Not long ago, the summer suit came in two basic forms, both of them unappealing: a conservatively styled, tropical-weight wool that you couldn't wait to take off; or a cartoonishly old-fashioned style in, say, seersucker or linen that you could rarely muster the enthusiasm to put on.

Lately, though, designers have put the suit through some austerity measures and have come out with variations that feel lighter than ever before — and cool enough for even the most easily overheated.

"As an item, the summer suit didn't really exist before," said Alex Badia, the men's wear editor of Women's Wear Daily. "There was no such thing, really. Men hated linen because of the way it wrinkles, but fabric mills have started making linen blends with wool or silk that have this great texture and are amazingly lightweight. And designers are finally making suits that are unconstructed and unlined, and that travel well, too. You just fold them up and throw them in a suitcase. I sweat all summer long, but the suit is really a doable thing now."

What's more, many lines — notably, youth-oriented brands like Uniqlo, H & M, Club Monaco and Topman — are offering suits that put less pressure on the wallet as well, albeit in skinny fashion-forward cuts that might not suit the average city slicker. Even so, a neat, crisply styled khaki suit at J. Crew goes for $450, as do several other suits in the store, and it looks and feels like one that costs three times as much.

As do the sharp suits at Suitsupply, a stylish, modern haberdashery started a decade ago in the Netherlands by Fokke de Jong, who believed that the world of men's suiting deserved a platform more like an Apple store than a clichéd men's club. Offering inexpensive tailored suits in a natty range of fabrics suggestive of a 1960s Italian take on British style, Suitsupply has grown to nearly 40 shops in Europe and, recently, one in New York.

Not only does a less expensive suit cost less, it is also a far less precious thing. You might not bicycle to work in a $1,700 suit, but one that cost $450? When the cost of a suit is on par with a fancy dress shirt and a pair of premium jeans, the possibilities for wearing it open up considerably. Brunching! Gallery-going! Walking the dog! Even Mike Rowe, the hunky, muddy star of "Dirty Jobs," might wear one to work.

Moreover, it is not just where you can wear these new threads, it's how. As esoteric as it sounds, the men's suitscape is being subtly but seriously altered by the fact that more and more suits are now sold as separates.

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Frank Muytjens, the head of men's design at J. Crew, said that the company never considered selling suits in the new Ludlow Shop that were "nested," the industry term for a suit that is displayed and sold as a single SKU, or stock-keeping unit, with one price tag. Freeing men to choose and buy the jackets and pants they want to put together makes them that much freer to exercise the same judgment at home.

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"Separates have become a huge key to the suit business," said Marshal Cohen, NPD's chief analyst. "Not long ago, breaking up a suit was a big no-no, but now guys want to break it up. They are looking to diversify their wardrobes more than ever, and they want a suit that lets them take the pants off after work and wear a pair of jeans with the jacket — even if they're changing in the car."

Anthony Purritano, a product development associate at Macy's Merchandising Group, bought two complete summer suits — that is, matching jacket and pants — at the Ludlow Shop. But he also bought two suit vests and a pair of suit pants without their matching elements. "I really like wearing a suit in summer, and these feel really lightweight and breathable," he said. "But I don't want to look like a mannequin. I like to play with the patterns and make it more unique."

Looking down, he added,