H&S Super 130s beats fresco cloths for a summer sport coat?

Yesterday I visited my tailor to bespeak a cotton&linen blend shirt (for summer; he has some very nice Italian cloths), and I told my tailor that I had no intention to bespeak any coat or suit this year, basically because due to closet space restrictions (one that I get, one that has to leave). And now all of my 14 suits and sport coats (7 for winter, 7 for summer) are bespoke or MTM that look quite OK. Well, 13 of them; the 14th is this Hugo Boss RTW sport coat that looks quite OK but maybe not really...

Well, it is kind of grey so I told my tailor that if I would change my mind and bespeak a coat for this summer, it would have to be kind of charcoal stuff (to replace the HB one). So after deciding on the cloth for the shirt, my tailor showed me some of his books and there was this Holland and Sherry "Crystal Springs" book with super 130 wool cloths, and there was this charcoal kind of windowpane cloth (bunch 1147, ref. 470006). It looked really nice, kind of thing that I think would look fine for work and "semi-formal" spring/summer leisure.

I don't have much experience of Super 130 cloths, although last autumn I got an LP Super 130 suit and I love it. Now, from what I read on SF, summer is for fresco cloths (and, maybe, seersucker).

Now, this charcoal windowpane cloth looked so damned nice. What do you think? Summer is really warm (but dry) around here. Is a Super 130 H&S wool cloth likely to be "cool" in the temperature sense? Or should I look around for some fresco stuff? Any suggestions? As it has to be charcoal, there must be some kind of pattern or texture that makes it look "interesting".

Thanks in advance for any input...

(I also saw a some nice navy cloths and I know that a navy blazer might be the thing, but out of my seven summer suits/sport coats, three are in different shades of blue, one is brown and one is in kind of light burgundy, and I really think that the newcomer should be dark charcoal...)

The cloth is great quality and light weight. No problem for the heat of summer. I would be sure of what trousers you will wear with it before committing. I think charcoal jackets are limiting in that way. This cloth also has a pretty fine/dressy finish to it IIRC.

A light to medium grey hopsack weave is more versatile IMO. The color is more versatile and the weave makes it look more like a sportcoat.

Originally Posted by Despos

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The cloth is great quality and light weight. No problem for the heat of summer. I would be sure of what trousers you will wear with it before committing. I think charcoal jackets are limiting in that way. This cloth also has a pretty fine/dressy finish to it IIRC.

A light to medium grey hopsack weave is more versatile IMO. The color is more versatile and the weave makes it look more like a sportcoat.

Thank you.
I don't think that trousers will be a problem. Due to my build I find it difficult to get coats OTR, and, actually, the reason why I am thinking of letting the HB sport coat face retirement is that in spite of substantial alterations (I bough it OTR during sales some years ago), the fit is still not perfect (actually, far from perfect). Contrarily, I have no problem with trousers; for example, Pal Zileri size 52 trousers tend to fit me perfectly, OTR.
Also, last year I got a pair of MTM trousers at a local store (Pedro Muñoz), a fairly light worsted super something (120 or 130, I think) Loro Piana medium grey (towards the lighter end of the scale) which I think will go great with this potential H&S jacket. If not, I am sure that I will find something in light grey.

Mr. Despos, I belive to have seen in some other thread that you are a tailor, so I have one question: when you say "great cloth", you refer to Crystal Springs in general or to ref. 470006 in particular?

If you refer to the 470006 cloth, I agree with what you say about the dressy finish. Let me explain the reason for this possible choice: as I said, my summer closet comprises 7 suits/sport coats. Actually, only two are suits (solid medium grey, solid dark blue -not navy-), the rest are sport coats:
- 1 kind of light burgundy, EZ, wool/silk/linen mix (I am not sure that "light burgundy" is the right term, but I find no better word; it has some grey in it, and grey buttons; certainly not the kind of coat I would wear to a job interview; it is also my only 3-roll-2 coat, and my only half-lined one).
- 1 dark brown herringbown, Drapers, also linen mix
- 1 dark blue with white buttons, linen and silk, Scabal.
- 1 ligth blue with with pinstripes, LP linen and cotton mix.
- the greyish HB wool one.
I am an engineer and patent attorney and in my work I sometimes feel that wearing a suit is "to dressed up" whereas a linen sport coat can be "to dressed down". So the fact that the cloth is "dressy" is maybe not to bad: this sport coat may be the "missing link" between the suits and the kind of casual linen coats, and be very useful for business in autumn/spring.
Right? Or not?

It sounds good to me. I have a very dark gray coat that I wear with white or light gray jeans.

Originally Posted by Despos

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...A light to medium grey hopsack weave is more versatile IMO. The color is more versatile and the weave makes it look more like a sportcoat.
What do you think about Minni's Fresco or H&S Crispaire as a sport coat? Equally good or bad?

Originally Posted by emptym

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It sounds good to me. I have a very dark gray coat that I wear with white or light gray jeans.


What do you think about Minni's Fresco or H&S Crispaire as a sport coat? Equally good or bad?

Not sure OP can wear jeans with his jacket like you do since he wears his for business purposes.

I rarely like a cloth that is used as a suiting to work as a sport coat.

The Crispaire has a softer hand than before. Cloth is made in Chile now, the softness is the only difference I can tell.

Originally Posted by Despos

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The cloth is great quality and light weight. No problem for the heat of summer. I would be sure of what trousers you will wear with it before committing. I think charcoal jackets are limiting in that way. This cloth also has a pretty fine/dressy finish to it IIRC.

A light to medium grey hopsack weave is more versatile IMO. The color is more versatile and the weave makes it look more like a sportcoat.

Chris,
can you please recommend a navy hopsack weave fabric appropriare for year round wear? This will be for a sport coat.

If you have access to the GRM books they have a hopsack weave in a range of colors at 10.5 ounces. I think 3 shades of navy blue. The weight is good but that depends on your locale. I am not in the store, could look for others later.

Grm = ?

Originally Posted by Concordia

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Grm = ?

(G)uess he(R) (M)uff?

Originally Posted by Concordia

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Grm = ?

They have been around forever. Most of their line is /was from Woodhouse. Most tailors have their books

Originally Posted by Despos

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Not sure OP can wear jeans with his jacket like you do since he wears his for business purposes.

I rarely like a cloth that is used as a suiting to work as a sport coat.

The Crispaire has a softer hand than before. Cloth is made in Chile now, the softness is the only difference I can tell.
Thank you, CD. Is there any light gray, heathered fabric that you think would work well as a blazer suit type thing? I had one in a wool/linen blend that I liked.

Originally Posted by Despos

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Not sure OP can wear jeans with his jacket like you do since he wears his for business purposes.

I rarely like a cloth that is used as a suiting to work as a sport coat.

The Crispaire has a softer hand than before. Cloth is made in Chile now, the softness is the only difference I can tell.

I believe that this H&S ref. 470006 cloth was listed as a sport coat cloth. True, it could work out well for a suit.

And yes, in summer I sometimes wear denim or grey cotton chinos to work. So I might use the jacket with wool slacks and cotton pants, depending on the day.

My main concerns are: is it too dressy for a sport coat, and may it be too warm for a hot summer day...

¿No more feedback?
Maybe I should have a look at some hopsack stuff. Just fear that solid charcoal or grey hopsack may be a bit booring for a summer SC...

Just looked at the cloth. It is not charcoal it is black with a monotone grey plaid. I would only wear this for evening or dressier occasions. Can't really see it as an everyday, wear to the office jacket, but that may only be my opinion. It doesn't look summer like. Very limited trouser colors to work with this. It looks better in navy, 470013.

The cloth is feather weight. Very light, it will not be too warm for summer.

Thank you. I guess that although I loved the look of the cloth, at the bottom of my heart something said that it was not really the cloth for a summer sport coat for daytime office wear.

I guess that is why I started this thread.

And I do not think that I will have a lot of use for it as evening wear; my evenings are mostly quite casual, and the few occasions when I am expected to dress up, a dark blue or navy suit will do.

On my next visit to my tailor I will have a look on the hopsack stuff.