What things affect suit durability

[rjkabk]

I was wondering what things people have found on this forum that affect the durability and longevity of a suit? I have worn suits, pretty much 5 days a week since 2009, with a break during Covid. I have had cheap Jos. A Bank suits, on up to MTM and a local bespoke tailor made suit. In general, my more expensive suits have lasted longer, but I have had one cheap suit that is still going after 7-8 years, and my tailor made suit, less than 2 years old, is being sent in for repair because the stitching is coming apart at the armhole and behind the collar. Durability is big for me because I wear suits so often, and I don't want to be wasteful. I generally wear them until the material shreds apart beyond reasonable repair.

My first decent suit was a graduation gift, a MTM Coppley. While the fit wasn't great for MTM, the suit lasted me 11 years until finally the seat material wore through. And this suit did double time work, because there was a time early in my career when I was poor, that I only had two suits going so I was wearing it every other day for a while. I'm not sure what the weight was, I'd guess about 9 oz, definitely a little less than the 11 oz suits I wear today. It was a tight, barely perceptible twill weave, so I'm not sure if weave helped or not. Most of my other early suits were Jos A Bank, and they never lasted more than 4 years with the regular wear I put on them. I did, however, at one point by an on sale Ralp Lauren Chaps suit. Not their top of the line by any measure, but that is the suit that has been going for 7-8 years now. I'd guess once again about 9-10 oz, small twill weave. I can see it won't last much longer, but as far as value goes it has been great, and the fit was pretty good as well. My most recent suits, an Oliver Wicks 11 oz twill weave, my local tailor Harper and Jones in Dallas in an 11 oz H&S Cape Horn Cloth, and my Steed 10.9 oz Dugdale Needle Ready are all less than 2.5 years old and the cloth has of course held up fine. However my local tailor, whose suit appeared to be the most robust constructed of the bunch, has had the hand stitching come apart at two different spots. Makes me wonder if machine stitching is better. So my question as stated in the title, what sorts of things affect suit durability or longevity? Is twill weave better than a plain weave? What about High twist? Appreciate responses!

 

[Verve]

Nice topic. Wish I could chime in, but I’ve been replacing my older & cheaper (up to 16 years old) suits with higher quality suits since 2020. Hopefully some of the other veteran SF’ers with decades of experience and knowledge will enlighten us on this interesting subject.

 

[Harwid]

Here is one factor: how often you have them cleaned. Brush them but keep dry cleaning to a minimum.

Jeff

 

[AunToni]

Usually I throw my suits into the dryer once a week. That helps reduce durability.

 

[AunToni]

But seriously, I don't know. I haven't had any issues with any of my suits. The oldest suit/jacket I have are about 7 years old from Canali, never had any issues. But I think key here is that I have quite a few suits. During winter I might wear one suit two to three times a month. I also keep them in hanging bags with cedar inside the bags to keep out bugs. I brush down jackets and pants after each wear. I rarely dry-clean and when I do, I go to a place that knows how to handle quality suits. The biggest issue is usually when pants get dirty, people say you should dry-clean the jacket as well, but honestly, this depends. If you've had the jacket dry-cleaned not too long ago, then usually I would just dry-clean the pants if spot cleaning doesn't work. But again, the dry-cleaner I use is really good.

The only real issues I've ever had were with the thread on my Brioni jackets coming undone in the bottom back (don't know what this section is called). Easy repair, but since I work out of cafes a lot, easy to get it caught on things, even if I'm extra careful.

 

[The Louche V2]

Frequent dry cleaning will definitely contribute to a suit’s decline. Also, higher “supers” number cloths are generally more fragile than lower supers number cloths. The higher the number, the finer the gauge of the yarns.

There’s also a lot of subjectivity in this question. What, exactly, constitutes a cloth that’s “too worn”? Flannel can go bald in spots years before it actually gets holes in it. The edges of hems will fray ahead of noticeable wear elsewhere.

My favorite conundrum is shine. Dark-colored twills, in particular, get a nasty surface shine. The shine can develop within just a few wearings, years or decades before structural wear develops. Do you throw your clothes away just because they have a touch of shine on the seat?

 

[TN001]

Suits seem to degrade in a number of ways. First there is the shine on shoulders or trousers that results from abrasion. I find that cloth with some sort of texture is significantly more resistant to this, and the finer the worsted, the more susceptible it is to it.

Then there’s lapel or front bubbling/detachment/general fatigue, which is mainly an issue with glued suits, although I have seen damaged lapels on fully canvassed suits that were dry cleaned (steamed, pressed, etc.) too much.

Another common issue is the breakdown of linings and stitching/structure inside (typically at the armholes of the jacket or stress points of the trousers). Very repairable, but better quality suits (and most importantly, “better fitting”) have it happen less.

A less common issue is lining migration through the outer cloth. This can happen with older cloths that get a bit thinner out (in extreme cases), but is usually a case of the maker pairing the wrong lining with the cloth. Before you laugh and say “what kind of shoddy maker would do that?”, let me tell you that I have it happening on an Oxxford jacket that has seen very little wear (oh, and Oxxford has declined to fix it, so that’s nice).

I think if you try and limit heavy luggage straps on suit shoulders, don’t sit in an Aeron type chair every day at work, occasionally take your suits in to your tailor for minor repairs, and don’t dry clean your suits much, there’s no reason a canvassed suit won’t last 20+ years.

 

[jdgershbein]

I have discovered that suits (and fine clothing, generally) are a you-get-what-you-pay-for proposition. Every time I go less expensive, I get a product that, despite my best efforts, degrades over time. Regarding durability, I have realized I can only control so much. Whether it's threads breaking, underlying material coming through the fabric, or a loss of shape, something is going on at the molecular level.

I am not hard on my clothes, and many of my suits have stood the test of time. When I don a good suit, I am vigilant about my movement and surfaces around me. Fortunately, I have never ruined a suit through spills or trauma (although there were a few close calls).

The shift in menswear since the pandemic has decreased my frequency of wearing suits. They hang in bags in my cedar-lined closet, which unquestionably will add to their longevity.

 

[TN001]

Also, you had asked about high twist cloths (frescos and Finmerescos), and yes, those are very durable compared to others. I also think a good “dry” worsted seems to be more durable than a slick one (which seems counter intuitive).

 

[The Louche V2]

A less common issue is lining migration through the outer cloth. This can happen with older cloths that get a bit thinner out (in extreme cases), but is usually a case of the maker pairing the wrong lining with the cloth. Before you laugh and say “what kind of shoddy maker would do that?”, let me tell you that I have it happening on an Oxxford jacket that has seen very little wear (oh, and Oxxford has declined to fix it, so that’s nice).

Every time a lining has migrated on me, it was a polyester lining. Bemberg rayon doesn’t migrate, even when it’s very worn, in my experience.

 

[Concordia]

Yup. Durable (not necessarily the most expensive) fabric, good construction, care while wearing, get rid of dust and dirt quickly, and avoid dry cleaning. Especially crappy dry cleaning. Spend money for the best there.

Some Savile Row houses will do a “steam and press” which will make it look much newer, with less risk. Much of the shape of the jacket comes from the iron and not just the scissors or needle. A great tailor knows more about that than even the best cleaner.

 

[Drinkwaters]

I confer with Jeff. Unless visibly dirty or with a pungent odor, press only at a reliable dry cleaner or the retailer you bought it from. Most good retailers have press men/women who are experienced in the proper way to press woolens and canvasing. Should you need a quick touch up at home, be sure to use a piece of cotton sheeting or cheese cloth over the fabric to avoid scorching.
Every cloth has its own endurability and depending on its intend use, daily driver or occasion suit, the wrong cloth will show signs of deterioration sooner than others.
Most predominant factor in long lasting durability, ie, investment grade, is canvas application.

• Fully fused-designed obsolescence.
• Half canvas-there's good and bad
• Full canvas

 

[Shirtmaven]

Interior stitching will break from stress. Easy fix. Nothing to get upset about. It is thread not fishing line.

Super Hi count yarns might look nice and feel good but won't last.
I like a 10-12oz 100-120. Worsted. Nothing like a 16 Oz calvary twill for Winter trousers.

 

[AunToni]

Yup. Durable (not necessarily the most expensive) fabric, good construction, care while wearing, get rid of dust and dirt quickly, and avoid dry cleaning. Especially crappy dry cleaning. Spend money for the best there.

Some Savile Row houses will do a “steam and press” which will make it look much newer, with less risk. Much of the shape of the jacket comes from the iron and not just the scissors or needle. A great tailor knows more about that than even the best cleaner.

Sure, but when you don't live anywhere near Savile Row...

 

[rjkabk]

Frequent dry cleaning will definitely contribute to a suit’s decline. Also, higher “supers” number cloths are generally more fragile than lower supers number cloths. The higher the number, the finer the gauge of the yarns.

There’s also a lot of subjectivity in this question. What, exactly, constitutes a cloth that’s “too worn”? Flannel can go bald in spots years before it actually gets holes in it. The edges of hems will fray ahead of noticeable wear elsewhere.

My favorite conundrum is shine. Dark-colored twills, in particular, get a nasty surface shine. The shine can develop within just a few wearings, years or decades before structural wear develops. Do you throw your clothes away just because they have a touch of shine on the seat?

I don’t throw them away until the material disintegrates. I don’t like the shine, but it doesn’t bother me enough. It is most noticeable on Dark Navy suits, but I also get more compliments from the general public on my navy suits than grey suits.