Wool and Fabric info

[rainwater]

I've been googling info about wool grades, and it is a little confusing.
Generalization: higher super 100s wool (which I assume comes from merino worsted wool-correct me please) are more delicate but nicer to the hand the higher the super 100 wool is.
What if a suit just says "Merino Wool"? Could it be a good suit that is durable and dependable with continued use? What if the suit is "Merino or Lambswool", but not worsted?
The combinations: Wool/Linen...Wool/Cotton....Wool/Silk....Wool/Cashmere?
I have a Wool/Linen Blazer (Navy) I like very much for the warmer months-nicer than cotton, and almost as cool wearing.
How does all this compare to Camel Hair. I'm even looking at a Camel Hair/Silk sport coat. Does the combination with Silk make the fabric more or less durable.
I've looked at some Camel Hair overcoats that felt soft like Cashmere.
I have a summer Silk Sport Coat that wears durably and has a nice feel to it; not a silky silk, but more like a smooth soft cotton feel.
Any information, opinions, comments would be welcome.
I'm looking at some suits that range from 110s to 150s. Of course the 150s are more expensive, but the 110s are beautiful, soft, and maybe more durable?
Does anyone prefer not to wear super 100s suits and coats?

What is your favorite suit fabric?
Thank you.

 

[Xenon]

Any good cloth for suits and jackets will be worsted or equivalent no matter what fiber. Woolen type fabrics are for sweaters only.

The important aspects are the feel/hand and look of the cloth that appeal to you and this from a respectable or well regarded merchant or mill. Don't get caught up in the supers but don''t be afraid of or avoid them either. Some carefully produced very high supers can be very durable. One important thing to remember is that wool can take on many appearances and finishes but is one of the fibers that has the greatest number of desirable qualities. Its basically a great work horse fiber. Other fibers may be far more spectacular in a given characteristic but often trade this off against a really poor performance elsewhere. For instance I truly love the look and feel of silk under all its guises. It is also a fiber with high tensile strength but one with very very poor abrasian resistance.

Personally I like Loro Piana's Summer tasmanian which is a blend of 90% s150 wool and 10% Silk 600. It has a very fine and slick finish with just the right substance for year round use. For much colder temperatures I like Loro Piana's Wish which is a 9 oz flannel made of s170 wool. This is not a rough sand paper flannel but a soft sophisticated one instead. For sports coat I like Dormeuil's Dorsilk which is a blend of silk and fine wool.
Zegna also has several suitings I like in thier 15 mil mil 15 and Trofeo 600. All of the above are reasonably priced and represent a sweet spot of the qualities and price that I look for. There are many more far more luxurious suitings and jacketings but these are more expensive and outside of my budget. Some are divine but alas.

Basically though, very different cloths will appeal to different people and cannot be simply ranked on a linear scale.
The best is to look at many swatch books from many quality firms to really get a feel of cloth and what you like

 

[rainwater]

Thank you for the reply and information. I visited a custom suit and shirt maker (Q Custom Clothier) and they had the designer wools and fabrics you mentioned. They also had a great assortment of other brand names which seemed to be great quality. I learned something that was useful.

 

[chogall]

Where do you source/view those swatch books when there's no good local tailoring/fabric sources?

 

[rainwater]

This was going to be my next question. I found a store near plush executive condos where a friend of my wife lives. The place is "Q Custom Clothier". I wouldn't say the clothes are "bespoke", but rather "custom". You chose fabric and style. They take 30 or 40 measurements. They send the fabric to their tailors and you receive a suit in about 6 to 8 weeks. The least expensive suit can be had for around $1700.00, but it escalates quickly with different grades of fabric and requests. I doubt they sell many suits in the $1700.00 range. They had swatches of every fabric and designer you would want to look at. Suit swatches, Jacket swatches, Shirt swatches. They have a new store in Houston and a store in Dallas.
I guess my next question is: Has anyone had any experience with "Q Custom Clothier" in the Dallas/Houston area?