suit construction

[ghulkhan]

ok, so i know canvas is much better in suit jackets and sport coats then fusing, because fusing is glue and its just not as good as canvassing, so when i go to a lot of retailors these days ive recently gotten into the habit of asking wether it is fused or canvassed to which all of them have no idea what im talking about, keep in mind these are people at giorgio armani, dolce and gabanna, and on the phone with someone at adam kimmels office...well the other day i as at giorgio armani and the guy said the suits neither fused or canvased..it just uses "fabric" idk what he meant by that can anyone lend me some insight

 

[Edward Appleby]

Off the top of my head... D&G and Armani employees don't know **** about clothes?

 

[ghulkhan]

yea thats def true, there answer to everything is
What are you taking about? Do you know that you are buying an Armani suit??

 

[Get Smart]

you'd be surprised how many salesstaff at expensive boutiques have no clue on suit construction, esp at stores like dolce gabanna, armani, etc. Those brands don't target the savvy customer that has some semblance of concern for quality so the salesmen probably never get asked such questions.

I'm sure you'd get a much more educated answer at, say, Paul Stuart

my previous SA at Paul Smith was the only person I've ever dealt with that knew which items were fused or floating canvass on the suit rack. too bad he left for carolina herrera

 

[ghulkhan]

yea it pisses me off sometimes
i was at emporio armani, and ia sked the same question about it being canvassed..and the guy was arleady pissing me off because he was acting like i didnt know what i was talking about he was the suit know it all but he had no clue what canvassing was..he kept on telling me its armani (i wanted to tell him it was his cheaper line) and that he has been in the suit business for 6 years yet his answer to everything was man its an armani

 

[Get Smart]

Pretty soon the response you'll get is "canvas??? The suit's made of WOOL!....and it's ARMANI"

re:dolce gabbana mainline, some of it's fused, some is full canvas...gotta do the pinch test to tell

 

[DocHolliday]

Most salesmen, regardless of store, will have little idea what you're talking about. They're there to convince you to buy, not share tech specs. You'd think high-end stores would teach their salemen about the merchandise, but sadly, that's not the case, at least at most places.

Instead of asking, check for yourself: Pinch the fabric below the bottom button on the jacket, both on the inside and outside. Pull the layers apart. If you can feel a third layer inside, then the jacket is fully canvassed.

 

[EasyGoing]

Originally Posted by ghulkhan

yea it pisses me off sometimes
i was at emporio armani, and ia sked the same question about it being canvassed..and the guy was arleady pissing me off because he was acting like i didnt know what i was talking about he was the suit know it all but he had no clue what canvassing was..he kept on telling me its armani (i wanted to tell him it was his cheaper line) and that he has been in the suit business for 6 years yet his answer to everything was man its an armani

Why are you getting mad at him? People don't buy from him because they care about the things you are asking, so he doesn't have to know. He's some guy who adapted to his clientele.

 

[ghulkhan]

Originally Posted by EasyGoing

Why are you getting mad at him? People don't buy from him because they care about the things you are asking, so he doesn't have to know. He's some guy who adapted to his clientele.
cuz he said i clearly didnt know what i was talking about

 

[EasyGoing]

Originally Posted by ghulkhan

cuz he said i clearly didnt know what i was talking about

So why would that make you mad?

 

[Toiletduck]

I noticed some of the so called "suits" nowadays don't necessarily have an extra layer in between.

Is it still called fused/canvassed if its purely 2 layers of fabric?

 

[maomao1980]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

Pretty soon the response you'll get is "canvas??? The suit's made of WOOL!....and it's ARMANI"

re:dolce gabbana mainline, some of it's fused, some is full canvas...gotta do the pinch test to tell

Doubt it, all of mine have floating chest piece and fused everywhere else. I have never seen a fully canvassed DG, maybe they existed many years ago.

 

[gj555]

Originally Posted by Toiletduck

I noticed some of the so called "suits" nowadays don't necessarily have an extra layer in between.

Is it still called fused/canvassed if its purely 2 layers of fabric?

Canvassed and fused are 2 different methods of construction.

Canvassed suits will have three layers. 2 layers of wool with one layer of canvass sewn in between.

Fused suits have only 2 layers. Both layers will be wool but one of the layers will have a patch of material fused (aka glued) on.

Some suits have part canvas (such as in the chest, lapels and/or all the way down below the 2nd button of a 3 button suit) and part fusing (such as in the lower half of the suit).

My last MTM tailor took off part of the lining of 2 of my suits made by other tailors. One was full canvas and the other one was 1/2 canvas 1/2 fused. It was very interesting to see where the fusing started and where the canvas ended.

 

[The_Foxx]

i usually use the terms "stitched" or "Fused" construction with sales associates, to ask about jacket construction. usually, tho, i just look at the buttonholes-- if they are hand stitched, chances are the jacket is hand finished in the lapels, as well.

of course, having the knowledge you do-- you could easily put a snooty salesperson in his or her place, demonstrating that the "armani suit is clearly glued together in a factory, which you would never consider wearing." or a similar comment that would snap the snoot right out of them!

 

[acidboy]

After joining SF (and AAAC) I have avoided talking to salespeople altogether unless I need them to get something of my size.