Unfunded Liabilities: a/k/a The Cloth Thread

[Concordia]



This makes a lot more sense to me. And in thinking about it overnight, I know that I have seen tags that read both flax and linen. It seems odd to me that the two would be interchangeable on a composition tag. Plus, to your point, Derek, flax is the precursor to linen.

So I guess my question still stands. Worse comes to worst I'll likely go back to the quest for a suitable wool/linen(/silk/cashmere) blend, but I was really intrigued by the idea of a crunchier, lightweight, casual fabric to pair with jeans or chinos.

I think it's just marketing. If you're selling a city suit, you say "wool." If you're trying to get interest in a crunchy organic tweed jacket or fisherman's sweater that smells like old cheese, you say "sheep."

 

[bourbonbasted]

Fair enough. Guess it's back to square one.

 

[AdamWill]

Note 'fresco' with a small 'f', not 'Fresco' with a capital one. The term can be used as a generic. It's not really that odd to see OTR suits in summer weights/weaves, even from the cheapo brands.

 

[TRINI]

The A. Moon ppl are amazing.

I sent an email late last week asking how I could get swatches of a couple of their Shetland herringbones and got an email response saying that they'd pass my request onto their stock support team.

I didn't hear back and was gonna follow up today.

I get back to my desk at work and there's a UPS envelope waiting for me with a full swatch book and price list.

 

[mactire]

This makes a lot more sense to me. And in thinking about it overnight, I know that I have seen tags that read both flax and linen. It seems odd to me that the two would be interchangeable on a composition tag. Plus, to your point, Derek, flax is the precursor to linen.

Technically linen is a plain weave fabric woven from a baste fibre which includes flax, hemp and ramie [nettle can also be woven]. However the term is so loosely used esp. in English speaking countries that it is often used incorrectly. The more correct labels will say 100% flax or 100% hemp etc., the issue you had with the cloth you saw may be down to something totally different such as a whether the fibres were spun together, known as an 'intimate blend' or wool warp, linen weft etc.

 

[archetypal_yuppie]



It is funny how it is a selling point of the fabric for warm weather, when sweaters have open weaves too.

Sweater's tend to be knit, not woven, amirite?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Yes

 

[archetypal_yuppie]



...or wool warp, linen weft etc.

Does anyone do this? Seems like it would make for a directionally unstable cloth, if you get what I mean by that. Alternating materials for the warps and wefts might achieve a similar effect, though I don't know if this is more difficult.

I have three wool/linen blends, they all appear to be "intimate."

 

[archetypal_yuppie]



Yes

So then it follows that sweaters don't have open weaves, but open knits... Or some crazy third possibility with all kinds of crazy ins outs and what-have-yous.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Yeah, well the point I was making is there are larger "holes" in the fabric.

 

[archetypal_yuppie]

WORDS MATTER!!!!

jk (but not really jk i guess)

But understood.

 

[bourbonbasted]



Technically linen is a plain weave fabric woven from a baste fibre which includes flax, hemp and ramie [nettle can also be woven].  However the term is so loosely used esp. in English speaking countries that it is often used incorrectly.  The more correct labels will say 100% flax or 100% hemp etc., the issue you had with the cloth you saw may be down to something totally different such as a whether the fibres were spun together, known as an 'intimate blend' or wool warp, linen weft etc.

It's likely impossible to know where the cloth comes from. I was hoping that there was a book out there that touted "wool/flax" that I could have a look at. But if it comes down to taster's choice on how you label what's in the fabric, then it's likely just a usual wool/linen blend.

So I guess I'll ask if anyone knows of wool/linen blend puppytooth in an excru and grey. Something like this:

 

[Concordia]



The A. Moon ppl are amazing.

I sent an email late last week asking how I could get swatches of a couple of their Shetland herringbones and got an email response saying that they'd pass my request onto their stock support team.

I didn't hear back and was gonna follow up today.

I get back to my desk at work and there's a UPS envelope waiting for me with a full swatch book and price list.

They have a nice website. I'd never seen their stuff before.

 

[borbor]

Thought this was worth posting. Polo is selling fresco (Minnis 0501?) suits this season, with the fabric as a main selling point.

Has someone at RL been lurking on the forum? Fresco is by no means a new fabric, but it seems like they're jumping on the fabric's recent popularity among iGents?

Fresco still seems rare among RTW. I've seen it in Sartorio recently, but that's it


http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/...1766339&ab=ln_men_cs1_suits&parentPage=family

No way in a month of Sunday will a pay for an OTR PRL suit made with Minnis Fresco. Not if you know the wholesale price of those things.

 

[gdl203]

I'd be very surprised if that was actually Minnis Fresco fabric, given the cost of that cloth and the typical pricing structure of PRL (I.e they still make good money at 70% off)