The appeal of Solaro: Suit from Cristina Dalcuore
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Solaro has always been one of those materials I’ve found intriguing but never took the leap on, simply because I was too unsure how much I’d like such an unusual, and in some ways showy material.
For those that don’t know, Solaro was invented in 1907 by a scientist looking for a material that British soldiers could wear in tropical climates, to reflect the sun. While that didn’t work, it did become popular among civilians for summer suiting, and Smith Woollens has woven it and held the trademark since 1931.
Although the overall effect is beige, the red and light-green yarns create a complex effect close-up. It’s usually woven as a herringbone, and the material looks like a striped material with a subtle iridescence that can appear red, green or related colours like warm orange.
The reverse of the material is mostly red and sometimes this is used as an accent, though I would rather avoid that (a miscommunication led to this jacket having a red lining - the only thing Dalcuore got wrong).
Given all this, it’s not surprising people are wary of Solaro. The thing that tends to convert them is seeing others wear it - usually Italians, who wear it casually with suede shoes and in relaxed cuts. (And have a particular reverence for English cloth.)
I was convinced to try it by regular sightings of a Londoner wearing a Solaro suit with a Western shirt. Something about the denim really complimented the beige, and it looked particularly good with suede shoes, in either dark brown or tobacco.
I also liked how - particularly out of the sun - the overall effect was simply of an interesting beige shade. I’ve always liked the idea of a beige suit, but haven’t always been successful with them. Solaro I knew, at least from most angles, was the perfect tone.
So I had the suit pictured made this year by Dalcuore in Naples. Why Dalcuore? Well, since Gigi Dalcuore sadly passed away his daughter Cristina has been leading the cutting, and I knew some readers had questions about that transition.
Perfectly understandable when you’re replacing a master like Gigi, and something that came up when Edward Sexton passed away recently too. If you’re an existing customer, you want to know you’re going to get the same quality; if you’re a new customer, you want to know you’re not losing anything by not using the original.
Cristina therefore deliberately made my pattern from scratch, with her own measurements, rather than using my existing pattern. Of course, she has been present at every fitting I’ve had in the past, and conducted some of them herself, so this was hardly new to her. But good to cover all bases.
The result seems just as good as Gigi’s work, to me, and the trousers might even fit slightly better. There was the miscommunication with the lining, but it’s hard to lay blame there - I asked for a matching lining and they matched the reverse of the cloth, rather than the face. Unfortunately that’s not something that can really be changed without taking apart the inbreast pockets.
Since getting the suit, I’ve worn it perhaps eight or nine times, in sun and cloud. I’m pleased to say I do like it, but I'm not sure it’s for everyone.
The iridescence is subtle unless you’re in direct sunlight, and even then you have to be at the right angle to catch the reflection. So most of the time it’s a beige suit with a touch of interest - the kind someone will definitely notice when they’re talking to you, or standing next to you, but not otherwise.
In some ways it falls into the same category as the brown chalkstripe I featured recently from Fred Nieddu. Its pattern makes it nice without a tie, because there's something else going on with the fabric, but it’s not as bold as something like a check.
Still, it is more unusual than another beige suit and I think you have to like the effect to make it worth it. I also wouldn't attempt to justify it by calling it a menswear 'classic' or anything simple like that.
Also, it is not cool. It’s just a wool suit, 11/12oz, and not really suited to hot days and many parts of the world. I’d happily wear it through Spring and Autumn, and even much of the Summer here in the UK, but I’m not going to venture into the tropics.
I’ve shown the suit with three different outfits, to illustrate how suede makes a particularly good partner - either in tobacco or brown - and the effect of denim underneath.
Brown suede is easy and conservative, tobacco bolder but certainly works with no tie or hank going on. Mid-brown leathers work too, but suede makes everything more casual, which is welcome.
The first outfit, shown at the top of this article, is with a simple pale-blue denim shirt. The one above uses a heavier Western-style shirt, which pushes a touch along the subtle/showy spectrum. And below is the suit with a white PS Oxford shirt - not quite as nice as blue, but still good; and the fact both blue and white work show how wearable beige is, even if you don’t want that extra kick of Solaro.
Other mills make versions of Solaro, which tend to be lighter or more unusual in one way or another. But Smith’s do also have a smaller herringbone, two twills, a blue version and at one point a diamond weave, which is probably enough.
And in any case I don’t think those add much to the classic, the wider herringbone SW2578. There’s no point trying to make it subtler with a smaller herringbone, because it won’t make much difference. But I also, personally, don’t want to make it more unusual, which is what a diamond weave would do.
Until the age of social media, Solaro was really only worn by the Italians, who had that aforementioned love of British cloth, the example of Agnelli and similar, and the consistent sunshine to dress for. I’m glad the blessing and the curse that is Instagram changed that, although personally I’m pleased I didn’t take the plunge until I’d seen it in person.
Dalcuore suits start at €4500 and jackets €3800. The cloth is Smith Woollens SW2578 (11/12oz) from the Luxury Flannels bunch, and the buttons are a mid-brown corozo. Dalcuore are next in London from October 25-27 at The Stafford hotel.
Clothes shown:
- Denim shirt from Al Bazar (old model)
- Western shirt from Niche (via No Man Walks Alone)
- Tan crocodile belt from Ludens
- Brown suede belt from Rubato
- Tan suede loafers from Gaziano & Girling
- Brown suede loafers from Edward Green
Oh, and here is the lovely work Ludens did to extend my alligator skin with a length of suede (as mentioned in the article on him here)
Very nice suit Simon!
I’ve seen the Smith Woolens Solero on their webpage and they offer Solero in other colours,I think a bluish one and different weaves.
I don’t think Solero would be suitable for jackets alone?
Thanks Lindsay, and yes I mention those other options at the end of the piece.
No, I wouldn’t recommend it for a jacket on its own.
Any thoughts on whether Solaro works as a separate for trousers alone?
Thanks,
W
It can, with something plain on top, but I think I’d do that as an exception with trousers from a suit, not have them made for that purpose
I will re-post my contribution but can’t understand why it was not published. This is the second time this week that a comment has been not passed moderation so an explanation would be helpful.
Huntsman had a RTW Solaro jacket in the house style, probably made by Saint Andrews in Italy, on sale a few years ago. It was my size, fitted perfectly and discounted heavily. After a lengthy deliberation, I resisted the temptation because I could not think of trousers that would work well with it. On reflection, I should have bought it and commissioned matching MTO trousers.
It was published Gary – it’s just below this one.
That’s very odd as it was not there earlier this morning. I have been having problems with Safari (commenting on blogs, especially Blogger) in recent weeks. I have just installed a massive Mac OS update which will hopefully sort it.
That is odd. Bear in mind it might take me a few hours to get back to a laptop and publish all comments. Usually it’s a lot quicker than that, but sometimes I’ll be out at an event, travelling etc
This relates to my comment above. I’m personally happy to have separate Solaro trousers as the fabric is not very heavy and may show wear relatively quickly. You could always commission two pair of trousers with the suit (as was once common even in RTW) and accomplish the same thing.
Thank you Max, have replied above
Interesting observation. Over 10 years ago, before the change in ownership, I had a fitting in Huntsman. There was a RTW Solaro jacket in the house style, probably made by Saint Andrews in Italy, on sale. It was my size, fitted perfectly and discounted heavily. After a lengthy deliberation, I resisted the temptation because I could not think of trousers that would work well with it. On reflection, I should have bought it and commissioned matching MTO trousers.
Ah yes, that would have been a nice idea. Of course, there’s always a risk that fabrics vary slightly from piece to piece (60m or so of weaving) but I can imagine Solaro being more consistent.
hi Simon. I am happy you finally took the plunge. I was also a bit worried that Solaro would be hard to wear, but I found it isn’t and it quickly became my favorite suit. I am probably going to order a single breasted in the diamond weave, which I bought a cut of a few years back when it was still in production, before too long because I love Solaro so much. All the best, Andrew
Firstly, compliments to the photographer for showing the cloth so well . Normally it just looks beige on photos .
Secondly , relax Simon , that’s a beautiful suit that worn without a tie looks like how men would like to wear suits .
Cheers Robin
Love the cut, though I have to say I am still not a fan of the fabric (not that it is too showy, I quite like showy, but I just don’t like the shine and the color).
Regardin the choice of belt loops over ajusters, I reckon the argument is the same as for your Nieddou chalkstripe suit; would you say that your suit commissions will now lend towards casual/chic/subtly showy, or do you plan on having more formal suits made?
Certainly trending in that direction, yes, though I’d still have more formal things made, they’d just be more for evening (and so not be that corporate)
Solaro is one of those choices where there is no room for compromise. It requires top cut and top quality of the fabric otherwise it looks immediately “cheap”. A question for you: would you consider Solaro (in the heavier cloth) inappropriate in winter time ?
I haven’t actually worn it in that way, but I certainly think it would be fine with some sun, no matter what the time of year – in the same way as we talked about the white after labor day rule
Indeed ! I like white trousers in the sunny day on the snowy Alps with red and black checks
Based on my experience, Solaro is always going to attract attention regardless of when you wear it and people will often comment (almost always positive). I don’t think you’d get any more comments if you wear solaro in winter than in summer.
As Simon commented, Solaro wears quite warm. Mainly because it doesn’t really breathe, rather than because of the weight. For me it is a great half season (April-June and Sept-Oct) suit but I see no reason you couldn’t wear it in winter if you live in a place where there is sun and it isn’t too cold in winter.
That makes sense, Solaro is a trick cloth for me unless I move to a warmer climate, because my falls / springs are very short. We go almost from Winter (where it’s too cold) to Summer (where it’s too hot & humid). If we are lucky, it’ll be a month, maximum.
I was about to make a similar comment. I think solar would thrive in the winter in warmer climates. But it’s tough to wear during the summer unless you’re in a northern climate like UK (presumably Iceland, Greenland, Netherlands / Scandinavia, Russia, but I’m not familiar with those climates)
if you’re somewhere warmer, (eg Florida or maybe even Sicily or Naples), it seems like solaro would be a fall winter fabric, given it’s weight. Of course on sunny days in the winter. Would that seem right?
i always wondered about a linen solaro or a wsl solaro. Any idea how they’d hold up during summer?
I think they’d be pretty much the same as those fabrics in any other colour – the weave here isn’t that unusual, it’s mostly the colour combinations
That would be my guess too, it’s all about the fabric’s breathability & weight. Not so much, the fabric’s color. It’s essentially a herringbone suit, with a little bit of a twist.
I have the same Smith’s solaro as Simon’s and I put mine away in June and take it back out in September. I live in Zurich. It is not very comfortable to wear when the temperature rises above 25 degrees.
I wear my Solaro trousers in winter in Rome, with a chunky ribbed creme turtleneck and the aforementioned navy blazer. Unless it is particularly cold, I don’t need an overcoat.
I wonder if it would be worth bringing some of your more unusual pieces (eg this suit) to the pop ups? Perhaps hang some suits from the wall
Thanks Ronnie, I like the idea. I think we might have too much other stuff (there’s so much now!) but I’ll see
That suit looks lovely. Funny that you refer to the colour as beige, it comes over to my eyes as “light brown” (except in the photos of the two Italians). Anyway, the reason I mention the colour is because brown and blue just go so well together, perfectly demonstrated in all of your photos. Yet you don’t see those colours together too often. Anyway it’s a fabric I’d certainly try if I had the means, the red tone is especially nice.
Lovely to see you wearing and covering more suits again, for a while coverage had gone very vintage and streetwear focussed.
I’m really enjoying seeing how you are using and wearing suits in a way that is not showy yet elegant with some lovely combinations.
Look forward to more
Thanks Ravi, good to hear
My thoughts exactly!
I always wondered why you didn’t own a solaro suit and I came to the conclusion that it was too showy for you. Now I have the right answer.
By the way, do you think it would work with reddish brown horn buttons? I think it looks quite harmonious well with those corozo buttons you chose, but there is something about reddish brown horn that I think would match the cloth very well.
Nice thought. I’m not sure actually – I’ve never really been much of a fan of the redder browns, but I can see here it might have something nice to work with
Beautiful suit, Simon – the combination with white OCBD and suede shoes with socks in a complementary colour is actually my favourite. Nicely subdued, muted and overall a very calm, relaxed look. Perhaps you should reconsider this one!
Thanks Wouter!
Great article and suit, Simon!
Out of curiosity, could you please expand on how Cristina leads the cutting at Dalcuore? Does this mean she cuts the garment herself, or has someone else/a team doing it under her supervision?
And would this make a big difference either way?
Many thanks for your insight, as always!
I don’t actually know what the proportion is, but no I don’t think it makes that much difference either way. If there is a consistent style, it’s about supervision and control as much as actual cutting – hence some small Italian houses having just one person doing it all, and Row undercutters sometimes doing all the striking
I have very recently received a commissioned Solaro suit. While I agree that it is not for everyone I have to admit that I end up wearing the suit way more often than I initially expected. It is certainly not as versatile as a navy suit, but far from being impracticable.
Since this is not mentioned in the article I thought to add that the tricky thing with this type of suit is finding the right tie. Unlike the image above would suggest I would avoid flashy madder and steer towards muted ties- otherwise the overall result might be overwhelming.
I also find that color 8 cordovan works extremely well with the suit.
Final note- fully agree that this is not a summer suit.
Thank you Shaoul. My favourite shirt and tie is the old ‘italian background’ of a light blue shirt and dark navy tie (perhaps here a grenadine or a knit silk).
I haven’t tried my color 8 cordovan with it though – I will. Thank you
Hi Simon,
Thanks for the article. As always a good read. Unrelated, can I ask for a feature change in the lookbook segment of the website? It currently only loads the most recent images one group at a time, which makes extremely hard to find older images and doesn’t allow for me to pickup from where I have left before.
Thank you very much
Hi Tamaki,
Thanks. That ‘infinite scroll’ is kind of needed otherwise the page would take a very long time to load. But we are trying to speed it up.
Also working on a filter function for that page that should help too.
Thanks a lot for the suggestion
Hi Simon
Thanks, I imagine it is indeed not possible to load all images at once, or even desirable. My thought in segmenting it in pages (1, 2, 3, … , N) was to keep the number of loaded images limited while allowing for a person to find the images more easily
The filter page would be a great addition, but filtering ( and specially search) functions are usually more complex implementations.
Looking forward to it
Tamaki
I see, thank you.
So far the filter seems to speed things up a lot, but do let me know what you think when it’s live Tamaki.
I really like this one, in fact much more than the brown Dalcuore suit in the style guide. Have you deliberately asked for a longer jacket and lower buttoning point? This one looks much more balanced to me.
Not longer, but yes a lower buttoning point
Love it! I’m looking for some more casual lounge suits, Solaro might be a neat choice
Hi Simon,
I hadn’t heard of this cloth. Not for me personally, but none the less, a very interesting cloth and history.
Simon, with this Solaro suit you’re one step closer to commissioning a suit in mohair, a fabric I haven’t seen you write on too often. It’d be great to hear your opinion on different mohair fabrics.
Thanks Craig. I did have a tux made years ago with Richard Anderson in a mohair mix, but you’re right otherwise I haven’t. I see it as something I’d have made for evening though, super sharp, perhaps even in black. Have you used it more for a summer suit?
I have. It’s a mohair/wool blend in a color very similar to your Solaro suit. But I also have some mohair suits in more formal colors. In general I prefer the appearance of mohair to most of the open weave fabrics like Fresco and Draper’s four-ply. The only open weave fabric I’ve liked is Crispaire.
Thanks Craig
I second this, would love to see a Mohair suit commissioned and reviewed. It’s an interesting fabric but I would imagine difficult to get right I’m sure many readers are in this position.
Looks great. Did you you opt for full lining? I had one made by Rubinacci and couldn’t resist leaving some of the reverse of the cloth showing.
I did, I tend to these days. But given the lining was bright anyway, it didn’t make much difference!
Can’t go wrong following Agnelli. Denim shirt looks great.
Very chic suit, Simon. I think it’s nicely accessorized with a light or mid-blue bengal stripe shirt , and a classic foulard print tie.
Thank you John, that does sound nice
My default when I wear my Solaro is very similar to what John suggested: a white and blue striped shirt of some variety, and a usually a reddish-brown foulard or gabardine tie to complement the red in the weave, and brown suede shoes.
Separately, I like the way that Simon wears the suit more casually with the denim shirt, which I don’t think it easy to do given that the fabric is fairly formal because of the weave and shine. I think it works because it appears to be a relatively informal Neapolitan cut with soft shoulders and patch pockets. I think this would be much harder to do with a more structured cut, even Milanese like mine.
Very interesting and informative. I had always thought that Solaro was a summer weight cloth, as it very much looks like it should be warn in summer, along with its history giving that impression.
Hi Simon, I am glad to hear from you that this is not a summer suit, with 355 gr, couldn’t be. Take care. Mirko
I think the red is more pronounced in this cloth than it often is. Looks very nice and I think you made the right choice in having belt loops. I was hoping to see the lining though.
Ah, sorry Matt. No shot of that
Solaro seems super enjoyable to wear in Madrid from October to May when it quite sunny.
One question: are the sleeves too long? They seem to bunch up a lot in the top pictures.
I’d agree.
No, I don’t think so. When the arms are by the side they’re fine
Looks fantastic. Can be used for a lot of purposes from dinner to work. There is life in this fabric. We can not all be dark blue or gray. Not all the time at least.
Dear Simon,
Do you know of tailors who leave out the hair canvas in the chest?
I can’t seem to find any mentions online regarding this type of construction.
Is this common practice amongst Neapolitan tailoring?
Kind regards,
Nicholas
Hi Nicholas,
Yes, it’s fairly common for Neapolitan tailors just to use a linen canvas and no horsehair. Why?
Thank you for your reply.
I need a few new pieces for my wardrobe & would like to try the lightest construction possible.
I haven’t had anything quite as light as a Neapolitan coat yet, so not certain if it’ll be right for me.
Browsing around instagram, YouTube & articles only seems to yield more results glorifying chest canvases, domets & pad stitching. Haven’t come across anyone speaking about linen canvas only construction so far. Wondering if there is a marketing aspect to this phenomena.
No worries.
I wouldn’t go for the lightest possible if you haven’t had anything before, but a standard Neapolitan make, which will have one less layer than the English standard, would feel rather lighter.
I’m not sure about marketing – often it’s the Italian brands that do that better. But a Neapolitan one would of course have pad stitching still and chest canvas, just out of linen and without a horsehair piece as well
Worth mentioning that while Solaro is generally considered as a suit, it also works as separates. I have a pair of Loro Piana Solaro trousers made by Roti which I wear with a navy double breasted birdseye blazer (bespoke by Santi Macchia in Messina). The combination is unusual, and helps avoid the conservative/yachting look many people associate with blue blazers and grey flannel trousers or chinos.
Interesting, thanks Max. I didn’t think that would work but I’ll try it.
I also find the jacket a little too sharp and suit-like in material for a separate jacket. Have you found that?
I’ve never tried a Solaro jacket alone as I don’t have one, only the trousers Roti made for me. I too think a separate jacket might be hard to pull off.
Thanks. I can see the trousers on myself more with a knit as well rather than a jacket. Perhaps a shawl collar
Where is the best place to buy an RTW-washed denim shirt with a cutaway collar like yours?
I don’t know one I like apart from Al Bazar in Milan where I bought mine. There are some Mazzarelli ones on Gabucci that are nice but I don’t like the shades so much.
I want to buy one that I can’t make through bespoke like your Al Bazar shirt. They look so cool with the tailoring.
https://www.camiceriamazzarelli.com/en/sartorial-shirts/japanese-denim-shirt-3/
Is it similar?
I don’t think so, no. From what I can see on that shirt the material is rather different, and there isn’t the fading from the wash either
We are working on our own one that should be out this Spring, but it’s not a spread collar
Nice! Is it going to be light blue washed denim?
Yes
Following up on this thread as today I commissioned a suit in all-cotton solaro (Italian fabric by Drapers, No. 99002, 300 grams). As I understand it, solaro was originally woven in cotton, which would make sense given the tropical climes it was designed for. Of course it’s almost exclusively made in wool these days.
Whether I will love it or regret it remains to be seen, but my tailor here in Rome (Andrea Luparelli at Sartoria Ripense) says he made one for himself in this fabric and loves it. He says the weave makes it much softer than the usual papery feel of cotton suiting, with not much wrinkling. If anyone has experience with cotton solaro I’d love to hear!
Really? Interesting, I thought it was wool. Most tailoring was wool, even for warm conditions. Sounds lovely though
I’ve only read that, can’t confirm.
Hi Simon, what colour lining would you recommend for solaro? I was thinking of going for red or brown and was wondering what your thoughts were.
I would go beige to be honest, as anonymous as possible. There’s enough going on in the cloth without colour in the lining.
As mentioned in the article, that’s what I wanted to do here
Thank you! that’s very helpful!!
Personally I did what you’re thinking, Kristian–I ordered a reddish/brown half lining for my new solaro suit. But I live in Italy and am a bit more at ease with (relatively) showy tailored clothing. I would not however pair solaro with any lining that had a design.