• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

How do you tell if your suit is canvas or fused?

brueshin

Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2004
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
just wondering if my suit is canvas or fused. thank you
 

BjornH

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
497
Reaction score
1
The simple test is to pinch the sleve and then the chest area. If the material feels thicker on the chest, then it's probably fused if not it's got a floating canvas.

You should note that almost all suits have canvas, or what passes for canvas. The difference is how it's attached to the suit i.e. glued or sewn.

Do a search for more info..

B
 

johnnynorman3

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2004
Messages
2,702
Reaction score
25
This is a topic that has generated much confusion. Most posters give very unintentionally misleading and confusing information. I think that A. Harris gave the best explanation. Feel the fabric at the middle of one of the sleeves (not the lining, just the wool). Then, feel the fabric at the chest, just above the pocket. A fused suit's fabric at the chest area will feel slightly "thicker" -- in a good fused suit only just a little bit -- than the fabric at the sleeve. This is due to the fusible fabric that has been literally "fused" to the on the inside face of the wool fabric. (Imagine a giant iron on patch, only much of much more supple material).

Even in a fused suit you will feel a distinct third layer at the chest area. This is the canvas chest piece, and I have never seen any decent suit (read: over $250 retail) that didn't have a "floating" chest piece. Some posters here -- for example, Bjorn H above -- have stated that the difference between a fused and a canvas suit is that in the former the chest piece is "glued" in. I doubt this is the case. I have had one experience deconstructing a fused suit, and the chest piece was most definitely stitched in to the jacket (the stitching was at the perimeter, such that the interior of the canvas was floating). I can't imagine how the chest piece could be glued in. Such a suit would be unimaginably cheap and would likely get ruined in a matter of months.

It seems to me that in a canvas suit the "chest piece" is actually a full front piece. That is, the canvas layer runs all the way down to the bottom of the jacket. In a fused suit, because the canvas only runs down to about the pocket level, the manufacturer must use a fusible material to make the lower half of the jacket have shape. Because it would look silly to have only the lower half of the jacket fused (I imagine you could see a line if this were the case), the fusing runs all the way up. This is why even the chest area's fabric will feel thicker. Additionally, this is why another good way to tell if it is fused or not is to feel the bottom half of the jacket -- if there is a distinct third layer near the bottom hem, chances are its canvassed.

Also, note that even fused suits will often have canvas in the lapels that is padstitched in. Hart Schaffner and Marx is a good example of this. Though the Gold Trumpeteer is a fused suit (and in my opinion a good one), the lapels contain handstitched canvas. In my opinion, the canvas lapels are very important to look for as well.
 

brueshin

Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2004
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Thanks for your reply....wow, that is soo confusing
smile.gif
i will try the pinch test but it seems as if you are suggesting that it will not really tell me whether or not it is fused. Is there any other signs/tests that says a suit is well constructed besides this and the stitching? thanks
 

MilanoStyle

Distinguished Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
1,620
Reaction score
5
Yes. It's a confusing matter. Thanks for the explaination though.

However, for me, it is more confusing to decide what I should value more when it comes to choosing suit. Is it construction, style, fit, fabric, or/and label. I have tried Canali, Zegna, and Brioni that have full front canvas. However, those suits may look fabolous on slender guys .. but rigid shoulders on those suits make me look like a brick (I have big shoulders and lats). However .. I am thinking about getting 2 button made to measure Zegna suit though .. : )
 

johnnynorman3

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2004
Messages
2,702
Reaction score
25
It is confusing, but the pinch test works very well. Pinch an Oxxford or most Hickey Freeman suits (I actually saw a fused HF Collection the other day and was sort of shocked) and you'll notice the difference immediately. I promise.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 36.4%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 59 39.1%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 16 10.6%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 26 17.2%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 26 17.2%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,151
Messages
10,578,800
Members
223,881
Latest member
Aitchdra
Top