Unfunded Liabilities: a/k/a The Cloth Thread

[Bellini]

Silk is not a breathable fabric and wears warm. It adds softness and structure but doesn't perform well in humidity. I find that pure fabrics (either tropical wool, linen, or very light cotton seersucker) perform best under true tropical conditions. Even wool, silk, linen blends of the weight you suggest can wear warm, depending on the amount of silk.

For instance I would much rather wear 380g pure Irish linen than 280g silk in the climate which you are suggesting.

 

[The Chai]

For instance I would much rather wear 380g pure Irish linen than 280g silk in the climate which you are suggesting.

I disagree, if you are in a tropical climate the difference between 380g pure linen and 280g silk is negligible...you are gonna be soaking in sweat outdoors in a jacket unless you spend time in air conditioned events, where the differences again will be negligible.

 

[lordsuperb]

For instance I would much rather wear 380g pure Irish linen than 280g silk in the climate which you are suggesting.

Irish linen in the heart of summer is no bueno.

 

[The Chai]

Irish linen in the heart of summer is no bueno.

Any jacket of sorts in the heart of a tropical summer (who am I kidding it is always summer) is always no bueno! For me the only jacket I can wear and feel close to closest to comfortable in say an Australian or Malaysian summer is a completely unstructured (no canvas) seersucker jacket...but even then these days I rather have a dressy linen shirt unless I am spending time indoors

 

[Bellini]

Irish linen in the heart of summer is no bueno.

Poor quality light linen clings to the skin and feels much worse.

 

[Bellini]

Any jacket of sorts in the heart of a tropical summer (who am I kidding it is always summer) is always no bueno! For me the only jacket I can wear and feel close to closest to comfortable in say an Australian or Malaysian summer is a completely unstructured (no canvas) seersucker jacket...but even then these days I rather have a dressy linen shirt unless I am spending time indoors

Yes, seersucker is best for the most humid days. Linen in that weight would look terrible. I wouldn't wear any linen less than 12oz for trousers.

 

[single_origin]

Thanks for the comments relating to my question about the 80 silk/20 linen fabric.

To follow up - does adding lining materially affect drape, wrinkle resistance, and wearing warm?

Wool silk linen blends in the 230g range feel quite delicate when I touch the sample. Since it's so lightweight, it's hard to imagine it drapes well if it's unlined. Would I need to add lining if I wanted it drape better? Maybe half lining just to make the front drape better. But then would this would make it wear warmer right?

Would the 80 silk/20 linen be able to drape well without lining? In which case, an unlined silk/linen could roughly be as warm as a WSL with lining.

Also - when selecting a fabric, how do you guys prioritise the fabric aesthetic (colour, texture, pattern) vs the functional aspects of the fabric comp? In this case, I'm quite keen on a particular silk/linen fabric, and haven't been able to find a similar look in WSL.

 

[Bellini]

To follow up - does adding lining materially affect drape, wrinkle resistance, and wearing warm?

Unlined or partially lined jackets are most effective if the material is porous like a fresco. I have a quarter-lined pure wool 240g jacket which runs surprisingly warm because of the tight weave. Most of my wool-silk-linen jackets are half-lined. It won't make a huge difference with an 80% silk jacket. However if you sweat a lot the lining will protect your coat and wick away perspiration. It doesn't have an effect on drape. A jacket that light is not going to drape that well anyway.

 

[L.deJong]

Yes, seersucker is best for the most humid days. Linen in that weight would look terrible. I wouldn't wear any linen less than 12oz for trousers.

I have two summer trousers in Dugdale natural elements (around 280gr/m) and it is holding up surprisingly well and they are my most worn trousers for the hearth of summer.
Of course nothing like the 380gr/m spence and bryson linen suit I have as well, but for the hearth of summer I'm super happy with the ligther weight and will order again if I had to. For now I'm looking into the fresco linen.

 

[camez_]

I have two summer trousers in Dugdale natural elements (around 280gr/m) and it is holding up surprisingly well and they are my most worn trousers for the hearth of summer.
Of course nothing like the 380gr/m spence and bryson linen suit I have as well, but for the hearth of summer I'm super happy with the ligther weight and will order again if I had to. For now I'm looking into the fresco linen.

I'll order some fresco linen in the future, just ordered some samples..

 

[L.deJong]

I'll order some fresco linen in the future, just ordered some samples..

Really looking forward to it, as you know I'm looking for a summer trouser that is just a tad smarter than cotton or linen but not so smart as fresco wool. So maybe fresco linen is just the sweetspot.

 

[hitsuji]

Some of their more biege linen frescos. I also saw that MH weave an exclusive Barleycorn for an Indonesian shop.