How do one distinguish a full canvas suit from a fused suit?

[AndrewRogers]

Originally Posted by instep

No. That just looks like careless steaming of a jacket lapel around pick stitching.

For lack of a better comparison, bubbling in fused jackets looks just like air trapped under a film, not unlike poorly applied or old car window tinting - bits of the fabric 'lift' off the fusing, and look 'puffy' compared to the surrounding still-fused areas.

Anyone who has had kids or only recently left school will know this from applying plastic covers to books. The bubbles are anywhere, not just near stitches as in that Hanks photograph. Still, I think this really remains a hard thing to do, but something that can be done nevertheless. The point is, though, that if you can't notice the difference and the garment will last and the price is right, who cares? Some fusing will be just as hardy as a full canvas.

 

[DoctorRN]

Hi, Can I re-open this thread and ask some advice regarding differentiating fused and floating canvas. A couple of years ago I had a tailcoat made. I am just wondering whether it has a floating canvas. I have done the pinch test and there does appear to be a third layer underneath the bottom button, which is separate from the inside and outside layer. When I look at the buttonhole, there also appears to be a pale middle layer seen within the buttonhole which looks like canvassing (see picture).

My understanding is that fused canvassing tends to be black or dark grey in colour, whereas this is clearly pale (like most proper canvassing I have previously seen).

What do people think?

Many thanks.