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Maybe what the country needs to come together are light, cotton striped suits. At least for yesterday, a hot, muggy D.C. Thursday, Republicans and Democrats came together to support a Southern tradition: The 11th annual National Seersucker Day.

Seersucker weave was brought to the American South by way of New Orleans (by way of British colonial India) all the way back in the early 19th century, long before the advent of air conditioning.  Its light, cotton fabric and pre-rumpled surface made it ideal for sticky summer months.  Actor Gregory Peck famously wore seersucker suits in the classic film ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ a nod to small-town Southern lawyers.

The halls of Washington are, of course air conditioned today, but Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy revived the tradition in 2014 as a nod to historic Southern culture.  Last year the Republican announced Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock as his co-chair for the event, which is popular on Capitol Hill among legislators and staffers on both sides of the aisle and of both genders.

“I’m excited to return as the co-chair for the annual Seersucker Day in our nation’s capital and continue celebrating this iconic Senate tradition,” said  Warnock. “Seersucker is more than just a fabric, it is a material deeply woven into Southern culture. National Seersucker Day is a proud bipartisan tradition, and I look forward to working alongside Senator Cassidy to carry it on.”

Warnock and Cassidy introduced a resolution this year officially designating June 12th as ‘National Seersucker Day,’ officially codifying the tradition for years to come.

“Seersucker Day honors the New Orleans invention that’s made America fashionable—and the summer heat bearable—since 1909. For one day a year, the Capitol looks a little more like the French Quarter,” said Cassidy. “We might not always agree on policy, but we can all agree: wool in June is a mistake.”