Unfunded Liabilities: a/k/a The Cloth Thread

[IJReilly]

Hello Gentlemen,

I'm looking to have 3 suits made: charcoal, mid to light grey, and midnight to dark navy for year round wear. I'm choosing between Zegna Trofeo, 15milmil, and Carlo Barbera 150s. Which fabric should I get? I'd like for the suits to last 10-15 years and will be wearing them about 3 times a month. Also, how much fabric should I get to make the suit along with an extra pair of pants? I'm 5'10 and 170 pounds.

Lastly, how much fabric should I get for a sportcoat with 2 patch pockets? Obviously I'd like for there to be pattern matching.

Thanks in advance gentlemen!

I really don't want to come in and be negative, but I would suggest you rethink the idea of a suit lasting fifteen years. Your body and taste will change and this is, in my experience, the main reason to get rid of tailored clothing. It also seems unlikely that you will wear out a suit in ten years if you only wear it three times a month, unless you are like me and you destroy your trousers in the crotch or choose a very delicate fabric.

 

[Fishball]

I was wearing this suit last week, it was made 9 years ago, and I gained more than 20lbs since then.

It still look good I think
but if you want it last for 10 to 15years, I think you better use English cloth

 

[The Chai]

View attachment 952273 I was wearing this suit last week, it was made 9 years ago, and I gained more than 20lbs since then.

It still look good I think

Love the SBPL...my favorite style

 

[Fishball]

Love the SBPl...my favorite style

Thank you!

 

[The Chai]

Thank you!

What cloth is that?

 

[Fishball]

What cloth is that?

The original Minnis Rangoon

 

[The Chai]

Damn would love to get my hands on some of that. I settled with minnis mohair fresco...

The original Minnis Rangoon

 

[bry2000]

View attachment 952273 I was wearing this suit last week, it was made 9 years ago, and I gained more than 20lbs since then.

It still look good I think
but if you want it last for 10 to 15years, I think you better use English cloth

English cloth like Lessers or Smiths is generally recommended for longevity. But to be fair, I have found Zegna 15 mil mil and Carlo Barbera cloth to be very durable. They have a much different feel from English cloth, but I like them for different reasons. I even have a suit made from LP Super 150s worsted with a flannel finish that is still going strong after 10 years.

 

[TOBestWR]

So I continued my search for a brown summer sportcoat and looked at these 2 Ariston fabrics. I really like the first one. What do you think about them

 

[Concordia]

The first is potentially very nice.

 

[OxfordDon]

Good quality mercerised Irish linen of 250-350 g is pretty robust; it will handle regular heavy wear and many, many washes for many years if washed in cold water. The usual suspects (W. Bill, Hanna, Ulster Weavers) all have good cloth of this type. I have heavyweight linen trousers, which are more or less heavy canvas, and they are great for spring and autumn casual wear, and heavyweight plain weave linen when well washed makes a great barong/shirt jacket for use without a singlet in even hot and humid weather.

You would wash linen trousers like you would cotton ones?

 

[Simon A]

You would wash linen trousers like you would cotton ones?

It depends on the construction. If put together with waistband tape, lining etc, then no. If more simply constructed, then washing in cold water is fine.

 

[The Chai]

It depends on the construction. If put together with waistband tape, lining etc, then no. If more simply constructed, then washing in cold water is fine.

I have washed wool pants with lining and construction (disclaimer bring im nuts) but if you account for shrinkage and you know how to press your pants I think you would be fine...but I’m personally too cheapskate to go to the cleaners

 

[mactire]

Be aware that if you hot wash linen there's a good chance it'll run in the wash.

 

[Simon A]

Be aware that if you got wash linen there's a good chance it'll run in the wash.

Unlikely if washed in cold water. People have been washing dyed linen with soap and water in my country for 35,000 years. If it was that susceptible to dye leaching during the wash, our prehistoric forebears would not have bothered to dye it. Linen is even less likely to run in the wash if mercerised, which improves dye uptake and colour fastness; the process has been designed to reduce the risk of this phenomenon.