To celebrate the first day of summer, a bipartisan group of senators donned their seersucker suits and posed for the cameras last week. Then during a television interview this weekend, Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace (who himself is a dapper dresser and partial to pocket squares) gave Sen. Trent Lott a gentle ribbing for wearing pink socks with the summer-weight suit.

But Mr. Lott’s choice wasn’t all that bad. The footwear that goes along with seersucker is the matter of much discussion this time of year. According to the fashion director of Brooks Bothers, Glen Hoffs, the rules for shoes and socks are simple. “I recommend the traditional white buck or light-brown leather loafers or brogues — ideally worn without socks. But socks in pastel shades are also appropriate.”