Suggestions and comments for a London Lounge Gun Club jacket

[Sator]

There is a difference between a coat breaking in and it sagging however.

 

[Despos]

Originally Posted by John Ellis

Is that good?

Yeah, I'm just saying, I get it.

I like strong lines to a suit but odd jackets should have a softer edge to them. Not look so rigid.

I also think lightweight and tweed is an oxymoron. Tweed can be lighter weight but does nor render well as a light weight. Breanish is light weight but not the best if you want quality as well. This is based on my 2 experiences with 2 of their cloths. There may be more in their line than I have seen to be fair.

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

I was under the impression that it is lighter than most tweeds, while still remaining a true tweed. Of course, I still don't really know what a 'true tweed' is, but whatever.

It is bunny soft stuff. I can see the attraction and how some would mistake this for being "luxurious", but there comes a point when loose weave settings as a means of seducing buyers attracted to the soft hand should be seen as a weaving fault. Excessive sagging is one of the consequences of this.

 

[John Ellis]

Originally Posted by iammatt

A couple of thoughts...

I have a length of the gun club as well. Likely, I will not be making it up, as it is too dark for my personal taste.

I've never thought Breanish to be any nicer than other tweeds, and never really understood the love on here. Some patterns are great, but other than the great patterns, is there really any reason to choose it.

Here is the next tweed I am making up. I am guessing John Ellis is not a fan:

I think all jackets, both suit and sportcoat, look better once they start to bag a bit and you start to see the impression you have left on them.

Actually I quite like it. I've actually got a three piece suit that is not dissimilar and I've probably not worn it more than three times in the past 20 years. I wore it once and went into the RL mansion and got talking to one of the salesman who was admiring it and asked me "who dressed me." My comments really revolved around issues of comfort in the 21st century urban environment and avoiding looking like a caricature. Sorry to put it as harshly as this but it is a very fine dividing line. I've stepped over it myself from time to time and one feels a bit of an ass. And yes I agree with comments about tweed garments bagging.

 

[Despos]

Breanish is like light beer. Something is missing.

 

[John Ellis]

Originally Posted by Sator

It is bunny soft stuff. I can see the attraction and how some would mistake this for being "luxurious", but there comes a point when loose weave settings as a means of seducing buyers attracted to the soft hand should be seen as a weaving fault. Excessive sagging is one of the consequences of this.

We're talking about good looking garments here not the engineering of the fabric. Polyester is brilliantly engineered fabric but looks awful. Basically I don't care tuppence for the engineering of the fabric because all these tweeds we're talking about are not being worn in the context for which they were originally made. And I'm not "mistaken" in believing Breanish looks and feels luxurious because it DOES look and feel luxurious. It's soft hand is not the consequence of a weaving fault but the very essense of the fabric.

 

[John Ellis]

Originally Posted by Despos

Yeah, I'm just saying, I get it.

I like strong lines to a suit but odd jackets should have a softer edge to them. Not look so rigid.

I also think lightweight and tweed is an oxymoron. Tweed can be lighter weight but does nor render well as a light weight. Breanish is light weight but not the best if you want quality as well. This is based on my 2 experiences with 2 of their cloths. There may be more in their line than I have seen to be fair.

I can't agree with you there. Any good tailor has masses of samples of lightweight tweeds, or tweed lookalikes, many originating from outside the UK. My son has a superb lightweight herringbone tweed jacket which he got made up in London. I've noted what you said about Breanish and I've never had a garment made up in the cloth only seen one worn by an acquaintance. I'll report back on my experience.

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by Despos

I also think lightweight and tweed is an oxymoron. Tweed can be lighter weight but does nor render well as a light weight. Breanish is light weight but not the best if you want quality as well. This is based on my 2 experiences with 2 of their cloths.

This is my impression of the cloth as well. It is good to see this confirmed by an experienced and highly respected bespoke tailor who has worked with the cloth.

 

[dopey]

I have no experience with a Breanish tweed made up, but I have some small cuttings and a larger swatch (I had the ordered lengths sent direct to the tailor). I will be very disappointed if it falls apart as Mr. Despos says, but the appeal is obvious. Soft shetlands are a different animal entirely than the high twist hard wearing hard finished tweeds. My bespoke tweeds have all been of the latter type, but I have a few RTW tweeds that are soft shetlands only now giving up the ghost after 20 years. They are a joy to wear and look and feel friendlier than the harder stuff. I hope to have my favorite one duplicated by Breanish. When I showed them a sample, they thought they might have made the original (that may or may not have been the case, but the one they made was for Oxxford in the last ten years and mine was made for Polo about 20 years ago).

I will certainly defer to Despos's general, and in this case specific, experience, but from what I could tell of the samples, it seemed fine. I hope I am not disappointed.

 

[oscarthewild]

Originally Posted by dopey

I have no experience with a Breanish tweed made up, but I have some small cuttings and a larger swatch (I had the ordered lengths sent direct to the tailor). I will be very disappointed if it falls apart as Mr. Despos says, but the appeal is obvious. Soft shetlands are a different animal entirely than the high twist hard wearing hard finished tweeds. My bespoke tweeds have all been of the latter type, but I have a few RTW tweeds that are soft shetlands only now giving up the ghost after 20 years. They are a joy to wear and look and feel friendlier than the harder stuff. I hope to have my favorite one duplicated by Breanish. When I showed them a sample, they thought they might have made the original (that may or may not have been the case, but the one they made was for Oxxford in the last ten years and mine was made for Polo about 20 years ago).

I will certainly defer to Despos's general, and in this case specific, experience, but from what I could tell of the samples, it seemed fine. I hope I am not disappointed.


Perhaps this presents an opportunity to get 2x2 breanish made as they do custom runs.

 

[JamesT]

From what I remember of Chris working on the tweed every time the iron was brought near the fabric the overcheck would change from square to rectangular to diamond shaped. It wouldn't hold it's shape and shredded easily. Even the parts of the coat cut with pinking shears would unravel after a little bit of pressing.

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by dopey

I will be very disappointed if it falls apart as Mr. Despos says, but the appeal is obvious. Soft shetlands are a different animal entirely than the high twist hard wearing hard finished tweeds. They are a joy to wear and look and feel friendlier than the harder stuff.
I have some 19 Oz tweeds which are only marginally harder than Breanish tweed. I have some hand woven 19 Oz tweed which is as soft as Breanish tweed yet more full bodied. You can be quite astonished how soft a beautifully woven traditional tweed can be. Yet this can be achieved without compromising on quality.

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by Sator

I have some 19 Oz tweeds which are only marginally harder than Breanish tweed. I have some hand woven 19 Oz tweed which is as soft as Breanish tweed yet more full bodied. You can quite astonished how soft a beautifully woven traditional tweed can be. Yet this can be achieved without compromising on quality.

I was looking at a new tweed book...a Huddersfield, I think...I don't recall the name, and it had fabrics with a slight amount of angora in it. The hand was almost indistinguishable from cashmere.

I'll try to remember to get the name of it. It seems to be a great option if you want a soft hand in tweed design, but without the luxury price and wear tax of a good cashmere.

- B

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by JamesT

From what I remember of Chris working on the tweed every time the iron was brought near the fabric the overcheck would change from square to rectangular to diamond shaped. It wouldn't hold it's shape and shredded easily. Even the parts of the coat cut with pinking shears would unravel after a little bit of pressing.

Yes, I got the feeling that Chris (Despos) was being his usual polite and diplomatic self when he wrote what he did of this cloth. It is rare for him to voice such strong disapproval of a cloth. Coming from anyone else it would have been more like

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by oscarthewild

Perhaps this presents an opportunity to get 2x2 breanish made as they do custom runs.

Good grief. You mean to say that stuff is 2x1? No wonder it is so dodgy. But if you got it made up as a 2x2, it would no longer be as light or as bunny soft and fluffy.