How to Pick the Perfect Suit Fabric Composition

Section: Men's Style - Blog

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You may have seen a popular commercial asking "What's in your wallet?" We'd like to ask you, "What's in your suit?" The fabric composition of your suit all important; it could be the key factor influencing its price. While overall price and quality comprises 5 points: colour, composition, weave, pattern, and weight, here's all you need to know about composition.

Take these five factors into consideration every time you buy a new suit. If you do, you're guaranteed top quality at a great price.

1. Colour

2. Composition

3. Weave

4. Pattern

5. Weight

We've discussed the importance of colour in a previous article, so now we'll examine the importance of fabric composition.

Picking the Perfect Suit Fabric Composition

wool, cashmere, wool blends & linens

Our advice is to make sure the outer fabric of your suit is good quality pure wool. Australian and New Zealand merino wools are the best, in our opinion. Using pure wool is important because it is a natural, durable fabric as well as breathable during the hotter spring and summer months.

Pure wool has heat resistant properties so you won't get it back with press marks or that “shiny” look after having it dry cleaned. Good quality pure wools are also crush resistant.

Cashmere wool is often added to merino wools to add softness and breathability. However, keep in mind that cashmere is expensive as very little cashmere wool can be harvested per goat each year.

For a more fashionable look, poly-wool blends are generally okay. Wool blends are cheaper and offer that metallic finish many younger men want. However, depending on the percentage of non-natural fibres in the blend, the suit may not be breathable and susceptible to damage during dry cleaning.

Linen suits are lightweight and thus keep you cool in warmer months. However, they are designed for more casual occasions and also crease easily. Linen is cheaper than pure wool and often about the same price as poly-wool blends.

** BUYER BEWARE **

A lot of the suits on the market today are advertised as “pure wool.” This is simply not true.

Real 100% pure wool is an expensive commodity, which has risen dramatically in price since January 2009. For the latest data, check out the wool prices on the Australian Wool Exchange Spot Quote. The term “pure wool” is a tricky marketing ploy and often what is sold as pure wool contains a high percentage of synthetics.

We encourage you to perform your own burn tests on some of the brand name suits you own. Simply cut a small 1-cm square piece from a discreet area like inside your trouser cuff and experiment for yourself. Next, check the label on your inside jacket pocket to see what the suit's made from. Did you get what you paid for?

worsted wool

Have you heard of worsted wool suit fabrics? Are you wondering what worsted wool really is? Well, it has to do with the process used to make the fabric, not the source or quality of the wool itself.

Creating worsted wool requires a slightly different process than other wool weaving. Rather than going directly into the spinning process, the wool is combed first to remove any short, brittle fibres. This leaves only the longer strands of the wool fibre to undergo the next step, which is the spinning process.

Spinning only the longer strands of the wool fibre produces a smoother yarn with higher durability. It also increases the fabric's strength.

Because of these qualities, worsted cloth is more wrinkle resistant than many other fabrics. This makes worsted wool smoother and an ideal choice for garments that need to hold their shape as well as hold a permanent crease.

Because it is durable, resilient to crushing, drapes easily, and holds a crease, it is the popular choice for men's suits and sport jackets. In fact, most good quality business suits, blazers and sports jacket are made from worsted wool.

Now that you understand the value of a suit fabric's composition, why not put your newfound knowledge to good use by purchasing some new tailored suits. You can pick from options in ourSydney showroom or have a custom design prepared for you by one of our master tailors.

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