Unfunded Liabilities: a/k/a The Cloth Thread

[ZRH1]

That makes sense. Goes to show that not all high twist/fresco/plain weave cool wool bunches are created equal.

I recently commissioned a suit in Spring Ram (maybe against my better judgement). It is scratchy, but boy does it perform well!!!

That makes sense. Goes to show that not all high twist/fresco/plain weave cool wool bunches are created equal.

I recently commissioned a suit in Spring Ram (maybe against my better judgement). It is scratchy, but boy does it perform well!!!

I strongly vouch for Spring Ram. Have several suits made in it, my take. Excellent drape and wrinkle resistance, lovely blues, but the greys have a mottling that is not so nice. I have a trouser made in heavy Fresco and that grey is much more uniform and pleasing.

 

[Concordia]

I have a very dark grey Spring Ram. The greys have a bit of a flannelly vibe that isn't totally inappropriate. The blues assert themselves a lot more, which might or might not work, depending on how you want to wear the suit. (The blazer fabrics in the back are really good, though. I have an unconstructed 3-button made from one of them.)

As for first flannels, aim for mid grey that is light enough to contrast with a blazer. If you find you are wrong, you can move up or down from there. But the risk is low.

 

[The Chai]

For odd trousers i find light grey more versatile but I'm pretty sure most people here will recommend med grey if it is your first pair

I'm looking to commission my first grey flannel trousers. I found a couple on a Holland and Sherry book that I liked, but can't decide between this light one and this mid grey one. I like them because they're classified as worsted but still have a lot of texture.

Is the light one going to be too light and not very versatile?

 

[JHWilliams]

I strongly vouch for Spring Ram. Have several suits made in it, my take. Excellent drape and wrinkle resistance, lovely blues, but the greys have a mottling that is not so nice. I have a trouser made in heavy Fresco and that grey is much more uniform and pleasing.

I went with the darkest navy in the bunch. The greys were way too mottled for my taste.

 

[kevinsvindland]

I just sent this char-brown chalkstripe from Fox off to become a DB Suit with patch pockets.

 

[circumspice]

I would go flapped or jetted on anything striped suiting, for what it is worth

 

[aristoi bcn]

I would go flapped or jetted on anything striped suiting, for what it is worth

+1
Patch pockets only on jackets that can be worn as separates.

 

[Texasmade]

I would go flapped or jetted on anything striped suiting, for what it is worth

I don't think I've ever seen a striped suit with patch pockets.

 

[ericgereghty]

I strongly vouch for Spring Ram. Have several suits made in it, my take. Excellent drape and wrinkle resistance, lovely blues, but the greys have a mottling that is not so nice. I have a trouser made in heavy Fresco and that grey is much more uniform and pleasing.

Obviously not in your case, but the extreme mottling seems to be part of the appeal. Flannel-esque in a high twist.

I just sent this char-brown chalkstripe from Fox off to become a DB Suit with patch pockets.

View attachment 2277071

Where is that "brother ewwwww" clip when you need it. Please no patches

 

[mktitsworth]

I would go flapped or jetted on anything striped suiting, for what it is worth

LOL. That advice goes well with the batch of fabrics that showed up today.

The top two (Escorial) are going to be double breasted suits: 6x4, Peak Lapels, Jetted pockets. The bottom two are going to be odd jackets. Bottom (Loro Piana) is going to the MBT who's doing my Barbera for Lesser gun club. The man makes the best jackets I've ever seen, so I'm likely to just say 'Use your decades of experience and eye for design to make this in what you think is the best way possible.' The remaining one (Zegna) will get made up sometime next year by my local tailor.

I did mention to them that I was going to shout out the cloth merchant I found them from, so shout out to Kabbani Textiles in Manchester, UK. The whole thing started because I was trying to find more Taylor and Lodge LGB. They do have some deadstock T&L, including the previously posted 2.3m of 70/30 LGB and kid mohair. If it had been 3.5 m, I'd totally be showing it off. In the process I went poking around and found these, among other, cool fabric that are either deadstock or hard to get ahold of otherwise.

Some more details, because we all want details.

Spoiler: Cloth pr0n

First up is the Escorial charcoal flannel with blue stripe. I think there is one length left here. I know that since 2016 Escorial has partnered with Standeven, however this is not selveged with their brand, so my guess is that the length predates 2016. The weight is 270g, or about 9.5oz, which is still relatively light, though it's comparable to the weight of Standeven's Escorial products which are between 260g (Toledo bunch) and 330g (Escudo bunch).

Next up is the Escorial blue with red check. This was the one that grabbed my eye first. There was only one length left, so I can't link it out. It's the same weight as the blue stripe flannel above. The idea is to have them made up into a pair of DB suits with matching details.

So the story on the Zegna(I think there are one or two lengths left here) is that I originally ordered 3m of the LP. I really wanted 2.5m but the point-of-sale system would only do whole units. I was contacted by the merchant that they only had 2m of the LP on hand and would need to order a 3m length that would take an extra few days. This let me clarify that I only wanted 2.5m. They said they could order that length and would refund me the difference. Instead, I linked them the Zegna and just asked them to charge me the difference. It was the most impulsive of them all, but it's great and spongy and soft and wonderful. Plus, the composition was wool, silk, linen, and cashmere, and I have a thing for blended fabrics. Anyway, that's enough talk. Here it is:

Now we get to the final fabric, and the one around which this whole thing really revolves, the Loro Piana (which, as far as I know, the merchant has 2m on hand or can order lengths here). I was smitten with this fabric when I first saw the design, and with what I've heard about Loro Piana cashmere I was excited. I don't know what all to say about this fabric. It's luxurious. It's soft. It's going to make a killer jacket in the hands of a skilled tailor. I'm really excited to see what comes of it.

Overall, I am very happy with the way this came out and I'm very excited to see what happens when these are made up.

 

[mktitsworth]

I think I'm good on fabric for a while. I've got some shirtings coming in tomorrow that I'll post about, but beyond that I think I've got things well in hand for my next projects.