Ermenegildo Zegna fabrics

I just came across a quite nice plain navy SB 2.5b suit in an Ermenegildo Zegna fabric and with a nice cut, for as much as 300 USD at a local store.

I'm looking for a navy all-rounder suit at a very reasonable price, something I'll be able to wear on my lazy days or in the plane, so I thought this one might as well fit the bill.

Any thoughts on Ermenegildo Zegna fabrics ? Is it pure marketing or is it something worth ? Any things I should know before heading to the score for a fitting ?

Comments appreciated.

I have gotten several suits and sports jackets made from zegna material books. The fabric tailors nicely. I wouldnt call a lot of their things "hardy" because my cashmere jacket seems to have advanced pilling and the mohair blend I got is likewise wearing thin. These are very luxurious items but I have ones from other brands which arent wearing. I have a relatively large wardrobe too so the fact that theyre wearing is significant.

Again the fabric is sumptious, tailored excellently, doesnt really wrinkle but seems to wear thin quickly.

I came across a vintage bolt recently that looked terrific. Really, really great. I know nothing about the current selection other than the fact that it is vast.

What brand is the suit?

The use of Ermenegildo Zegna fabrics in suiting is somewhat of a marketing ploy particularly on ebay. You will dozens of suits on offer on ebay that are made using Zegna fabric but are nowhere near the quality of Zegna.

The fabric might be of good quality but the construction might be average or below average.

Take away the name and you need to take into consideration all the other reasons for buying a suit. Fit, style, construction, quality, details.

$300.00 isn't a bad price. So at the end of the day if you like it you should buy it.

For something as workhorse as a plain navy suit, I'd suggest finding something a little more well-made. I've seen suits similar to the one you're describing (no-name, with Zegna fabric) and the construction isn't too great. Further, the fabric is typically on the weak/cheap side of Zegna stuff.

That said, for something unusual that wouldn't see much use (like a windowpane or unusual color or something), some of these suits seem a perfectly good choice for the price.

$300 sounds high for a Zegna fabric coat.

you have to be careful with the tessuti Zegna label,because the tessuti saga is going more confusing.....
We also now Fratelli Cerruti (sorry for the spelling but i do not wear Cerruti) now promoting their own lines based on the fact that all fabrics are coming from the same place....
Proton belongs to Lotus but believe me,they're **** cars!!!!
The same phenomenon applies to Loro Piana....
On the other hand,I bought a few years ago a dark navy blue suit in tessuti Zegna and to be honest ,i was happy with it ...
Nothing great on the sartorial side but a comfortable all-rounder suit you're not worried about every time you go for a drink after work...
It was a $400 suit ,well-built and nobody at the office never made any comments about it....
I also bought 7 years ago a Milano suit for roughly the same price tag and the fabric was beautiful and comfortable,better than some designer crap (Hugo Boss for example) i sometimes bought ...
The Milano brand is well established in Europe and is offering decent suits for around $450/500....
They're buying their fabrics buy bulk in Italy....A small brand with decent suits for post-braduates...

Originally Posted by kitonbrioni

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$300 sounds high for a Zegna fabric coat.

That depends on how it's made, doesn't it?

Thought it might be worth posting this here (in addition to discussing it here as well: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread...=124059&page=6, just in case it caught more attention than the other threads.

But has anyone had any experience with Zegna's Cool Effects fabrics, and know whether they are supplying bolts of such fabrics to tailors?

Zegna cloth is very good. I have had several suits and coats in their wool worsteds and even some cotton, and it's holding up reasonably well.

There is, however, cloth made by Zegna and cloth selected by Zegna. In other words, Zegna also works as a cloth broker. So I have an Irish linen suit from a Zegna suit -- excellent material, but not made by Zegna.

The stuff they produce for bespoke tailoring may be different from their other offerings, though.

Originally Posted by the_sartorialist

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But has anyone had any experience with Zegna's Cool Effects fabrics, and know whether they are supplying bolts of such fabrics to tailors?
I'm also interested in this. Zegna website has a PDF with explanations of some of their lines: http://www.zegnagroup.it/pdf/en/the_wool_mill.pdf

"HIGH PERFORMANCEÂ COOL EFFECT is the latest development of this exclusive Ermenegildo Zegna fabric. The innovative Cool Effect finishing enables the surface of dark fabrics to reflect direct sunlight, thus keeping the garment cool."

Seems dubious to me. Has anyone tried it?

Originally Posted by the_sartorialist

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Thought it might be worth posting this here (in addition to discussing it here as well: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread...=124059&page=6, just in case it caught more attention than the other threads.

But has anyone had any experience with Zegna's Cool Effects fabrics, and know whether they are supplying bolts of such fabrics to tailors?

Yes, I have sold it very well this season

Curious. Were these fabrics Super 1xx or single digit ounce weights used in fall/winter clothing like flannels? Do you live in a place where there is four distinct seasons or only two like the Southwest where there is only hot and warm (and cool days that you can count on the fingers of both hands and the toes of your feet). The weather has a lot to do with it, and if so, do you buy into that jazz of a "year round suit". There is no such thing. It is better to have fewer clothes of the right type, than a closet full of heavy Super 170's. Also, how often are you sending your clothes to the cleaners?

Might be able to shed some light on what is going on...maybe...I am not Carnac the Magnificent.