Corduroy suit, weight of cloth

What you always wanted to know about Elegance, but were afraid to ask!
hectorm
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Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:08 am

The Fair Isle vest with the cord suit is no doubt an idea worth exploring. And I just found that Ralph Lauren currently carries a thin wool hand-knit Fair Isle vest at an unbelievable low price that will make the experience very affordable. I haven't worn Fair Isle since childhood.
Oh ....memories of all those tangled threads on the inside of my sweater......
davidhuh
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Mon May 07, 2012 6:16 pm

Gentlemen,

Here are the pictures of my second suit made up by Mr. Thomas Mahon. As you see, it is a quite different project.
The cloth I finally decided to go for is a thin wale cord: Corduroy Potter Harding no 5086, 16 oz/470g

I decided for this one, because this particular colour would combine very nicely with other colours such as grey, red, blue, magenta or purple. This suit has become a love affair, because it is so incredibly versatile. I can wear it without feeling overdressed when being around people not wearing suits. I can combine it with a turtle neck, with a chambray, oxford or a Tattersall shirt, combine it with a vest or a Fairisle V neck sweater.

There is the story of an early 20th century French composer (it could be Francis Poulenc, but I’m not sure), whose wardrobe consisted of 7 identical brown corduroy suits he would alternate every day. Now I understand why.

The texture of the thin wale cord is such that from some meters distance, it could be mistaken as velvet. And here comes a little anecdote. A couple of months ago, I was visiting friends, and we had planned to be outdoors and at the country side - when all of a sudden, they decided we should also go to the opera one night. Embarrassing – all I had with me was a tweed suit and this corduroy. Combined with a white shirt, a dark tie and black shoes, nobody noticed me breaking almost every rule :lol:

Some people advised me to go for an even heavier cloth. I am glad I did not listen – this is cotton, not wool, which is breathing much less that worsted wool. Cotton is also less flexible – I need a little bit more room in the trousers. This problem did not occur in the four other trousers from the same tailor.

The sharks may see the pictures here :D
http://leporellone.picturepush.com/albu ... duroy.html

cheers, david
alden
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Mon May 07, 2012 7:00 pm

Very dapper David. Well done.

Michael
fontana1
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Mon May 07, 2012 7:14 pm

Great looking suit!
hectorm
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Mon May 07, 2012 11:24 pm

David,
one year after you initiated this thread we see the results.......your suit is splendid. And the way you are wearing it shows it managed to be casual, elegant, rich and comfortable all at once. IMO the soft and unstructured hand of Mahon played perfectly well with a stiffer cloth like the corduroy.
Thank you for posting the pictures so everybody can enjoy it.
ay329
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Tue May 08, 2012 12:32 am

I was thinking of pulling the trigger on a 3 piece corduroy suit...but your fair isle vest (from Drake's?), really completes the look.
davidhuh
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Tue May 08, 2012 7:44 pm

ay329 wrote:I was thinking of pulling the trigger on a 3 piece corduroy suit...but your fair isle vest (from Drake's?), really completes the look.
Dear ay329,

Drake's, indeed :D
A corduroy waist coat would likely have limited use. This is cotton, 16oz cloth in a dense weave. I did a flannel waistcoat with the tweed coat, which (oh miracle) also works with the corduroy. But the fair isle's are a lot of fun.

cheers, David
lgcintra
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Tue May 08, 2012 9:20 pm

David, awesome! Congrats!

Luis
Slewfoot
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Tue May 08, 2012 10:11 pm

Looks fantastic! I have a plans for a dark brown corduroy suit myself this Fall. Can't wait!
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