Unfunded Liabilities: a/k/a The Cloth Thread

[lordsuperb]

Damn it, Lordsuperb, did I screw this up?

The cottons and linens get washed once and then put in the dryer. Note that only those linens and cottons that will be made into casual shirts get put in the dryer as those are the only pieces that may shrink with washing. Anything that will be made into a suit/jacket/coat will not be put in the dryer. The Nantucket Red got a two-wash cycle (back to back) treatment because of its propensity to fade (especially quickly early).

Haha, I think you did it right. I remember reading that the LL linen shirting would shrink significantly and I’ve had a few linen shirts from G. Inglese shrink as well. I usually only wash the Irish linens to soften them up for pants. My linens from solbiati are soft from the get go.

 

[heldentenor]

Also the Harrisons Spring Ram (just took delivery on one!).

Which fabric? The 460g hopsack?

 

[Concordia]

Whatever the heavy blazer fabric in the back of the book is.

 

[The Chai]

I'm taught it is a summer cloth. But, weight aside, I'm completely fine with the match too.

Another supposedly summerish thing I wear in the winter is a shantung tie.

90% of my dress shirts are linen. Enjoy wearing them in winter too

 

[RogerC]

I think where part of the idea of seasonality is about utility, another part is about convention, and the convention often starts leading a life of its own as it gets codified into "rules". It's easy to spot whether you might be cold in a mock leno blazer in winter (utility), but if you're not (central heating, layering, etc.), the convention part of it becomes a lot more conducive to overthinking. To most people, formal clothes do not carry seasonal connotations. Summer wear for them is a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops. In other words: if you enjoy it, wear it.

Talking about summer cloths: I made a mistake when ordering for my next summer suit commission. I mistyped a number and so got a length of the next cloth in the book, rather than the one I wanted. It is lovely fabric, LP Mare wool/silk/linen in bottle green. I've got 3.5m for it, asking 300EUR but open to reasonable offers.

 

[Encathol Epistemia]

Today I received a set of swatches from Pepper Lee. I liked what I saw, although two of the samples that I ordered were not included, and am strongly considering three of them for future commissions. I thought that opinions from the pecan gallery, bespoke really being classier than mere peanuts, here might be enlightening or just enjoyable:

One: A spring and summer sport coat in Light Blue or Light Grey 9 1/2 ounce 95 % Wool / 5 % Mohair mesh (mock leno?) cloth. (The Light Grey one was not in the samples 'despatched' to me) The light blue cloth looks bluer in person than on the website, rather close to what the light grey looks like on the website, and I quite like it. It feels airy and crisp. It seems like it would make a comfortable, slightly whimsical warm weather jacket.

Two: A fall and winter sport coat in 14 ounce black with grey check escorial wool. I am looking to get a dark cool weather sport coat with a pattern and this seems like a candidate. It like the subdued pattern and slightly woolly, spongy feel, although it is damned expensive. Mr. DiPietro has a cloth in a broadly siilar pattern, although I don't know much about it. (I am intrigued by this Bateman-Ogden Garnett cloth too)

Three: A three-piece spring and summer suit in Petrol Green, Emerald Green or, TWIST!, Lilac 9 1/2 ounce 60 % mohair / 40 % wool cloth. I've gotten very curious about mohair, tend to prefer 'expressive' colors for warm weather clothes and green is my favorite color, but seems disfavored for menswear. I certainly detect the 'crisp and dry' feel sometimes attributed to mohair. The cloth feels nice and seems as though it might wear relatively well in higher temperatures The emerald green was my early favorite, but I quite like the lilac, which appears like a slightly eccentric grey, after seeing it in person, even though it would be a curveball for me.

 

[sensuki]

My only good jacket is green and I find it quite versatile for casual and special events. I've got off white cotton, oatmeal linen, light and mid grey high twist, light brown and mid grey flannel and a couple of charcoal worsted trousers and it goes with all of them. My favourite pairing is probably with Fresco 510388 310g.

 

[dieworkwear]

Today I received a set of swatches from Pepper Lee. I liked what I saw, although two of the samples that I ordered were not included, and am strongly considering three of them for future commissions. I thought that opinions from the pecan gallery, bespoke really being classier than mere peanuts, here might be enlightening or just enjoyable:

One: A spring and summer sport coat in Light Blue or Light Grey 9 1/2 ounce 95 % Wool / 5 % Mohair mesh (mock leno?) cloth. (The Light Grey one was not in the samples 'despatched' to me) The light blue cloth looks bluer in person than on the website, rather close to what the light grey looks like on the website, and I quite like it. It feels airy and crisp. It seems like it would make a comfortable, slightly whimsical warm weather jacket.

Two: A fall and winter sport coat in 14 ounce black with grey check escorial wool. I am looking to get a dark cool weather sport coat with a pattern and this seems like a candidate. It like the subdued pattern and slightly woolly, spongy feel, although it is damned expensive. Mr. DiPietro has a cloth in a broadly siilar pattern, although I don't know much about it. (I am intrigued by this Bateman-Ogden Garnett cloth too)

Three: A three-piece spring and summer suit in Petrol Green, Emerald Green or, TWIST!, Lilac 9 1/2 ounce 60 % mohair / 40 % wool cloth. I've gotten very curious about mohair, tend to prefer 'expressive' colors for warm weather clothes and green is my favorite color, but seems disfavored for menswear. I certainly detect the 'crisp and dry' feel sometimes attributed to mohair. The cloth feels nice and seems as though it might wear relatively well in higher temperatures The emerald green was my early favorite, but I quite like the lilac, which appears like a slightly eccentric grey, after seeing it in person, even though it would be a curveball for me.

Hm, we may have different taste, so it could just be a matter of taste. But I would find all those to be too hard to wear.

I find tamer greens to be easier to wear -- closer to olive or green-gray. I have one charcoal sport coat I inherited from my father, but never wear it because I find earthy browns to be easier to wear. When faced with the two options, I just end up reaching for what's easier. Not into light grey summer cloth because it looks like suiting.

 

[circumspice]

Today I received a set of swatches from Pepper Lee. I liked what I saw, although two of the samples that I ordered were not included, and am strongly considering three of them for future commissions. I thought that opinions from the pecan gallery, bespoke really being classier than mere peanuts, here might be enlightening or just enjoyable:

One: A spring and summer sport coat in Light Blue or Light Grey 9 1/2 ounce 95 % Wool / 5 % Mohair mesh (mock leno?) cloth. (The Light Grey one was not in the samples 'despatched' to me) The light blue cloth looks bluer in person than on the website, rather close to what the light grey looks like on the website, and I quite like it. It feels airy and crisp. It seems like it would make a comfortable, slightly whimsical warm weather jacket.

Two: A fall and winter sport coat in 14 ounce black with grey check escorial wool. I am looking to get a dark cool weather sport coat with a pattern and this seems like a candidate. It like the subdued pattern and slightly woolly, spongy feel, although it is damned expensive. Mr. DiPietro has a cloth in a broadly siilar pattern, although I don't know much about it. (I am intrigued by this Bateman-Ogden Garnett cloth too)

Three: A three-piece spring and summer suit in Petrol Green, Emerald Green or, TWIST!, Lilac 9 1/2 ounce 60 % mohair / 40 % wool cloth. I've gotten very curious about mohair, tend to prefer 'expressive' colors for warm weather clothes and green is my favorite color, but seems disfavored for menswear. I certainly detect the 'crisp and dry' feel sometimes attributed to mohair. The cloth feels nice and seems as though it might wear relatively well in higher temperatures The emerald green was my early favorite, but I quite like the lilac, which appears like a slightly eccentric grey, after seeing it in person, even though it would be a curveball for me.

Windowpane (Box check if Vox is reading) is a bit tricky - it is a more casual pattern than pinstripes, but you are looking at a conservative color makeup. I wonder if a navy ground would be more useful, but I also wonder if you did a navy ground suit, could you wear the coat on its own?

Those mohair blends are likely going to SPEAK WITH AN OUTSIDE VOICE. I recent took delivery of a 29% Mohair / 71% wool suit I had i Sarti make up for me this year (thanks @UrbanComposition ). At 29%, there is a bit of a sheen, but I am also judging this in the dark days of New England winters. I may find it is louder than I think it is under summer sun. That Emerald Green might cause traffic accidents, whiplash claims, strangers high fiving you, you finding yourself buying black+white spectator shoes, etc.

 

[dieworkwear]

I think of mohair-blends as being an evening fabric. I suppose you could wear it during the day, but I think the cloth really comes to life in the evening, especially in dimly lit settings such as bars and restaurants. There is a bit of sheen, but it looks good under those conditions. In the summer sun, I would personally go with something more matte.

 

[Wren]

Today I received a set of swatches from Pepper Lee. I liked what I saw, although two of the samples that I ordered were not included, and am strongly considering three of them for future commissions. I thought that opinions from the pecan gallery, bespoke really being classier than mere peanuts, here might be enlightening or just enjoyable:

One: A spring and summer sport coat in Light Blue or Light Grey 9 1/2 ounce 95 % Wool / 5 % Mohair mesh (mock leno?) cloth. (The Light Grey one was not in the samples 'despatched' to me) The light blue cloth looks bluer in person than on the website, rather close to what the light grey looks like on the website, and I quite like it. It feels airy and crisp. It seems like it would make a comfortable, slightly whimsical warm weather jacket.

Two: A fall and winter sport coat in 14 ounce black with grey check escorial wool. I am looking to get a dark cool weather sport coat with a pattern and this seems like a candidate. It like the subdued pattern and slightly woolly, spongy feel, although it is damned expensive. Mr. DiPietro has a cloth in a broadly siilar pattern, although I don't know much about it. (I am intrigued by this Bateman-Ogden Garnett cloth too)

Three: A three-piece spring and summer suit in Petrol Green, Emerald Green or, TWIST!, Lilac 9 1/2 ounce 60 % mohair / 40 % wool cloth. I've gotten very curious about mohair, tend to prefer 'expressive' colors for warm weather clothes and green is my favorite color, but seems disfavored for menswear. I certainly detect the 'crisp and dry' feel sometimes attributed to mohair. The cloth feels nice and seems as though it might wear relatively well in higher temperatures The emerald green was my early favorite, but I quite like the lilac, which appears like a slightly eccentric grey, after seeing it in person, even though it would be a curveball for me.

Green is great! Those greens are much brighter than what I prefer for myself, but hey if that's your thing go for it. The main problem I have is that such greens often look very flat as a plain worsted cloth. They would look much better with some texture.

 

[sensuki]

Agreed on texture, I think this is the same cloth as my jacket - looks the same anyway

 

[classicalthunde]

I’d be curious to hear people’s thoughts on SmithBotany hopsack for a suit?

I’ve often heard that hopsack is jacketing rather than suiting, but I recently watched the MoMA video on Anderson and Sheppard, and the sales associate at the beginning of the film clearly confirms that the suit is a hopsack from the Botany book.

 

[Despos]

I’d be curious to hear people’s thoughts on SmithBotany hopsack for a suit?

I’ve often heard that hopsack is jacketing rather than suiting, but I recently watched the MoMA video on Anderson and Sheppard, and the sales associate at the beginning of the film clearly confirms that the suit is a hopsack from the Botany book.

Hopsack isn't either or. There are hopsack suitings and hopsacks for jackets only. They are both hopsack weaves but are different cloths. They don't look the same. Suiting is much tighter and relatively smooth. Jacketing is usually more open and textured.

 

[classicalthunde]

Hopsack isn't either or. There are hopsack suitings and hopsacks for jackets only. They are both hopsack weaves but are different cloths. They don't look the same. Suiting is much tighter and relatively smooth. Jacketing is usually more open and textured.

Good to know! One other question, all other things being equal, will a suiting hopsack wear cooler than a twill?

I have a 10/11oz twill that I don’t find too hot, will a 12/13oz hopsack be a pretty negligible difference?