It’s a cruel irony that the best chances to suit and boot up come when the weather makes shrugging on a suit utterly unappealing. Wedding season sees men lose comprehension of how heat works, as they slip on padded jackets, waistcoats, even tweed, without thinking about how their sweat-slicked face will look in the post-ceremony photos.

Our continental cousins have the jump on us when it comes to dressing sharp in the heat. Understandably, considering how much more practice they get. But the most potent weapon in their summer armoury is a fabric Brits have donned since the dark ages.

Linen offers the sun-drenched man all manner of benefits. It’s riddled with tiny holes, which means air circulates freely, so you keep your cool while all around you are losing theirs. Not only that, it can absorb an inordinate amount of water without showing it, so no tell-tale sweat marks when you’re suffering through hours of self-written vows.

On a more sartorial note, its nubby texture – courtesy of the thicker fibres that linen is woven from – gives outfits depth. But these same fibres also mean that linen wrinkles like grapes in the sun. It’s why linen suits can leave you looking like you didn’t get home last night, but a linen blazer lends an air of raffish insouciance.

To make the most of linen’s warm-weather savvy, you want a blazer that’s unlined. Sticking silk inside means the shell stays cool while you bake, and padding adds a stiffness that’s out-of-step with the fabric’s laid-back aesthetic. A slightly shorter cut works with anything from chinos to – if you’re feeling bold – tailored shorts, especially if you opt for neutral shades.

9 Of The Best Linen Blazers

Suitsupply Jort Blue Herringbone Jacket

If you really can’t stomach creases, look for blends. Here, linen keeps you from stifling, but silk adds stiffness so you stay unrumpled as well.