The seersucker suit generally elicits two reactions: one of admiration for those who wear such brightly striped attire, and another of wisdom for sporting cooler material in the scorching summer weather.

Last week, seersucker reached a feverish pitch as several lawmakers wore the characteristic blue-and-white-striped suit. Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) was decked out in full seersucker regalia, as were Reps. Howard Coble (R-N.C.) and Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.).

Davis looked confident in his seersucker, as he should, considering he represents Virginia and the suit strikes a Southern image. For him, seersucker seems to be a perfect fit, depicting a man at a social gathering who has made the conscious decision to wear the cooler, summer fashion-worthy material.

Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) won’t wear seersucker. He has tried it a few times, once to the Kentucky Derby, but has not taken to it.

“It’s like a bow tie,” he says. “I got a lot of compliments, but it didn’t feel good. Only worn ’em twice. Just a way to stay cool, just trying to beat the heat.”

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) doesn’t believe wearing seersucker is for him. “I’m pro-seersucker,” he says, “but I wouldn’t be caught dead in it.”

Simpson says he enjoys it when colleagues wear the material because “it makes the rest of us look good. If I was selling ice cream, I’d like it.”

Shockingly, seersucker is far too pricey to be worn selling ice cream. At Brooks Brothers, a seersucker suit can set you back $298. But at the discounted Syms, it was on sale last week for $85.

Across the aisle, the Senate reserves a special day for seersucker called “Seersucker Thursdays,” a declared day that lawmakers ought to wear the fabric. Sens. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) are well-known seersucker aficionados.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who bought her suit at Brooks Brothers, wears the female version of a striped blazer and skirt.

A GOP aide familiar with “Seersucker Thursdays” says he isn’t comfortable wearing it, as he has lived a good deal of his life in the Northeast.

“They aren’t awful-looking,” he says, but adds, “You can’t wear it all the time, maybe once every 10 days.”

Which brings the Fashion Critic to a critical point: Use your seersucker in moderation — and put it deep in the closet after Labor Day.