps more apropos in years with predictably warmer March weather.
Seersucker’s popularity is as much about its science as its style. The textile is created using a method called “slack-tension weave”, where the yarn weave in one direction is tight while it is loose in the other. This creates a puckered, wrinkled look, and more importantly, creates airspace between the body and the clothing, maximizing heat dissipation and air circulation. Even better, it is unnecessary to iron seersucker fabrics; and generally, they are safe in the dryer.
It was for these reasons that seersucker was chosen as the summer service uniform for the first female US Marines during WWII; and why it became known as a staple item of the American South. Here’s some more mint for the proverbial julip: seersucker derives its name from the Persian words for “milk and sugar” — ksheer aur shakkar; and it was once considered a breach of protocol to appear before the US president in such a suit.
Florida’s legislative custom continues this year, even as the US Senate gave up their own Seersucker Thursday last summer, fearing that “it would be politically unwise to be seen doing something frivolous when there’s so much conflict over major issues.”
Rep. Jimmy Patronis feels otherwise.
“There has been great bipartisan support for the custom each year we’ve done it,” Patronis said. “It is collegial, and ties to a history where seersucker was worn as a way to get through long days working in the heat before air conditioning.”
Although the advent of air conditioning in the US Capitol in the 1950s reduced the need for wearing seersucker regularly, Senator Trent Lott began the tradition of designating a seersucker day in the mid-90s — which gained a following among as many as 30 of his Senate colleagues, men and women alike.
Florida’s custom has also be tied to some pranks. In 2007, fliers splayed around the Capitol proclaimed Tuesday’s seersucker day to be sponsored by Rep. Frank Attkisson — only Attkisson didn’t sponsor the day, didn’t own seersucker, and only said that he’d be donning boots for the upcoming boot day.
Expect seersucker to get a fair showing this year, with Patronis leading the way, and with the Realtors’ block party following suit… literally.
