Unfunded Liabilities: a/k/a The Cloth Thread

[jaywhyy]

Any suggestions on swatches/books for a blue two-ply hopsack? Looking to have a blazer suit made by NSM. I assume hopsack is a bit more hard wearing than fresco.

 

[ericgereghty]

Hi guys,

I will be commissioning a jacket in grey herringbone. I've narrowed the fabric choice to the following three:

• Caccioppoli 580142
• Dugdale Bros & Co 9469
• Dugdale Bros & Co 4211

I'm leaning towards one of the first two (the last one is slightly too rugged for what I have in mind), but I'm wondering whether someone has any experience with any of above and can share an opinion about it.

Also, I've seen that there are several cavalry twills in The White Rose Caldonaire bunch. I want to make a pair of trousers and from what I've read it is a good choice of fabric for such purpose. Can anyone comment on quality of twills from this book?

Cheers!

The Cav Twills are great. The heavier weight is absolutely bulletproof

 

[WillingToLearn]

Any suggestions on swatches/books for a blue two-ply hopsack? Looking to have a blazer suit made by NSM. I assume hopsack is a bit more hard wearing than fresco.

Mina usually recommends the cacciopolli hopsack, if I recall. I'd actually say hopsack is slightly more delicate that fresco- might be more "snaggable", if ever so slightly

 

[bdavro23]

Mina usually recommends the cacciopolli hopsack, if I recall. I'd actually say hopsack is slightly more delicate that fresco- might be more "snaggable", if ever so slightly

I would tend to agree with this assessment RE: Hopsack vs Fresco, though they're very different cloths. Fresco is a pretty hard wearing fabric and I have two pair of trousers that are 3 years old and are just starting to feel broken in.

 

[jaywhyy]

Stand corrected. Been deciding between the two for awhile; prefer hopsack for the jacket and fresco for the trousers. If anyone has other recommendations for a blazer suit would appreciate it.

Realize the best option would be to have a different blazer and a suit, but Im trying to limit my tailored clothing to one summer and one winter given how little I wear it now.

 

[bdavro23]

Stand corrected. Been deciding between the two for awhile; prefer hopsack for the jacket and fresco for the trousers. If anyone has other recommendations for a blazer suit would appreciate it.

Realize the best option would be to have a different blazer and a suit, but Im trying to limit my tailored clothing to one summer and one winter given how little I wear it now.

If it were me, and I were only going to have two suits, I would do a Navy, and a Mid-Grey, both in a 9-10 oz fabric. This would basically cover you for a huge variety of events and occasions, without locking you into a seasonal option.

It is your decision of course, but I think doing summer and winter suits would be pretty limiting. Best of luck with what you decide.

One final note on hopsack: While there are some hopsack suiting fabrics, my preference is to reserve it for jackets. It isnt that hopsack cant be used for trousers in certain scenarios, its just that there are usually much better alternatives available.

 

[The Chai]

If it were me, and I were only going to have two suits, I would do a Navy, and a Mid-Grey, both in a 9-10 oz fabric. This would basically cover you for a huge variety of events and occasions, without locking you into a seasonal option.

It is your decision of course, but I think doing summer and winter suits would be pretty limiting. Best of luck with what you decide.

One final note on hopsack: While there are some hopsack suiting fabrics, my preference is to reserve it for jackets. It isnt that hopsack cant be used for trousers in certain scenarios, its just that there are usually much better alternatives available.

Fresco is year round fabric for me down under

 

[dieworkwear]

Hopsack is a type of weave and Fresco is a type of tropical wool. At the risk of being pedantic, I think it's hard to make these comparisons on durability since there are some really delicate hopsacks and some that are quite durable. It really depends on the cloth.

If you're going to get a BlazerSuit, I think Fresco or Harrison's Oyster would work. But with the usual caveats that these things never really feel here nor there, if achieving that ideal is important to you.

 

[keshwa01]

anyone know what color/make this linen is? I think it's probably the perfect shade of brown. Also open to the same color but in a summer weight wool

 

[The Chai]

Shameless plug here but I am selling by navy mohair fresco and my dark brown herringbone linen to fund my other stuff ?

 

[Bespoke DJP]

Dear @blekit,

I am glad that you narrowed down your choices to three, a process that if I correctly recall was started (or at least, posted here) some two months ago.

If you finally choose the first option, why choosing cloth from a merchant (availability, tailor's practice, habit, inertia), and not from the actual mill?

This 97% wool, 3% cashmere at 315grams that Caccioppoli offers is a Loro Piana cloth from the "Favola" line; it is not alike, it is the same!

Of course you have the final word, we are merely discussing and sometimes suggesting things.

I hope that everything would go as planned!

Best,

Dimitris

 

[norMD]

anyone know what color/make this linen is? I think it's probably the perfect shade of brown. Also open to the same color but in a summer weight wool
View attachment 1212084

It looks similar to the tobacco minnis linen offered by Spier and Mackay this summer.

 

[dieworkwear]

anyone know what color/make this linen is? I think it's probably the perfect shade of brown. Also open to the same color but in a summer weight wool
View attachment 1212084

That photo was shot by The Sartorailist eons ago, so the original cloth is probably gone (assuming it was available to tailors in the first place). If you browse the usual suspects for linen, however, you may be able to find something. The new Fresco III book also has a tropical wool in a similar shade of brown.

 

[blekit]

Dear...

Hi,
I generally choose fabrics that are available at hand to the tailor I am using for the particular commission. I don't have neither time nor knowledge to hunt for them myself.

In this case, at first I was presented with Caccioppoli and The White Rose books. However, today I had an opportunity to browse through Holland & Sherry City of London bunch and a dark horse appeared - a light grey herringbone. It has a very nice hand serious weight and the exact shade and pattern scale I was originally looking for.

In any way, thanks for all your help. In few months I will hopefully post results here.

Cheers!

 

[jaywhyy]

Any Neapolitan tailors that visit the US that are less pricey than NSM or Solito? Appears prices have skyrocketed across the board in the past 5-6 years.