Lott organized a Capitol Hill rite of summer this year, "Seersucker Thursday" that encouraged lawmakers to wear those lightweight, striped suits that resist wrinkles and seem to never go out of style.
Several lawmakers followed Lott's lead, including Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.; Bill Frist, R-Tenn.; and one of the Senate's few female members, Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.