my visit to Napoli & Mina @ Napoli Su Misura - Page 23

This in one of my tailor's favorite books and I have 6 or so suits from it. I have to admit I was initially a doubter but have fully come around on this cloth. It is extremely luxurious, especially in comparison with the Minnis, but it has guts and keeps its body/shape extremely well.

George, which mohair do you like? I have a jacket made from Cape Kid and am pretty happy with it but don't know much about the cloth. I'm thinking of an evening F-U kind of suit with structure, pagoda shoulders and all that jazz.

--Andre

I don't like the Cape Kid mohairs or mohairs of that ilk, too light and not crisp enough. The Mohairs I like are the 2 ply or 3 ply mohairs which are a different beast, a much crisper cloth. Usually 70% wool 30% Mohair. A word of caution, they do have a rough hand. Sources that I know of: Dormeuil Tonik is the most famous. Not woven any more, replaced by a cloth called Tonik 2000. Scabal have or had a cloth called Titan, which was a 3 ply. Similar hand to Tonik. H&S had a few Mohairs in the old Crispaire book these were 2 ply 70/30 mixes. Very nice cloths. Not sure they're in the new book though. Bateman & Ogden have a book full of them. If Mahon is making this for you, he'll have no problem sourcing then for you.

So I chose the 90/10 mohair wool because I couldn't feel the scratchiness from the swatch and I thought it wouldn't bother me. But now I can feel the scratchiness of the jacket through my shirt if my short is too thin or porous. The pants are being made now. I hope the lining will be thick enough. That said, I like the look of the cloth. In retrospect I wonder if I should have gone for the cloth with less mohair.

You can feel the cloth through the lining of your jacket or at the front.

I have a suit in the navy mohair Crispaire. If a bullet could be shot through it, I wold be surprised.

- B

It's nice cloth. I had the mid grey one. There were only about 4 in the book IIRC. I'm not sure that they're in the new book though. How do you find yours and when do you wear it?

Wisconsin's soon to be a conceal and carry state, let's give it a shot.

Rob

The old Tonik was great, tragedy they don't make that any more.

It's a great pack and travel suit, and also a good one to wear day into evening with a quick tie change.

It can probably scrub a potato with one swipe, but I have not tested that.


- B

Yep, good point. I've always considered Mohair a dressy cloth. Ha, and the Crispaire was probably one of the more 'refined' versions too. I need to get another one, probably a midnight blue one.

Too heavy, too scratchy and too bloody expensive. I keep hearing rumours that it is being woven again but I doubt it. The market no longer exists for cloths like that. The Tonik book was beautiful.

I felt it through the front, not through the lining. More of a surprise than discomfort.

It was crazy expensive.

I didn't mind the scratch. I've yet to come across a cloth that bothers me because of scratchiness. When I read people complain about that I scratch my head.

I agree it was too heavy. The colors and finish were summery but the weight was not. Still, very beautiful.