What's the purpose of the white threads on new suits?

[sportin_life]

This might be a silly question, but what is the point of those white threads on the shoulder, arms, and legs of new suits? It doesn't seem to do anything?

 

[Cant kill da Rooster]

To hold the suit together til you get it home.

 

[VaderDave]

One time I got home with a new suit and pulled those threads. The suit burst into flame and was quickly consumed.

 

[Klobber]

The white threads are there for historical reasons in tradition with best suit manufacturers of old times.

You see, back in the 1960's, the Italian mafia used to transport the white powder in suits (stored in the suit canvas), you pull the white thread to get the drugs out.

Man, dis some bad weed

 

[JamesX]

>.> You guys are so unwelcoming to newbie questions.

Originally Posted by Cant kill da Rooster

To hold the suit together til you get it home.
+1

It is just a traditional thing and one of the hallmarks that the suit is brand new.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

It's called basting. It serves no apparent purpose.

 

[AlexE]

to pretend the suit has been handcrafted and basted by a world class tailor only waiting to be customized to your body ... of course in reality it might have been fused together by a bunch of slave laborers in the third world.

 

[SirGrotius]

100% for show, of course. It's intended to convey the sense that it's been hand tailored, but you probably know better.

 

[sportin_life]

SirGrotius 100% for show, of course. It's intended to convey the sense that it's been hand tailored, but you probably know better.

AlexE to pretend the suit has been handcrafted and basted by a world class tailor only waiting to be customized to your body ... of course in reality it might have been fused together by a bunch of slave laborers in the third world.

JohnnyLaw It's called basting. It serves no apparent purpose.

Thanks for the real answers. I was curious b/c not all my suits had them, so I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be for measurements or something.

One time I got home with a new suit and pulled those threads. The suit burst into flame and was quickly consumed.

That is false, I pulled the threads after I dunked the suit in my pool and nothing happened.

You see, back in the 1960's, the Italian mafia used to transport the white powder in suits (stored in the suit canvas), you pull the white thread to get the drugs out.

I'm not sure about that either, I tried smoking the shoulder on my suit and nothing happened.

 

[comrade]

Originally Posted by AlexE

to pretend the suit has been handcrafted and basted by a world class tailor only waiting to be customized to your body ... of course in reality it might have been fused together by a bunch of slave laborers in the third world.

Exactly.

 

[pvrhye]

I think they're there to laugh at when somebody doesn't take them out. Kinda like the cashmere tags on the sleeves of coats that my friend SWEAR you shouldn't remove.

 

[Yorsch]

Originally Posted by comrade

Exactly.
Is that a same purpose as lapel stitching?

Originally Posted by pvrhye

I think they're there to laugh at when somebody doesn't take them out. Kinda like the cashmere tags on the sleeves of coats that my friend SWEAR you shouldn't remove.
+1 I always laugh at it. I don't know what worse, this or tags and stickers on baseball caps.

 

[pvrhye]

Originally Posted by Yorsch

Is that a same purpose as lapel stitching?

That pick stitching is meant to stick around.

 

[Maccimus]

To tell you that the suit is un-used...

 

[jrd617]

Originally Posted by pvrhye

That pick stitching is meant to stick around.

No, he means the "pick stitching" that is found on low end suits these days. It is meant to imitate the hand stitching on higher end garments and is all for show.