A different full/half canvas, fused/sewn question: When does it matter most?

[Spark]

In re-reading your initial question, personal economics seems too be as much of an issue as canvassed-or-not/structured-or-not dilemma for you.

One way around that is to start by finding an excellent alterations tailor, having your measurements taken, and then shopping on B&S or Fleabay. This allows you to both buy garments of much, much better quality and construction at (generally) far lower prices than RTW retail.

Bonus Round: You'll also learn a lot about tailoring as you alter stuff, as well as some real insights into what style works best for you and your physique.

@dirnelli is the master at this and, I believe he wrote a piece saying if he had to do it all over again, this is exactly how he would re-build his wardrobe. If you are unfamiliar with him, here's a read you might enjoy:

 

[Spark]

Schhhiiiiit... apologies for that, I thought it would just be the link!!!

 

[dieworkwear]

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. I think I can sum up some of the comments by saying (1) "whether canvas or fused is not the most important thing", and (2) if you have to economize, better on this than on things such as fabric and fit.

I think you may be overthinking this. You don't need to know all these construction details. To the degree they matter, they should manifest themselves in some way in terms of how you look and feel in the garment.

I say just set a budget for yourself. Say you set a budget of $500 for a sport coat. Try on sport coats in that price range, then take a peek around the corner at slightly more expensive sport coats. Sometimes trying stuff on at a slightly higher price point gives you an appreciation for a certain detail -- say how a shoulder looks or whatever. Maybe you can find sport coats at the $500 with that detail now that you know what to look for. Or you can consider recalibrating your budget. It's just about training your eye for what looks good on you, and be willing to go through some trial and error.

 

[zimmt]

I think you may be overthinking this. You don't need to know all these construction details.

I think/hope you are right, I don't need to know all the details. But I'm in the process of having a lot of new suits made, and tempting though it might be to go full canvas on all of them, I need to save somewhere. And while I'm not willing to choose fabrics I don't like, or tailors I don't trust (or made the mistake of trusting), I am willing to economize on the canvas/fused bit - sometimes. So all I need to know is which times ... .

 

[dieworkwear]

I think/hope you are right, I don't need to know all the details. But I'm in the process of having a lot of new suits made, and tempting though it might be to go full canvas on all of them, I need to save somewhere. And while I'm not willing to choose fabrics I don't like, or tailors I don't trust (or made the mistake of trusting), I am willing to economize on the canvas/fused bit - sometimes. So all I need to know is which times ... .

You mean you're getting things made custom?

Unless you're an atypical build, I think you'd be better going off-the-rack. The kind of tailors that give you all these different price points for different construction methods are usually not very good.

 

[zimmt]

Schhhiiiiit... apologies for that, I thought it would just be the link!!!

No worries, it was a good read! Actually, too good. Oh no, I don't need a new hobby ...

Come to think of it though, while I can see the logic of the RTW approach, I can't do it. Not when pants are narrow, flat fronted, with wastes 5 cm below where they are comfortable on me. So I might try a RTW blazer, but otherwise it's MTM for me.

Nonetheless, there is a lot of interesting stuff on this forum, and dirnelli and jefferyd's blogs!

 

[zimmt]

You mean you're getting things made custom?

Unless you're an atypical build, I think you'd be better going off-the-rack. The kind of tailors that give you all these different price points for different construction methods are usually not very good.

Not atypical build at all, but apparently atypical taste.

 

[zimmt]

One way around that is to start by finding an excellent alterations tailor, having your measurements taken, and then shopping on B&S or Fleabay.

What's B&S?

 

[dieworkwear]

Not atypical build at all, but apparently atypical taste.

Personally, I think it's a bad idea to go to a tailor that offers different price points for different constructions. Fused, half-canvas, or fully canvassed, if the quality of the tailoring in the end isn't that good, it doesn't really matter.

 

[zimmt]

Personally, I think it's a bad idea to go to a tailor that offers different price points for different constructions. Fused, half-canvas, or fully canvassed, if the quality of the tailoring in the end isn't that good, it doesn't really matter.

I understand your point, but having not found any interesting MTM tailors whom I can use who do not offer both with and without canvas ... . Of course, this may be helpful advice for other readers. Though I'm having a lot of fun reading about and learning new things, the only thing I'm trying to better understand at the moment here is canvas.

 

[TimothyF]

OP, why do you need to have so many suits made all at once? Go slow, or you risk biting off more than you can chew. Incrementalism is the key: maybe get a half canvas navy blazer which should cover about 70% of your needs. Wear it for 2-3 months; assess fit, fabric weight/quality, construction, and design details. I think you will learn a lot about your own preferences and what various upgrades are worth to you. Then get another suit made. Stick with it for 2 months. Refine your knowledge and repeat.

It's much better to have 3 near-perfect suits than 10 middling ones. Of course, everyone has a different idea of perfect, and you don't know yours right now. Incrementalism will help you find yours in due time. My last point is, if a "tailor" offers all construction methods from fusing to full canvas, he is highly unlikely to meet the quality threshold that's acceptable on this forum. To avoid major disappointment down the road, I'd be leery of getting all my suits made by this tailor.

 

[Despos]

Your advice helps with that. And one takeaway so far seems to be that fusing tends to be more of a mistake with for lighter weight, softer fabrics. So seems like I should not do it with a super light summer fabric - I was leaning that way anyway.

This is a misunderstanding. Fusing on a light weight cloth and or light colored cloth is a benefit. The fusing stabilizes the cloth and reduces puckering that would occur from steam and humidity along the jacket edges. Lighter weight cloths are more prone to this as they are harder to handle in tailoring.
Determining which cloth to match with construction type sounds like an experiment that could easily go wrong and something that shouldn't decided by you. Let the tailor know your concern and trust him how it should be made.
I don't know any tailors that offer these options, you must be working with a MTM firm that offers multiple grades of construction to offset pricing. This may be where you could rethink your premise. At the risk of being simplistic; the difference in make is a cost of manufacturing factor more than a construction benefit in regards to a cloth type. If you want to create thousands of suits to retail at 500.00 you have to use construction methods and materials that fall into that scenario. You use fusing because it is cost effective and compatible with construction time/cost.

 

[jefferyd]

...wisdom...

What he said.

 

[Spark]

What's B&S?

Buy and Sell here on the Forum

 

[zimmt]

Buy and Sell here on the Forum

Thanks!