How to keep heavy trousers from pilling

[Bic Pentameter]

I thought about naming this post "The balls between my legs," but realized that that might not prompt the measured informed responses I was hoping for.

It is winter in my neck of the woods and occassionally I like to spice things up with heavy flannel or tweed suits/trousers.

I have most of my suits pattern order made. I choose the fabric and the suit is cut to my measurements. I usually have two pair of trousers made to lengthen the life of the suit and have the legs lined to the knee.

I wore a new green herringbone suit with a red windowpane for the first time yesterday and was horrified to notice that the cloth in the crotch had pilled already. I have had this problem before and it does not seem to be related to the quality of the fabric. My cheaper worsteds almost never pill. I suppose one solution is to wear smoother fabrics. . . .

Can heavy fabric pilling be prevented, or does it just come with the territory? With the rate my suit trousers pilled yesterday, very soon my suit will be reduced to just a sportcoat.

Bic

 

[bengal-stripe]

Bic, I used to have the same problem. It's caused by the inside of the thighs being too fleshy. Stand in front of the mirror with your legs close together. Do you see daylight coming through? Some people have a gap of an inch or so, while others (usually with big legs) have the thighs closing up. So with every step you take, you have fabric rubbing over fabric and of course causing stress and abrasions.

Probably that's the way you are built and short of a course of liposuction on the inside of your thighs, there is very little you can do about. Just avoid soft weaves, a gabardine is much harder wearing than a tweed.

 

[Bic Pentameter]

Thanks for the reply Bengal Stripe. . . .


I assumed that there was too much friction between my thighs, and had hoped for some type of magic tailoring fix. (The tailor at a department store once told me he could sew a "walk lining" into the inner thighs and this would reduce the friction. I didn't. )Apparently there is no tailored fix.


Thanks again for the post.


Bic