By Bryan Ergle
How do you choose suit fabric?
Start with how often you will wear the suit, the weather and the occasions it needs to suit. Compare fiber, weave, fabric weight and feel with your tailor. Bryan’s starting preference is worsted wool, but the Super S number alone does not tell you how a finished suit will perform.
Discuss your needs and fabric options with your tailor
Let us step back for a moment, before we go into the ‘where’, and touch upon ‘what’… choosing the right fabric! And in that, is the beginning of a good suit. We’ve now discussed how the shortcomings of many offerings from lower-end semi-custom (sometimes called Made-to-Measure, or MTM/M2M) places fall on the fact that their prices simply do not allow for quality materials to be used, and even with some off-the-rack offerings, the material is dubious, at best. Still, the materials used are at the core of a good suit.
The main ingredient in the recipe that is a well-sewn suit is the one that is the most visible, and the most obvious: the fabric. It may not seem like it is something worth lending much thought to… after all, you likely never stop to think about who makes the fabric that is in your shirts, or your slacks, or your jeans (not yet, but you will, in time!) Then again, you likely aren’t paying over a thousand dollars for your shirts or jeans, and you don’t usually expect those to last nearly as long as a good suit, nor to be as durably versatile.
As we’re going to be focusing on custom/semi-custom suiting, you have the advantage in that you get to choose what your suit is going to be, from the outset, and that includes the fabric, whether you purchase it from/through your tailor, or buy it yourself and bring it to them. So let’s dive into suiting fabric, and what your options are.
First, it matters which mill makes your fabric. There are tons of unnamed mills around, but you never know what quality you’re getting, so it is best to stick with mills that have reputations for exceptional quality. I would recommend:
- Scabal
- Holland & Sherry
- Dormeuil
- Loro Piana
- Vitale Barberis
Why the author favors worsted wool
Second, the material itself. There are blends and variations to suit (no pun intended) every imagination, but in truth, there is a reason that worsted wool is the first, best choice for almost all suits. This is triply true if it is your first custom suit, or your first suit period. Wool, well made and of the proper weight, is durable, stylish, drapes well on a suit, and turns out beautifully. Other materials can be worked into suits, and you’ll hear about those over time here at Well Sewn, from wool and silk blends, mohair and wool, cotton and mohair, etc etc. You’ve also got pure silk, linen, flannel, and more. But wool is your primary. When it comes to suits, wool is your spouse, the dedicated, long-term love of your life.
What Super S numbers measure
Super S labels describe wool fiber fineness through limits on mean fiber diameter. Higher numbers correspond to finer qualifying fibers. They are not a fabric-weight scale or an overall quality score. Consider weight, weave, finish and intended use separately, and inspect the actual cloth with your tailor. See the IWTO Super S code hosted by the FTC for the fiber-diameter definition.
Choose fabric weight separately from fiber fineness
Discuss the actual fabric’s weight, weave, finish and intended use with your tailor rather than selecting it by its Super S number alone.
My starting preference is to discuss Super 100–120 wool with the tailor. Treat this as a starting point, not a guarantee of drape, durability or suitability for every wearer.
Confirm yardage before buying
Ask your tailor to confirm the amount of cloth before buying it. Fabric width, your measurements, pattern matching and whether you want a two-piece, three-piece or extra trousers all affect the requirement.
Choose a color for the occasions you expect
For color, this one is subjective, there’s no two ways around it. Your bread and butter are colors based in navy blue, and dark gray. Maybe you want plain, maybe some pinstripes or chalk stripes on your blue, or a Prince of Wales check pattern on your gray, but the base color is the first thing people will see. It’s your suit, it needs to suit you… we just want to make sure to try to help you get shuttle launched, so to speak – you get to decide where it goes!
Suit fabric questions
Does a higher Super S number mean a better suit?
It means finer qualifying wool fibers; judge the finished cloth and its suitability separately.
How much cloth should I buy?
Get a quantity confirmed by the tailor who will make the suit, including any pattern-matching allowance.
One Reply to “Men’s Suits Series, Part IV – On Choosing Fabric”
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