What things affect suit durability

[rjkabk]

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

Since I don’t live near anything but typical run of the mill dry cleaners I just dry clean as infrequently as possible. Once a year is normal, twice if I have a visible dirty spot, which is rare. Interesting that this thread has brought in maintenance of a suit. I was thinking more the components and how the suit was made when I originally wrote post, but obviously maintenance matters as well.

 

[AunToni]

Since I don’t live near anything but typical run of the mill dry cleaners I just dry clean as infrequently as possible. Once a year is normal, twice if I have a visible dirty spot, which is rare. Interesting that this thread has brought in maintenance of a suit. I was thinking more the components and how the suit was made when I originally wrote post, but obviously maintenance matters as well.

Yeah, I think it is wise to rarely go to the dry-cleaner. Not sure where you live, but you can ask around, have a bigger search area if needed, but ask if places do onsite dry-cleaning or not. I would never take my suits to a place that doesn't do it on-site. And if they do it on-site, then you can talk with the owners or at least the ones doing the work.

Obviously no need to take suits to dry-cleaners regularly or just for the sake of them feeling "clean." As others have said, a good press is really all you need and this can be done by local tailors, places where you bought the suit, etc.

As for the components and how the suit was made, I think others have touched a bit on this. Cashmere for example, tends to be more delicate than wool, but this also really depends many things. I have one cashmere suit and a few cashmere jackets, I love the feel, but I don't wear them that often. And as others have said, higher supers tend to be more fragile, which is why when I buy suits/jackets above 150, I usually wear them less frequently. The general rule that I've followed is anywhere from super 110-150 is good for "everyday" wear. I personally don't like anything below 110.

 

[C MattssonJH]

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.
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[C MattssonJH]

I found this great information about shiny suits. Completely agree that the glue in inexpensive suits which can impact the durability and create issues but this explained it so well..

Shiny Suit Syndrome: Researchers discover the cause of and cure for SSS

Stu Bloom

ravefabricare.com

 

[amoverton]

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned so far is fit. We know to make sure a suit fits well before we buy it, but it can be easy to forget how putting on or taking off weight can affect the fit of a beloved suit, putting stress on seams that may not have had it when originally tailored.

Similarly, heavy phones not only create unsightly bulges and stretch the fabric in the immediate area, but also have an effect on how a jacket or pair of pants hang in total, affecting stress on all of the seams in the garment.

Fully lined clothing can make inspecting needlework more difficult, but I learned from my mother early on to alway turn any piece of clothing you’re considering investing in inside out before you buy it. Firstly, that’s where the worst stresses usually occur, and secondly, how a craftsman treats the areas that won’t be seen is a better indicator of their attention to detail than how they treat the parts that will be noticed by any casual observer.

Seeing that stitching is neat, even, and reinforced at stress points is a baseline quality measure. This is easier in unlined clothing, but should be checked in the lining as well.

Thread quality is important. It shouldn’t look like fishing line and it shouldn’t look like it’s frayed from being drawn through the fabric.

Stretching the garment along, across, and on the bias to the seams should show a fabric and stitching that have a similar amount of “give” so that the one doesn’t transfer too much stress to the other when you bend or twist.

These were the most basic rules of quality that my home-economics teacher mother taught me as soon as I started showing an interest in choosing my own wardrobe.

 

[Enfusia]

Two things that impact durability are the fit of the suit and resting it.

Suits that don't fit properly wear more in tight areas and pull more at the seams.

Letting a suit breath between wearings definitely adds to the longevity by allowing it to dry out from perspiration before the next wearing. There are a number of reasons why this helps, but just as common knowledge, damp or wet cloth attracts dirt and holds it better than dry cloth, which chews up the fibers.

The other thing you can do at the time you buy it is to always get the 2nd pair of trousers. Trousers, even as you indicated with yours wear out faster than the jackets.

In fact, many of the first odd jackets were suit jackets that outlived the suits trousers.

 

[The Louche V2]

I found this great information about shiny suits. Completely agree that the glue in inexpensive suits which can impact the durability and create issues but this explained it so well..

Shiny Suit Syndrome: Researchers discover the cause of and cure for SSS

Stu Bloom

ravefabricare.com

One can only wish that cleaners like RAVE were available in every city. Even in DC, a place where many men still wear suits, we have perhaps one cleaner like this, and they are prohibitively expensive.

 

[Concordia]

One can only wish that cleaners like RAVE were available in every city. Even in DC, a place where many men still wear suits, we have perhaps one cleaner like this, and they are prohibitively expensive.

Rave takes shipments and will return by UPS or similar.

 

[The Louche V2]

Rave takes shipments and will return by UPS or similar.

Don’t the clothes get wrinkled in transit? What if the box gets turned upside down?

 

[Concordia]

Quality of their work survives quite well.

 

[papado]

Don’t the clothes get wrinkled in transit? What if the box gets turned upside down?

They pack items hanging--had to send a pair of trousers there because my local NYC [Queens] dry cleaner couldn't 'get the stains' out and Stu made them come back as good as new. Shipping back is expensive because you've got quite a large box to send back but the garment was saved!

 

[bluesman528]

Quite good hints so far but the ultimate hint was not there until now: Buy more suits. Buy seasonal suits. If you have a day where you put quite some stress to the garment wear a suit which is up to the task (high-twist wool or wool-mohair in summer, thick, hard-finished worsteds or even tweed in winter). Don't take them to the cleaners too often, put them on a good hanger, buy suits which actually fit. But in the end buy more suits, so every single one of them will get less wear and more rest between wearing days. Same goes for shoes by the way. A good rotation is everything.

 

[The Louche V2]

Quite good hints so far but the ultimate hint was not there until now: Buy more suits. Buy seasonal suits. If you have a day where you put quite some stress to the garment wear a suit which is up to the task (high-twist wool or wool-mohair in summer, thick, hard-finished worsteds or even tweed in winter). Don't take them to the cleaners too often, put them on a good hanger, buy suits which actually fit. But in the end buy more suits, so every single one of them will get less wear and more rest between wearing days. Same goes for shoes by the way. A good rotation is everything.

Having a big rotation isn’t going to make any one suit withstand more wearings. If it’s well cared for, a suit will withstand X wearings, be that spread over one year or a decade. Having a bigger rotation just lets you procrastinate individual wearings.

 

[kazusano]

I had one tailor suggest I have two pants made for each suit and then switch between the pants each time I wear the suit to combat the problem that a couple of commenters have noted about excessive wear in the seat from my Aeron chair. (Just kidding, I don't have an Aeron chair!)

I did so, but I would be curious to get other opinions as to whether this was a wise investment or merely a tailor taking advantage of me!

And I had a dry cleaner explain that even with dry cleaning, over time, colors will fade, and that's why they suggest that you dry clean the jacket and pants (or in my case, both pants) together each time. Otherwise, you end up with pieces that are slightly different fades of color that will make the suit seem wrong to the eye.

Again, would be curious for this board's opinion as to whether this makes sense or if my dry cleaner is also trying to take advantage of me!

 

[C MattssonJH]

I will preface this by saying, I do sell customs men’s clothing. I have rarely recommended buying two pairs of pants to match the jacket unless I felt the client was really going to wear the suit heavily. These days there’s not much of that going on. But for somebody that is wearing a suit frequently I would highly recommend that. Today’s dry cleaning at a better dry cleaner is not as harsh as what used to be used years ago. Because of that, I think you can occasionally dry clean just the trousers for the suit and not the jacket without any affect on the color.

I had one tailor suggest I have two pants made for each suit and then switch between the pants each time I wear the suit to combat the problem that a couple of commenters have noted about excessive wear in the seat from my Aeron chair. (Just kidding, I don't have an Aeron chair!)

I did so, but I would be curious to get other opinions as to whether this was a wise investment or merely a tailor taking advantage of me!

And I had a dry cleaner explain that even with dry cleaning, over time, colors will fade, and that's why they suggest that you dry clean the jacket and pants (or in my case, both pants) together each time. Otherwise, you end up with pieces that are slightly different fades of color that will make the suit seem wrong to the eye.

Again, would be curious for this board's opinion as to whether this makes sense or if my dry cleaner is also trying to take advantage of me!