Unfunded Liabilities: a/k/a The Cloth Thread

[undertheskin]

Hi lads!
Very long time lurker - first time writer here.
I need your help choosing/finding the right summer jacketing (up to 25degree cel.).
This will be the 4th SC, first brown.

I am looking for a hopsack/leno/natté with some surface interest/coarseness and some color depth and variation - a kinda 'rustic' appearance is what I am after.
But no pure linen.

While looking for a nice dark brown fabric I found the following which I quite like:

- H&S dark brown hopsack (Mesh&Hopsack)
- H&S dark brown mesh
(Mesh&Hopsack)
- Dugdale dark brown Mock Leno
(Tropicalair)
- Smith dark brown Mock Leno
(Finmeresco)
- Marling&Evans //Drapers brown panama
(Kirkburton //Portofino Linen)
- Cerruti dark brown panama (?)
(Oxygen)
- old H&S dark brown Hopsack
(Crystal Springs from before 2018?)

-The H&S hopsacks ticks all the boxes but I fear the high silk % will make it wear warm and it might have this specific cold silk touch and sheen which I dont like.
Can someone comment on this maybe @Despos ?
-The Mesh seems a bit too refined from
the pictures of garments I have seen too be made up in dark brown.
- Dugdale same as above
- Smith Mock Leno looks really promising but I don't know if the 12/13oz will wear much warmer than 10oz from Minnis. I also like the shade of brown a lot.
- M&E looks really flat and onedimensional if this makes sense..
- Cerruti also looks flat
- H&S deadstock (?) looks really nice but I think I can't obtain it anywhere

I really hope you can help me find something

 

[dieworkwear]

What about wool-silk-linen? They're usually a chunky plain weave, very airy and textured, and often have a bit of variation in the color. This is mine:

 

[Simon A]

Could try a Schofield and Smith Wool-Mohair-Linen-Silk jacketing. I have one in green which I like, the dark brown can be seen below.

http://www.schofieldandsmith.co.uk/cloth-en.php?n30=SWL-2000-23

 

[undertheskin]

What about wool-silk-linen? They're usually a chunky plain weave, very airy and textured, and often have a bit of variation in the color. This is mine:


View attachment 1405643

Could try a Schofield and Smith Wool-Mohair-Linen-Silk jacketing [...]
http://www.schofieldandsmith.co.uk/cloth-en.php?n30=SWL-2000-23

View attachment 1405658

Both look quite interesting in terms of weave but are more of a mid brown instead of dark brown. Also the light yarns are really light compared to the dark ones which makes a drastic contrast. I have an old Drapers SC with that kind of slubbiness which I tend to never wear because of this...
@dieworkwear can you tell me something about the composition (w%/s%/l% weight/m) and how does it wear compared to your minnis mock leno?

Thanks a lot!

 

[dieworkwear]

Both look quite interesting in terms of weave but are more of a mid brown instead of dark brown. Also the light yarns are really light compared to the dark ones which makes a drastic contrast. I have an old Drapers SC with that kind of slubbiness which I tend to never wear because of this...
@dieworkwear can you tell me something about the composition (w%/s%/l% weight/m) and how does it wear compared to your minnis mock leno?

Thanks a lot!

I haven't had a chance to wear the Mock Leno yet. I received it last winter, and then the cornavirus lockdown came. I imagine it will be a long, long time before I'm able to give real feedback.

Regarding fiber composition, I find weave matters more than fiber. A cotton twill will wear warmer than an open weave wool. Always best to ask your tailor. But generally, if you can hold the fabric up to the light and see light pouring through, it's probably a better indication of how breathable it will be rather than if there's a small mixture of silk or wool.

I don't remember the specific fiber composition of my w/s/l. But it's a w/s/l.

 

[kolecho]

Both look quite interesting in terms of weave but are more of a mid brown instead of dark brown. Also the light yarns are really light compared to the dark ones which makes a drastic contrast. I have an old Drapers SC with that kind of slubbiness which I tend to never wear because of this...
@dieworkwear can you tell me something about the composition (w%/s%/l% weight/m) and how does it wear compared to your minnis mock leno?

Thanks a lot!

If you want something with less contrasty yarns, have a look at Anglo Italian Tessuti AIT-068.

AIT - 068

Brown basketweave for summer, woven in extra fine merino, silk and linen. Suitable for sport jackets that are worn both formally and informally. Weight: 290/310 gms Composition: 74% EXTRA FINE MERINO 13% SE 13% LI Woven in Italy Please note typically 2.50/3.00 mt. is required for jackets and...

angloitalian.com

 

[undertheskin]

If you want something with less contrasty yarns, have a look at Anglo Italian Tessuti AIT-068.

AIT - 068

Brown basketweave for summer, woven in extra fine merino, silk and linen. Suitable for sport jackets that are worn both formally and informally. Weight: 290/310 gms Composition: 74% EXTRA FINE MERINO 13% SE 13% LI Woven in Italy Please note typically 2.50/3.00 mt. is required for jackets and...

angloitalian.com

Thanks for the suggestion kolecho!
It really is a beautiful fabric but made up it looks a bit too refined unfortunately.
To me it looks more like a suiting than a sportscoat...


Edit: does someone have the H&S mesh&hopsack bunch and would be so kind to make a pic showing how the dark brown hopsack looks against the light?
I did not look for this when I flipped through it at my tailor.

 

[Davidos]

Can someone tell me if this is a hopsack weave? It’s a picture from Suitsupply website. The fabric code is: 561.201/10. It’s a VBC fabric.

 

[ZRH1]

I have both Mock Leno from Hardy and the Schofield, the latter is much nicer in texture. The former nearly a bit to rough.

 

[yanagi]

- Dugdale dark brown Mock Leno
(Tropicalair)

a bit too refined

I have a bright navy blazer from the same bunch. I think mock leno is a great weave for jackets. There's no mistaking it for suiting IMO.

 

[Concordia]

Just took delivery on a suit and a blazer from the Harrisons Spring Ram collection. The blazer (mock leno-ish) is heavier than the suit but seems to wear lighter. It is also the semi-lined, unconstructed style from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury.

The suit is the regular plain weave, and is quite fiercely sturdy. Even more than 10oz Fresco. That one is more conventional SR canvassing/padding, so feels a bit heavier. More of a shoulder season thing, I suspect. I aimed it at the UK where even nominally cool fall days feel oppressively warm b/c of the humidity. Also good for travelling to conferences, where meeting rooms can get a little hot.

 

[dieworkwear]

View attachment 1405688
Can someone tell me if this is a hopsack weave? It’s a picture from Suitsupply website. The fabric code is: 561.201/10. It’s a VBC fabric.

I would call that a leno weave.

Hopsack is a type of plain weave, where the yarns crisscross each other like a tic tac toe pattern. Sort of like a baseketweave

 

[Sreezy36]

Can anyone recommend hopsack fabrics that are very sturdy with year-round/3 season wearability? Also, sturdy enough to be made into trousers as a part of a suit. I am interested in commissioning an all purpose “blazer/sport jacket suit”.

 

[dieworkwear]

Can anyone recommend hopsack fabrics that are very sturdy with year-round/3 season wearability? Also, sturdy enough to be made into trousers as a part of a suit. I am interested in commissioning an all purpose “blazer/sport jacket suit”.

I have a Harrisons Oyster suit made for that purpose. But just beware, I find that "BlazerSuits" are never really ideal blazers or suits. If you want a very limited wardrobe, maybe they'd be useful. But often, you may be better off going with a dedicated suit and a dedicated sport coat.

 

[heldentenor]

Can anyone recommend hopsack fabrics that are very sturdy with year-round/3 season wearability? Also, sturdy enough to be made into trousers as a part of a suit. I am interested in commissioning an all purpose “blazer/sport jacket suit”.

Harrison's has a monster 465g navy hopsack at the end of their SpringRam book. I'm making it up this summer. It's an open enough weave that I'd have doubts about it as trousers, but your mileage may vary.