Most linen suits fail by the second wearing. The fabric puckers in the wrong places, the jacket loses its shape before lunch, and what looked effortless on the hanger starts to look like you slept in it. That is not the fault of linen as a material. That is the fault of a badly constructed suit made from cloth that was never meant to last.

The suits we have pulled together here are different. They are cut with enough structure to hold their shape through a warm afternoon without feeling stiff, and made from linen that actually improves with a bit of honest wear. We have been looking specifically at weights and constructions that work for a summer wedding, a long lunch, or a city day when the temperature makes a wool suit unthinkable.

The right linen suit looks like a considered choice rather than a compromise. These are the ones that still look good at the end of the day.