The London Lounge

I just handed a length of Piuma off to Edwin to have a summer suit made and asked to have the coat half-lined. Edwin said that he'd be happy to make it with a half-lining (and indeed many of his customers insist on it), but he went on to say that he would recommend against it. The reason for this recommendation is that the unlined area is relatively small, so you don't receive that much additional ventilation from the half-lining. Meanwhile he said that the lining protects the fabric from perspiration. As I perspire a lot, I thought this recommendation made sense. Also as I thought about it, I realized that I'm generally pretty quick to take my coat off anyway once I start to get hot. So, at least in my case, I didn't see that there would be much practical value in having a half-lining.

I realize that the whole subject of summer suit construction has been discussed to death here, but I've never seen the subject of sweat on wool mentioned before. I'd be interested to know what other members think about this.

Kayak81 wrote: I realize that the whole subject of summer suit construction has been discussed to death here, but I've never seen the subject of sweat on wool mentioned before. I'd be interested to know what other members think about this.

If your "half lining" is what we usually call "half", it really means that it will be "3/4 quarters" and you will be missing only the lower part of your back. Not much improvement overall in ventilation or weight (although not much risk of sweat stains either). In this case I think that Mr. deBoise´s advice is still sensible. or the friction between cotton (if that´s what your shirt is made of) and wool.
If your "half lining" is really a "butterfly" or a "skeleton", the benefits of ventilation and weight are considerable, but then the risks of sweat stains are much higher also, particularly under arm. I would definitly advise against these types of lining for a fine wool suit like the Piuma.

Kayak81 wrote:... As I perspire a lot, I thought this recommendation made sense. Also as I thought about it, I realized that I'm generally pretty quick to take my coat off anyway once I start to get hot...

Kayak, does your experience extend to partially-lined coats in porous weaves? I feel lining the Piuma would do it a disservice, as it was designed to breathe, and possibly run counter to your reason for buying it in the first place. I run hot myself during Summer, and do what I can to maximize the breathability of what I wear. Try a linen shirt together with a minimally-lined coat in a porous cloth and tell me it does not feel cooler than the same coat fully-lined, worn with a tightly-woven shirt.

The staining and wear are valid concerns, but at the expense of comfort? You know yourself best: if you cool down in a breeze, then leave the coat unlined; if your pits sweat, have Steed line that specific area.

Regards.

I can't help but think that 'unstructured' coats - including those with minimal lining - give more satisfaction to the wearer than the onlooker.

A decent lining will 'unstick' your coat from your shirt and allow plenty of circulation as well as keeping some appearance of shape.

If I'm out in the heat and having to wear a coat, I find a linen shirt gives plenty of compensation and keeps things comfortable. Perhaps an open weave lining might offer the best combination in addition?

I have had this conversation with Edwin myself. I took his advice and had my LL linen made up with a lining. I'm very happy with the result. There are some light, breathable linings out there. It seems that English tailors do vary in their attitudes to unlined coats. My only unlined coat is a DB fresco blazer made, very willingly and skilfully, by Welsh & Jefferies. I should say that in terms of the desired coolness it is only partly successful. The cloth itself is extended to "line" the front, effectively leading to four layers of cloth covering the front of the body. I shan't do that again, although I might try it with SB as I know others swear by it. I also haven't found a problem with the unlined back sticking to my shirt.

I have five summer suits of 10 ounce fresco, a similar fabric, good though not as good as the Piuma. I wear them exclusively from mid-May to mid-September. Two are DB, and three SB. All are quarter-lined. It is the only way to go for me.

Dear Kayak,

I tend to listen to tailors and take their advice. The men I'm working with have all forgotten more about tailoring than I will ever know myself When I'm not listening to them, they are right in 80% of all cases... In your particular case, you can be adventurous without regret - a lining can be changed or altered easily after all.

But your question made me go through my wardrobe. Here is the evidence I found:
- all Brisa coats (2 & 1 in the works) are only lined on shoulders and in the sleeves
- the same applies to my Mistral blazer
- four Rangoon coats, 2 DB and 2 SB: the most "formal" DB in fumo di Londra is fully lined, all others lined on shoulders and sleeves only
- two Italian and an English fresco SB are all fully lined

The logic behind this mess is that Brisa and Mistral are relatively loose weaves. Limiting lining will make a difference. The dark grey Rangoon DB is used in a business setting only and would benefit little from reduced lining. The second Rangoon DB is ivory and made up in an Italian way - which explains the limited lining. The Rangoon SBs benefit from reduced lining as they are SBs. All fresco SB coats are fully lined because this cloth has such a dense weave that reducing lining would not make a big difference any way.

I looked at the Piuma cloth in my cloth storage trunk. The weave is on the dense side. Given what I did so far, I will most likely go for a full lining.

Cheers, David