Fused vs unfused suits

[A Harris]

"Basting" is a temporary, large stitch (for easy visibility in a contrasting color,) to keep things in place until all the sewing is done. It is pulled out, once it is no longer needed. You can find suits in the shops where the basting of the shoulders is still left in place. For most production methods is no need for the basting at all. It is just added to give the impression of handwork.

Interesting... It seems I have been using an incorrect term and adding to the confusion. Sorry about that..

 

[FCS]

Yeah, I asked that after perusing A. Harris comment on another thread. So I guess you were referring to hand pad-stitched when you referred to basted lapels?

Quote Armani, Hugo Boss, Attolini, Oxford, Kiton, Canali, Cerruti, Barbera, Pal Zileri, Isaia, Ralph Lauren, Brioni, Zegna, Corneliani, and Belvest. I would be interested in hearing your opinions. I'm going to simplify this a bit and divide the suits into the following rough categories: Suits that are made with a canvas front, basted lapels, handpicked lapel edges, and handsewn buttonholes - Oxxford, Sartoria Attolini, Kiton, Brioni, Isaia (Enrico and most Gianluca,) Ralph Lauren Purple Label (both the current suits made by Saintandrews and the older suits made by Chester Barrie,) Luciano Barbera Collezioni Sartoriale, Sartorio by Attolini, Zegna Napoli Couture, and a (very) few Armani Classico suits. Other examples include Borrelli, D'Avenza, Cheshire Clothing (Chester Barrie,) Caruso (some,) and even some Hickey Freeman suits. Suits that are made with a canvased front, basted lapels, and handpicked lapel edges but without handsewn buttonholes - Belvest, the Pal Zileri www.sartoriale.it line, Canali Exclusive, Boss Baldessarini (I've been informed that the Baldessarini suits are made by Caruso,) Zegna (regular and Napoli lines - not the "Soft" suits,) Canali, Corneliani. Other examples include Cantarelli, Ravazzolo and Nervesa. Canvased front but no other significant detailing - Pal Zileri. Armani Classico and Black Label (made by Vestimenta.) Other examples include Vestimenta's own line and Samuelsohn. I'll add another category as well - suits with a canvased front and handsewn buttonholes but without handpicked lapels. Examples include most Hickey Freeman suits and most suits made by Martin Greenman (the Marcus Neiman Marcus line and the old Donna Karan Couture suits are examples of Greenman's work.) Fused front - Hugo Boss, Armani Collezioni, Emporio and Mani, Zegna Soft. These are rough categories. There are large differences in quality between a Sartoria Attolini and a Sartorio, a Belvest and a Corneliani to use a few as examples. Quote I would also argue that there are finer gradations in the "low end." For example, Hugo Boss and Strellson suits are far superior to RL's cheaper lines. This is very true. The differences between a top end and a low end fused suit have less to do with construction techniques and more to do with fabric and cut. These differences can be quite dramatic. Quote In addition, the mainline Pal Zileri suits I have seen were canvas, and I hear that some Armani Collezioni suits are as well...Canali Proposta may be canvas front as well, but I haven't seen anything in this line in person. I've never seena canvased front Armani Collezioni suit and I don't expect to. Canali Proposta suits are canvased but they often don't have handpicked lapels. Quote On another note, do those of you who sell on ebay find things like the above link troubling? I would think it would only hurt your business as everytime someone gets burned on a misrepresentation it is one less potential customer. Sellers that misrepresent merchandise like this are ruining my business. I wish I had time to pursue them and get them kicked off ebay. -------------- "The perfect suit is like the perfect wine - it does not exist, except in terms of individual taste." - Richard Walker in "Savile Row, An illustrated history"

 

[A Harris]

Exactly. I think I picked it up a few years ago from an article in Cigar Aficionado, or maybe Robb Report, and have been using the term since.

 

[FCS]

Is there any functional advantage of having the lapel hand pad-stitched as opposed to that done by machine?