This year, June 13 marks the official date when U.S. Senate leaders set aside political differences for a more perfect sartorial union.
Though popularized beginning in 1909 by New Orleans merchant Joseph Haspel, the seersucker suit has also long been closely associated with another Southern city: Washington, D.C. The puckered, lightweight cotton fabric—which derives its name from “shir o shakka,” Persian for “milk and sugar”—possesses qualities that are tailor-made for politicians, whether they’re on the campaign trail or enduring swampy capital summers. It’s naturally rumpled and helps repel humidity.
