coldsalmon
Senior Member
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- Jun 9, 2013
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I recently purchased a navy suit from Suitsupply, made from their Traveller wool. I also purchased a Traveller shirt, which is made from cotton. I think they are pretty good, and they achieve their goals.
Here is a post of me wearing the suit on a 90 degree F day:
https://www.styleforum.net/threads/...arting-may-2014.394373/page-3750#post-9371432
Another post with the suit:
https://www.styleforum.net/threads/...arting-may-2014.394373/page-3757#post-9380843
And here I am wearing the suit and shirt together:
https://www.styleforum.net/threads/...arting-may-2014.394373/page-3769#post-9395516
Here are links to the suit and shirt:
https://us.suitsupply.com/en_US/sui...cgid=Suits&prefn1=materialID&prefv1=traveller
https://us.suitsupply.com/en_US/shi...gid=Shirts&prefn1=materialID&prefv1=traveller
Why does Traveller fabric exist?
It is designed to solve practical problems that occur when we wear suits and shirts in less-than-ideal situations. It is lightweight and breathable, and also wrinkle-resistant. I have found that it lives up to this description. The salesmen say that it sheds water but I've yet to test that.
Who would buy this suit?
Someone who occasionally needs to wear a suit in crappy circumstances, or wants this to be their only suit/jacket. Sometimes your Big Important Meeting will happen on a day when it's 90F, raining hard, and you have to sit in a train/plane/car for hours to get there. This suit is prepared. It is completely unlined, and the fabric is very breathable (you can see plenty of light if you hold it up), so you don't have to worry about arriving at your destination soaked in sweat. It is certainly my coolest-wearing suit. The trousers are sold separately, so you can treat them roughly without worrying about ruining a whole suit. And, the wrinkle resistance means that you don't have to worry about looking like a baked potato by the time you get to where you're going. Basically, you can wear it to the Big Important Meeting without your suit becoming an additional problem you have to manage.
The jacket is also designed to be versatile enough to wear as a separate jacket or as a suit. This is good for people who don't want or need lots of different suits/jackets. It also gives you additional insurance against destroying the trousers on those rainy/snowy/icy days. Sure it's not an ideal navy blazer, but the fabric has some texture to it, so it can work as a passable odd jacket. It's somewhere between hopsack and worsted. You can get the jacket with patch or flap pockets, depending on whether you want a blazer that works as a suit in a pinch, or a suit that works as a blazer in a pinch.
As for the fit, it's the same as any other Suitsupply Havana jacket. These tend to fit me well. Your results might be different depending on how much you resemble the dudes on the Suitsupply website.
Of course, there are downsides and compromises. Most notably, the fabric feels very rough. This is not a "luxurious" garment. It's an off-the-rack suit for the working man. Thus, there is probably not a place for it in the closets of many SF iGents. Personally, I don't mind the fabric. I like the visual texture, and it feels just fine against my skin as I wear it.
What about the shirt?
I like the shirt a lot. It's very lightweight and wears very cool. It's also very easy to iron, which means that it's very easy for your cleaner to press. Usually my poplin shirts come back from the cleaner with a little wrinkle here and there, but the Traveller shirt was pristine. It can get through the day without picking up many creases, but it is not completely wrinkle-proof, so it will get a few wrinkles if you wear it hard. Unlike the suit, the shirt fabric feels soft and pleasant; it's actually my favorite shirt fabric (but I don't have any super-expensive luxury shirts, so I'm comparing it to regular Brooks Brothers and TM Lewin shirts). It's 100% cotton, and the wrinkle resistance comes from the way the threads are twisted or something, so it is not treated with formaldehyde like a non-iron shirt. The fabric also has some subtle texture to it, which I like.
There are currently not many Traveller shirts in extra slim fit, so I got a slim fit and added darts for an extra $8. Their extra slim fit shirts are actually a bit tight for me in the arms, so this was probably the best choice for me anyhow. The fit happens to be quite good for me, but this will obviously vary depending on your own body. The fact that the shirts only come in two fits will mean that many people just won't be able to find a good fit.
Conclusion
I like the suit. It's a solid navy workhorse that fits me well. I can wear it without worrying about it. It's not my best-looking suit (that would be my solid charoal from Paul Stuart/Phineas Cole), but it does look good - about as good as any other suit from Suitsupply. I would recommend it to anyone who might have to wear a conservative business suit in bad/hot weather.
The shirt has similar qualities to the suit, and I also like the fabric.
Finally, here are two more photos of the suit and shirt in "less than ideal" circumstances:
Here is a post of me wearing the suit on a 90 degree F day:
https://www.styleforum.net/threads/...arting-may-2014.394373/page-3750#post-9371432
Another post with the suit:
https://www.styleforum.net/threads/...arting-may-2014.394373/page-3757#post-9380843
And here I am wearing the suit and shirt together:
https://www.styleforum.net/threads/...arting-may-2014.394373/page-3769#post-9395516
Here are links to the suit and shirt:
https://us.suitsupply.com/en_US/sui...cgid=Suits&prefn1=materialID&prefv1=traveller
https://us.suitsupply.com/en_US/shi...gid=Shirts&prefn1=materialID&prefv1=traveller
Why does Traveller fabric exist?
It is designed to solve practical problems that occur when we wear suits and shirts in less-than-ideal situations. It is lightweight and breathable, and also wrinkle-resistant. I have found that it lives up to this description. The salesmen say that it sheds water but I've yet to test that.
Who would buy this suit?
Someone who occasionally needs to wear a suit in crappy circumstances, or wants this to be their only suit/jacket. Sometimes your Big Important Meeting will happen on a day when it's 90F, raining hard, and you have to sit in a train/plane/car for hours to get there. This suit is prepared. It is completely unlined, and the fabric is very breathable (you can see plenty of light if you hold it up), so you don't have to worry about arriving at your destination soaked in sweat. It is certainly my coolest-wearing suit. The trousers are sold separately, so you can treat them roughly without worrying about ruining a whole suit. And, the wrinkle resistance means that you don't have to worry about looking like a baked potato by the time you get to where you're going. Basically, you can wear it to the Big Important Meeting without your suit becoming an additional problem you have to manage.
The jacket is also designed to be versatile enough to wear as a separate jacket or as a suit. This is good for people who don't want or need lots of different suits/jackets. It also gives you additional insurance against destroying the trousers on those rainy/snowy/icy days. Sure it's not an ideal navy blazer, but the fabric has some texture to it, so it can work as a passable odd jacket. It's somewhere between hopsack and worsted. You can get the jacket with patch or flap pockets, depending on whether you want a blazer that works as a suit in a pinch, or a suit that works as a blazer in a pinch.
As for the fit, it's the same as any other Suitsupply Havana jacket. These tend to fit me well. Your results might be different depending on how much you resemble the dudes on the Suitsupply website.
Of course, there are downsides and compromises. Most notably, the fabric feels very rough. This is not a "luxurious" garment. It's an off-the-rack suit for the working man. Thus, there is probably not a place for it in the closets of many SF iGents. Personally, I don't mind the fabric. I like the visual texture, and it feels just fine against my skin as I wear it.
What about the shirt?
I like the shirt a lot. It's very lightweight and wears very cool. It's also very easy to iron, which means that it's very easy for your cleaner to press. Usually my poplin shirts come back from the cleaner with a little wrinkle here and there, but the Traveller shirt was pristine. It can get through the day without picking up many creases, but it is not completely wrinkle-proof, so it will get a few wrinkles if you wear it hard. Unlike the suit, the shirt fabric feels soft and pleasant; it's actually my favorite shirt fabric (but I don't have any super-expensive luxury shirts, so I'm comparing it to regular Brooks Brothers and TM Lewin shirts). It's 100% cotton, and the wrinkle resistance comes from the way the threads are twisted or something, so it is not treated with formaldehyde like a non-iron shirt. The fabric also has some subtle texture to it, which I like.
There are currently not many Traveller shirts in extra slim fit, so I got a slim fit and added darts for an extra $8. Their extra slim fit shirts are actually a bit tight for me in the arms, so this was probably the best choice for me anyhow. The fit happens to be quite good for me, but this will obviously vary depending on your own body. The fact that the shirts only come in two fits will mean that many people just won't be able to find a good fit.
Conclusion
I like the suit. It's a solid navy workhorse that fits me well. I can wear it without worrying about it. It's not my best-looking suit (that would be my solid charoal from Paul Stuart/Phineas Cole), but it does look good - about as good as any other suit from Suitsupply. I would recommend it to anyone who might have to wear a conservative business suit in bad/hot weather.
The shirt has similar qualities to the suit, and I also like the fabric.
Finally, here are two more photos of the suit and shirt in "less than ideal" circumstances: