Materials

I am a complete beginner to suits really - I have one store bought one that has served me well but to be honest I dont know much about them.

I am currently in China and have the option to get suits custom made very cheaply - I think I know the kind of style I want and can bring pictures for replication, etc.

The problem is material - I know nothing about it. I couldn't tell the difference between different materials in name, or feel, etc. In the suit shops here there are rows of material to chose from - how do you chose a good material? What makes a good/bad material? How should it look/feel? What are the names of good materials to use, etc?

Thanks for any help.


Ken

I suppose it depends what you want...If you wanted a vintage drape, go for a heavier fabric.

Also, I'd be willing to bet that the you're getting a made to measure (MTM) suit, not a fully custom bespoke suit...

If you have only one suit, I'd definitely go for a nice charcoal, but that's just me...

Always, always, always get something you'll wear all the time if you get custom for the first time. You can't go wrong with wool worsteds. Ask to see samples from 10 oz and lighter. Make sure it's 100% wool! A classic 10 oz worsted in Super 80's-100's will wear quite well and hold a crease like iron. Solid grey, overall, is the best colour to start off with since it's so versatile. Consider getting a second pair of trousers if you think you'll wear it fairly often. Trousers are the first thing on a suit to wear out, and having two pairs in rotation will prolong the life. (As a bonus, you could get one pair pleated, the other plain, one with belt loops, the other with side adjusters, etc.) Also, ask if floating canvas comes standard. If it doesn't and you can't get it for an extra charge, the person makes a fuss or says it's not necessary -- find another place.

If you have any questions about custom suits or this terminology, Matt Deckard would be the best man to ask since he has good knowledge on all of this.

Also, remember to be clear and very concise and specific about what you say- I know your Chinese is a lot better these days, but there will still be misunderstandings...I had them in Shanghai and I've been speaking Chinese for as long as I can remember. That means circling specifically how you want or where you want a pocket, where you want your buttons to be, how many buttons, circling how you like your shoulder, where you want your jacket to end, how long you want your sleeves to be, how high you want your pants, how long you want your pants, how baggy/trim you want your pants, beltloops-brace buttons?, cuffs?, how wide do you want the lapels?, etc. etc.

In terms of material, just feel around and see what you like...and make sure you have them do a lighter test. Bring a lighter with you, have them cut off a snippet of fabric, and light the end on fire. Let it burn a few seconds and then blow it out. If the edge is smooth (but a little crispy) then you should be OK with it being all natural fibers. If it has a burning plastic smell and little plastic balls roll up at the edge, then don't use that fabric as it has polyester in it. I do this everywhere when I'm in Asia, especially after I got a shirt made...the swatch felt like 100% cotton, but when I got the whole shirt and put it on, I could tell it felt plasticky. SO DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTIME NO MATTER WHAT THE FABRIC SELLER/TAILOR SAYS!
When I test a fabric out, I usually crinkle it up in my hand to see how it creases, going for the fabrics that crease less, and I usually take some fabric off the bolt and lay it across my arm or if possible, drape it down my chest to see how it works with my skin tone and how it works with the shirt fabric. There's a lot of stuff that looks great on the bolt/swatch but once you cover yourself in it, essentially from neck to ankle, it can almost be too much.

Really good tips.

Jovan - thats great advice but there is no way I can communicate such terms in my limited Chinese. I am just happy to have recently learnt the word for suit.

Ray - really good tips from someone who obviously understands Asia. I will definetely try that - now if I just knew the Chinese for 'no I am not trying to set your shop on fire'

Thanks I will be sure to post results.

Ken

Rover's suggestions are spot on. But, were I you, I'd make my way to HK where a myriad of tailors offer authentic English and Italian goods.


China=Caveat Emptor

Jovan said:

... Ask to see samples from 10 oz and lighter. Make sure it's 100% wool! A classic 10 oz worsted in Super 80's-100's will wear quite well and hold a crease like iron. ...

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I know a lot of folks around here follow this philosophy, but to me it seems a bit dated. Textile technologies have made a quantum in the past 15 years, and you can get a very high performance fabric, with the drape, shape and wearability of older, heavier fabrics in very light weight options. Depending on your climate, don't be afraid of an 8 to 8 1/2 ounce worsted -- you can get just as much wear out of it, as well as a little better performance. Also, given today's society (climate controlled everything) I've found with my customers that weight is less and less of a concern.

As far as thread counts go, avoid any worsteds rated higher than 110s, maybe 120s. Upwards of that, you're buying just an extravagance.

For selections -- go with your basics. I recommend a solid (both literal and colloquial) navy, or maybe a charcoal or medium gray. Don't go messing with the proportions of the suit (i.e. funky lapel widths or shapes). By doing this, you ensure that you can continue wearing the garment as you move through life, and also, it helps prevent any faux pas (broad shoulders with skinny lapels :eusa_doh: )

The first one should be a garment that you can wear to anything, through any trend, and truly appreciate for a lifetime.

Also, one last rule for your first custom, never, ever, EVER, under any circumstances get working button cuffs (a.k.a. surgeon cuffs) on your first custom unless you are dead sure the tailor (or cutter, depending on the operation) is a master. Seriously - just don't.

Tomasso said:

China = Caveat Emptor

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Mega ditto. See above.

To be fair, it's because those fabrics have proven they last long and drape well. I'm not very impressed by the feel of modern tropical worsteds. They're not nearly as soft or drape as well.

Jovan said:

To be fair, it's because those fabrics have proven they last long and drape well. I'm not very impressed by the feel of modern tropical worsteds. They're not nearly as soft or drape as well.

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Is there a difference between tropical worsted and fresco? Because I have one 30s summer suit and it is stiff and pretty rough-feeling (aka prickly).

Jovan said:

To be fair, it's because those fabrics have proven they last long and drape well. I'm not very impressed by the feel of modern tropical worsteds. They're not nearly as soft or drape as well.

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Heavier fabrics are proven because they've been around longer, so context of time is an important factor. And it's also an obvious observation that heavier fabrics will crease better -- thats a given. But it's not fair to say, and least nowdays, that lighter ounces simply do not and cannot perform up to par. It also depends greatly -- and I can't stress this one enough -- on who the weavers are.

For instance, getting a quality cloth from a quality weaver like Scabal or Dormeuil (I use these names because they are some of what I'm using for my clients currently, so I have a first hand *no pun* experience with them) in a lighter ounce weight, if properly cared for, can last just as long, and look just as good while still being appropriate for warmer climates -- like Charleston, or Gainesville. Conversely, crappy weavers will yield substandard goods, which will lose shape and start to shine far too quickly.

Also, the sheep breeders now have animals that are yielding raw wool unlike any that has ever been used before, longer and thinner staple, which translates into a much more well-spun cloth. These natural factors, along with extraordinary advances in weaving and looming techniques over the past 10 years, have provided for quality light weight cloths that can truly stand up in a way previously impossible.

All I'm saying is, don't rule out a fabric that might be a couple ounces lighter (i.e. 8 1/2 or so) if you really like it simply because it's not 10, 12 or 14 ounce goods. It's not fair, and nowdays, not entirely accurate.

I don't know. Having handled some "high end" suits in that fabric, they just don't seem very comfortable for me. Or substantial. Having now touched the higher weights, I'm not sure I can go back to 8 oz or lighter unless it's linen. So it's not like I've been really interested in them lately to begin with... [huh]