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Fabric Quality: H. Lesser and Thomas Fisher?

post #1 of 47
8/7/11 at 7:00pm
Thread Starter 
Could anyone who has had experience with these fabrics please comment on their quality? Thanks!
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post #2 of 47
8/8/11 at 8:04am
Good quality stuff. Manton is a big Lesser fan. Do you have something specific in mind or just asking generally?
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post #3 of 47
8/8/11 at 8:18am
Those are both very good but Lesser is in a different league. If you must have "Supers", which I don't recommend, Lesser is miles ahead of Fisher. Lesser makes the best "Supers" on the planet but you will pay dearly for them and, frankly, I like their regular cloth better.
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post #4 of 47
8/8/11 at 10:01am
Lesser's reputation sustains them but other makers have caught up or surpassed them. Don't find their cloth as "special" as it once was. I like their 11 ounce cloth best of their bunches.
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post #5 of 47
8/8/11 at 10:04am
11/11.5 is the one I like the least. :shrug:
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post #6 of 47
8/8/11 at 10:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Manton View Post

11/11.5 is the one I like the least. :shrug:

You and I really have different tastes in things sartorial. Not a bad thing, just the way it is sort a thing. I rarely use Lesser these days but I have to say what they make today is not the same as they did a decade ago. They have gone down and others have come up.

I like all your Solito things. Really works well on you.
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post #7 of 47
8/8/11 at 10:42am
the 11/11.5 just might as well be a super IMO. Too soft and smooshy. 8/9, 9.5/10, 13 and 16 are all awesome. I have a soft spot for 9.5/10 because it is so hard as nails and wears like it is 2x the weight without being nearly as hot. That cloth is a marvel, probably the best they make or at least that I have seen.
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post #8 of 47
8/8/11 at 10:47am
Is the 9.5 the wool & cashmere blend, maybe a 120's? If someone wants this type/weight of cloth, I use Escorial. Has a more natural hand and tailors fantastic. I like Holland & Sherry Perrenial book for 13 ounce. When the suit is finished it looks pressed before you do the final press. Wears well and wrinkles fall out.
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post #9 of 47
8/8/11 at 10:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Despos View Post

Is the 9.5 the wool & cashmere blend, maybe a 120's?

No. Or, there is one but that's not the one I mean. There is a plain one as well, all wool. That's the one I like.
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post #10 of 47
8/8/11 at 11:14am
Will check it out when I get to the shop.

We look at cloth from differing perspectives. You judge on how it wears or feels when you wear it and I look at how it is to work with, like how easy or hard it is to sew or how it responds to heat or steam.
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post #11 of 47
8/8/11 at 11:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Despos View Post

Will check it out when I get to the shop.

We look at cloth from differing perspectives. You judge on how it wears or feels when you wear it and I look at how it is to work with, like how easy or hard it is to sew or how it responds to heat or steam.

A number of tailors on the London Lounge have stated that Lesser is the best cloth to work with. Frank Shattuck for one, but I know there were others.

Sounds like you generally prefer more shiny/soft "modern" cloth and Manton likes the matte, dry stuff.
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post #12 of 47
8/8/11 at 11:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sellahi22 View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by Despos View Post

Will check it out when I get to the shop.

We look at cloth from differing perspectives. You judge on how it wears or feels when you wear it and I look at how it is to work with, like how easy or hard it is to sew or how it responds to heat or steam.

A number of tailors on the London Lounge have stated that Lesser is the best cloth to work with. Frank Shattuck for one, but I know there were others.

Sounds like you generally prefer more shiny/soft "modern" cloth and Manton likes the matte, dry stuff.

I think it's horses for courses. Chris did a great job on some Dormueil Tonik that was anything but soft (but it was shiny) smile.gif

Depends on the needs of the client. I found the Lesser book pretty dull so I didn't order anything from it.
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post #13 of 47
8/8/11 at 11:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Despos View Post

Will check it out when I get to the shop.

We look at cloth from differing perspectives. You judge on how it wears or feels when you wear it and I look at how it is to work with, like how easy or hard it is to sew or how it responds to heat or steam.

You are the only tailor who has ever told me that escorial and the like are easier to work with than Lesser. The rest of the, to a man, all prefer Lesser. Some may like the properties of the other stuff but they all say that Lesser is easier to work.

My experience is that Lesser holds a crease better, resists wrinkling more, and falls more cleanly, and shakes out wrinkles faster than anything else. It does not "feel" as nice (or smooth or soft or whatever) than more lux cloth but then it's mostly not against my skin anyway. Except at the legs and I have never felt the least uncomfortable or "scratchy" in Lesser.

I buy a lot of Minnis, mostly the fresco, but their 340/370 book too, and it is good but not quite so good as Lesser 13. Smith IMO is the only merchant who maks a worsted comparable to Lesser. There is a Harrison book called (I think) Oyster which is very nice but it's the only one.

BTW I have a tie made out of Escorial and it is quite lovely but I can't imagine it as a suit. Seems like the seat would wear through in one day.

Lesser is definitely dull. smile.gif
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post #14 of 47
8/8/11 at 2:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Manton View Post


You are the only tailor who has ever told me that escorial and the like are easier to work with than Lesser. The rest of the, to a man, all prefer Lesser. Some may like the properties of the other stuff but they all say that Lesser is easier to work.

My experience is that Lesser holds a crease better, resists wrinkling more, and falls more cleanly, and shakes out wrinkles faster than anything else. It does not "feel" as nice (or smooth or soft or whatever) than more lux cloth but then it's mostly not against my skin anyway. Except at the legs and I have never felt the least uncomfortable or "scratchy" in Lesser.

I buy a lot of Minnis, mostly the fresco, but their 340/370 book too, and it is good but not quite so good as Lesser 13. Smith IMO is the only merchant who maks a worsted comparable to Lesser. There is a Harrison book called (I think) Oyster which is very nice but it's the only one.

BTW I have a tie made out of Escorial and it is quite lovely but I can't imagine it as a suit. Seems like the seat would wear through in one day.

Lesser is definitely dull. smile.gif

Since you've brought up Smith, can you tell me what you think of their Blue Riband book? It's the 10/11oz worsted. I'm looking for a substitute for the Lesser 9.5/10 book which seems to be unavailable. I'm reluctant to go heavier since it just doesn't get that cold here.
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post #15 of 47
8/8/11 at 3:18pm
I have never tried that book but it looks good.
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