The best suit fabrics for the Dubai heat

A suit in Dubai lives in two climates. Outside, summer afternoons pass 40°C and the air is often humid. Inside, offices, malls and cars are kept cold. Good fabric has to cope with both, and with the walk between them.

A few fabrics cover the whole year between them, each suited to a different season.

Weave matters more than weight

Fabric weight is given in grams per running metre. Most suitings fall between about 230 and 350 g. The lower end is light, and anything above about 320 g is a fabric for winter.

Weight is only half the story. An open weave lets air pass through the fabric, and a tight one holds it in. A loosely woven fabric at 270 g can wear cooler than a densely woven one that weighs less. When you handle a swatch, hold it up to the light. The more light comes through, the more air will move.

Fine worsteds: the year-round suit

Worsted yarn is spun from long, combed wool fibres, which makes it smooth and strong. A fine worsted is light, holds a crease in the trouser and recovers well from a day of wear. It is the right fabric for an air-conditioned office, and comfortable enough for the short walk outside.

Tasmanian Navy from Loro Piana is a Super 150s worsted at 250 g. 15milmil15 Charcoal from Zegna, at 240 g, is woven from 15-micron wool and resists creasing, which also makes it a good fabric to travel in.

A note on Super numbers. They measure how fine the wool fibre is, and a higher number feels softer and smoother. They say nothing about how open the weave is, so a higher number does not make a suit cooler. The finest fabrics also need a little more care.

Hopsack: the hot-weather wool

Hopsack is a basket weave. The yarns are woven in pairs or small groups, which leaves tiny open squares across the fabric. That structure breathes well, and because wool springs back, a hopsack creases far less than linen.

Camel Hopsack from Drago, at 270 g, suits a summer blazer or a suit that has to stay sharp outdoors. A hopsack blazer is as much at home at a business lunch as at dinner on a terrace.

Linen: cool, dry and honest

Linen is woven from flax. It feels cool to the touch, takes up moisture and dries quickly, which is why it suits the hottest months. It also creases, and that is part of its character.

A heavier linen drapes better and creases less than a light one. Sand Linen, at 280 g, and Olive Linen from Luiselle, at 260 g, both have the weight to hang well. A linen suit is best kept for daytime, weekends and outdoor weddings. See the linen suit.

Flannel: for winter and travel

From December to February, Dubai evenings turn cool, and nights in the desert are colder still. Flannel earns its place then. It is a soft wool with a brushed face that holds warmth.

Chocolate Flannel from Scabal, at 340 g, is the fabric for winter dinners and for trips to London or Europe. It is also a sound choice if you spend the whole day in a cold office.

Construction counts too

The way a jacket is made changes how it wears in the heat.

A half lining, or no lining at all in the body, lets air move. A half canvas keeps the chest shaped and leaves the rest of the jacket light. A glued interlining is stiffer and breathes less than a floating canvas. Lighter colours reflect the sun, and darker ones absorb it.

The shirt beneath the jacket makes a difference too. Giza Poplin from Thomas Mason is crisp and cool, and Sky End-on-End has a soft, mottled blue that sits well under navy and grey. See the bespoke shirt.

A simple Dubai wardrobe

If you are starting from scratch, three suits cover the year:

• a navy or charcoal fine worsted for work, in every season
• a hopsack or linen for the hottest months
• a flannel for winter evenings and travel

Every fabric, with its mill, weight and season, is in the fabric library.

The best way to choose is to handle the fabric yourself. Book a consultation and we will open the mill books from Loro Piana, Zegna, Scabal, Drago and others on the table in our Business Bay showroom, or bring them to your home or office.