HASPEL CELEBRATES NATIONAL SEERSUCKER DAY

Haspel, the originator of the seersucker suit and iconic retailer Rubensteins New Orleans, will celebrate National Seersucker Day by hosting an evening of cocktails, music, and good times on Thursday, June 13th, at Virgin Hotels New Orleans. The event will include a bourbon tasting and light Southern fare curated by the hotel. Attendance is free, and all wearing seersucker are invited to enjoy the unique entertainment with a look at the latest seersucker fashion.  

In the late 1990s, Mississippi Senator Trent Lott decided the time had come to revive a long-forgotten Senate sartorial tradition. He selected a “nice and warm” day in the second week of June to be designated Seersucker Thursday. His goal was to show that “the Senate isn’t just a bunch of folks wearing dark suits and—in the case of men—red or blue ties.”

On the day before each year’s event, Senators are alerted to the impending “wearing of the seersucker.” In 2004, California Senator Dianne Feinstein encouraged participation by the growing cadre of the Senate’s women members. “I would watch the men preening in the Senate,” she said, “and I figured we should give them a little bit of a horse race.” The following year, 11 of the 14 female senators appeared on Seersucker Thursday in outfits received as gifts from Senator Feinstein. Senators voluntarily make this annual fashion statement in a spirit of good-humored harmony to remind their colleagues of what earlier Senates considered mandatory summer attire.  

National Seersucker Day is now championed in the U.S. Senate by Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), and this year’s co-chair, Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA). This creates an opportunity for lighthearted celebration reaching across the aisle.  

Seersucker continues to be celebrated annually nationwide by seersucker aficionados. It has expanded beyond the traditional blue and white stripes of summer with year-round offerings in a variety of men’s seersucker-inspired sportswear.  

Haspel is a family-owned American brand founded in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dating back to 1909, it quickly established its heritage when Joseph Haspel Sr. transformed the breathable seersucker pucker from a laborer’s uniform into an iconic gentlemen’s suit. That innovative spirit has transcended the decades as Haspel has become a full lifestyle brand encompassing a variety of casual wear, formal wear, tailored clothing, and accessories. Today, fourth-generation owner Laurie Haspel leads the business with a creative vision rooted in her great-grandfather’s methodology, i.e., clothing made for a good time.  

Rubensteins (David Rubenstein is being inducted into the MR Awards Hall of Fame this July) is also a family-owned American brand, celebrating its 100th Anniversary as New Orleans’ finest men’s clothing provider. It is also the only retail store on the planet where one can experience Haspel in person.