Comfort of Tweed Suits

[Zachary]

Dear Fellow Gentlemen,

First of all, happy summer to you all (for those of you who are lucky enough to call the northern hemisphere their habitat)!

I fancy a new suit. This time, it should be a tweed suit from Scotland. Not for me -- for my dear father, who is frantically searching a new Sunday suit in a country whose name doesn't matter, and where there's almost no gentlemen's apparel culture. Suits there are cheap and are looked upon themselves in this way with no doubt; they are all made of synthetic materials and have the place of their cataclysmal procreation in China.

The object of desire is a Lambswool Tweed Suit. Since no seller would reasonably tell me not to buy from him, I feel free to ask you, dear Gentlemen, about your opinion:

How does Lambswool Tweed perform on the areas of
1) wrinkles and
2) scratching?

Have a dapper mid-week!

Gentlemenous regards,
Zachary

 

[robrinay]

Regarding 2) scratching, I recommend that the trousers should be lined to the knee as that’s the area that any woollen trousers tickle

 

[Edward]

I would agree on half-lining the trousers. Beyond that, lambswool is very soft, pleasant to wear but if it's going to be worn often, definitely get an extra pair of trousers, as they will wear out at the crotch long before the jacket becomes unwearable. Otherwise, be wary of moths. Lambswool is moth-heaven.

 

[Mathematicus]

You don't mention this, but warmth is an important factor to keep into consideration with tweed. Basically, almost anything made with a traditional-weight tweed fabric would be unsuitable for today's indoor use and would prove to be comfortable only as winter outerwear. Of course it depends on the region in which one lives but in my experience tweeds are not so versatile except the lighter versions, which however lack the body and drape typical of the material.

Scratchiness - it depends on the type of material and its finish but in general tweed IS scratchy. I second trousers' lining and I would make sure that also hips and crotch area are fully lined for the same reason specified above.

 

[Peter Bowden]

Aero are developing a 3-piece suit
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...weed-three-piece-suit-and-leather-b-10.96646/
I cannot be definite about lambswool though.....
https://www.harristweed.org/harris-tweed/the-cloth/
I have some Aero Harris Tweed trousers-lovely but definitely for colder weather.
Also-Handmade By Heather-Isle of Harris
She is on Facebook and can supply quantities of tweed
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Handmad...um&album_id=613831015409854&ref=page_internal

 

[Edward]

Aero are developing a 3-piece suit
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...weed-three-piece-suit-and-leather-b-10.96646/
I cannot be definite about lambswool though.....
https://www.harristweed.org/harris-tweed/the-cloth/
I have some Aero Harris Tweed trousers-lovely but definitely for colder weather.
Also-Handmade By Heather-Isle of Harris
She is on Facebook and can supply quantities of tweed
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Handmad...um&album_id=613831015409854&ref=page_internal

I have great hopes for that Aero suit - it may be my present to myself when I shift the3 weight.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

I will watch the suit intro at Aero with interest. Thanks for pointing it out.

I have only 1 tweed suit. It is a 70's does earlier.

I have been enjoying the discussion on this thread.

Best, Eric -

 

[MikeKardec]

I have several Bookster Tweeds (not their heaviest but not lightweight either) which I wear during the SoCal winter and fall and for business in NYC during the same times. If I think I'm going to overheat (rare) I just take off the jacket. Their customer service is top notch. They went way out of their way to lock down my fit.

 

[Peter Bowden]

Spotted on Etsy-A range of tweed suits.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/659308798/herringbone-tweed-suits-vintage-style?ref=user_profile

 

[Edward]

Spotted on Etsy-A range of tweed suits.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/659308798/herringbone-tweed-suits-vintage-style?ref=user_profile

A significant investment, but for true bespoke not bad, especially bearing in mind that on the Row the cheapest two-piece will be north of four grand.

 

[Edward]

I have several Bookster Tweeds (not their heaviest but not lightweight either) which I wear during the SoCal winter and fall and for business in NYC during the same times. If I think I'm going to overheat (rare) I just take off the jacket. Their customer service is top notch. They went way out of their way to lock down my fit.

I remember they were a big noise on the Chap scene about ten years ago. Actually, back in the days when MK used to have an annual London TFL dinner, I'm sure one of the attendees was the guy who started Bookster. As I recall, they were mostly M2M alongside a sister business of vintage stuff (much like the David Saxby / Old Hat operation, though I assume DS/OH not going to be operational again as in addition to his stint in prison he was also banned from acting as a director of a business). I recall a few years ago there was a kerfuffle when they went bust, but it looks like they've been rescued or are under new ownership? Either way, nice to see them back; I've never seen a bad Bookster piece.

I particularly like that OTR Macaw on their website...

 

[Peter Bowden]

A significant investment, but for true bespoke not bad, especially bearing in mind that on the Row the cheapest two-piece will be north of four grand.

Sadly,I only got as far as this marvelous book.

 

[MikeKardec]

I remember they were a big noise on the Chap scene about ten years ago. Actually, back in the days when MK used to have an annual London TFL dinner, I'm sure one of the attendees was the guy who started Bookster. As I recall, they were mostly M2M alongside a sister business of vintage stuff (much like the David Saxby / Old Hat operation, though I assume DS/OH not going to be operational again as in addition to his stint in prison he was also banned from acting as a director of a business). I recall a few years ago there was a kerfuffle when they went bust, but it looks like they've been rescued or are under new ownership? Either way, nice to see them back; I've never seen a bad Bookster piece.

I particularly like that OTR Macaw on their website...

I first ordered with them right around the "restructuring". They couldn't help me out but got back in touch as soon as they were up and running again and we've had a great relationship ever since. I am EXTREMELY hard to fit and they have gone out of their way to get everything right. Though they offer many fabrics on their site they aren't limited to just those ... though you have to be open to them not being able to get enough cloth if the manufacturer is running low.

 

[Tukwila]

I've never found lamb's wool to be itchy, personally. YMMV.