bespoke suit, what type of wool?

[synergy]

In the near future I will be ordering my first bespoke suit, and at the moment one of my main questions is about the fabric. I know I want 100% worsted wool and I will be going with a solid navy color. but before I meet with a tailor, id like to know exactly what type of wool I should use. Ive seen allot of talk on this forum about super 110 or super 150, and im going to take a guess and say it has something to do with the fineness of the wool. So my question is; for my suit what type of super worsted wool should I go with? With money not being an object which wool would be best?

 

[GBear]

"Best" is relative. It depends on what you want. Generally, the higher supers, although feeling softer, will be more expensive and less durable. Vice versa with the lower supers.

 

[Michael Ay329]

Don't get suckered into buying high Super number cloth in the tissue paper weight range of 8-11oz If you insist on Super cloths, may I suggest you ONLY consider Super 80 or 90 cloth in the 12-15oz range. Read this article in your quest to making an educated choice http://www.american.com/archive/2007...er-super-wool/

 

[tim_horton]

Tough question. There's almost an endless amount of choices. I think you need to narrow it down a bit. How heavy do you want it? What type of climate/temperature range will it be used in? Do you want it for business or more informal situations? Telling these to your tailor should help them guide your selection. It will also help the more knowledgeable members of SF (I'm not one of them) recommend specific books of fabric to look for.

Good luck. I recently dipped into the MTM world and making these decisions is both fun and frustrating... And expensive!

 

[Taxler]

Originally Posted by synergy

In the near future I will be ordering my first bespoke suit, and at the moment one of my main questions is about the fabric. I know I want 100% worsted wool and I will be going with a solid navy color. but before I meet with a tailor, id like to know exactly what type of wool I should use. Ive seen allot of talk on this forum about super 110 or super 150, and im going to take a guess and say it has something to do with the fineness of the wool. So my question is; for my suit what type of super worsted wool should I go with? With money not being an object which wool would be best?

Is this hypothetical, or do you really not care how much it cost? I'd choose a less expensive fabric for the first bespoke just in case it doesn't come out the way you expect. If you like it, price-up on the second.

 

[emptym]

If you really don't care how much it costs, your first question should be which tailor you want to work with. If money's no object, you'll find quite a few knowledgeable and trustworthy options. And after you decide on one, you could discuss fabric options with that person. But to answer your question more directly: it's true that super numbers tend to be a gimmick. But they're not all bad. Huntsman has a super 240's wool called Opus that's woven in a probably pretty durable 10.5 oz weave. Interestingly, the wool originally comes from an operation that goes out of its way to hire disabled people.

 

[synergy]

Thanks for all the input so far, to clarify a few things; I understand that saying "best" is relative and at the end of the day its all personal preference. My goal is to have a better understanding of the different types of worsted wools available to make an educated choice when ordering my suit.

For reference this suit will be used for business but it will only be worn occasionally. Hard to explain but I wouldnt want anything too heavy nor too light, I definetly dont want the wool to look "cheap"

When I said "money not being an object" I ment im not exactly on a budget, and im not trying to skimp on fabric. I wouldnt want to knowingly ahead of time purchase subpar wool with the intentions to save money.

 

[AB01]

Originally Posted by Michael Ay329

Don't get suckered into buying high Super number cloth in the tissue paper weight range of 8-11oz

If you insist on Super cloths, may I suggest you ONLY consider Super 80 or 90 cloth in the 12-15oz range.

Read this article in your quest to making an educated choice
http://www.american.com/archive/2007...er-super-wool/

Great article by the way. It should be required reading. Strange how I have never seen it before.
Regarding your suggestion to the poster, I have a heavy suit and don't like the heat and stuffyness of it. It's a "Winter" suit, but I always end up needing it on hot days. Because it's thick, it looks cheap. Like blobby shoes.

I wouldn't pay to go higher than 120, but like the article says, modern Italian fabrics are attractive because they are made for the climate.

 

[tim_horton]

Originally Posted by synergy

Hard to explain but I wouldnt want anything too heavy nor too light...
What part of the world do you live in? That may help narrow down the best weight for a three-season suit.

 

[synergy]

Originally Posted by tim_horton

What part of the world do you live in? That may help narrow down the best weight for a three-season suit.

LA, but I dont really feel its relevant since the suit will be worn occasionally

 

[Michael Ay329]

Synergy: In Downtown L.A., I suggest you walk into to feel the various cloths at:
http://www.bblackandsons.com/

Consider a Navy 12/13oz (370gram) wollen flannel from England or Carlo Barbera

Jodek in Beverly Hills, should have the flannels...but they prefer to directly deal with your tailor. Its not an open shop like Black & Sons...its by appointment only.
http://www.jodekinternational.com/

 

[Newlaw]

Originally Posted by Michael Ay329

Don't get suckered into buying high Super number cloth in the tissue paper weight range of 8-11oz

If you insist on Super cloths, may I suggest you ONLY consider Super 80 or 90 cloth in the 12-15oz range.

Read this article in your quest to making an educated choice
http://www.american.com/archive/2007...er-super-wool/

Awesome article. Thank you.

I recently bought a suit in Super 150s. The hand is great, it drapes elegantly, but it wrinkles way too easily. The result is that my nice suit almost ends up looking sloppy at the end of the day.

 

[GBR]

Take your tailors advice on those cloths which will best suit the circumstances in which you plan to wear the suit.

 

[cbbuff]

Originally Posted by GBR

Take your tailors advice on those cloths which will best suit the circumstances in which you plan to wear the suit.

This.

 

[sartorial_marxist]

Virgin wool