The London Lounge

I wish to commission a bespoke pair of casual trousers to be worn with a blazer or sports coat. I would like blue in a shade lighter than navy blue but not so pale as to be 'powder' or 'baby' blue. Also I would like some inherent interest feature in them such as a shadow check, herringbone, nail head etc but this is not an absolute must. But what is a must is the fact they must be wrinkle resistant (especially cats whiskers around the fork) to the greatest possible extent. I know style and cut play an important part in this but I want to select the best choice of cloth that I can . I prefer a heavier cloth rather than super 100's etc.

Should I pick a pure wool cloth or some sort of blend with mohair or similar?

Any advise you gentlemen could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Regards,
Snapper

As for the cloth, I would go for a cavalry twill in a good weight. I'm not sure about the cloth-colour combo though: cavalry is in my mind associated with tans, browns. Maybe if you can find a blue with some variegation of hues,

saluti
M.

Whipcord is a good fallback. A little more surface than gabardine, more matte than cavalry twill, softer than either. At least one of the books has a grey-ish navy. Some are 10-11oz, and there are others 12-13.

Dear Snapper,
I see you are pretty open to any cloth provided is in medium blue, isn´t too light in weight and has some character. If you went to my tailor´s with just those few restrictions and started browsing rolls, books and swatches, you would be overwhelmed pretty soon.
In order to narrow the range of options, I think the key issue to follow here is "crease resistant". So I would stay away from the Super 100s or anything tightly woven, or flannels or a cashmere blend. A mohair blend would add certain resistance to creasing but those fabrics are generally on the lighter side.
I am aware that Dormeuil and Zegna have come up with "wrinkle free" traveler fabrics. I have not tried them and I´m skeptical about them.
I think that anything on the heavier side and -not too refined- in the books of Minnis, Smiths or H. Lesser are good candidates for your search.
Regarding medium blue and some interest in the cloth, I believe that you could combine both requirements in one by choosing a cloth that achieves the medium blue by mixing navy blue and lighter blue in a houndstooth or nailhead pattern.

Gentlemen,

Thank you all for your concidered replies, much appreciated. I have taken on board every recommendation and will seek out these types of cloth and from the companies suggested.

Thanks again,
Snapper

I second the recommendation of cavalry twill and whipcord for this purpose. Covert twill in a good weight also hangs out creases well. I have whipcords in slate blue-gray, and coverts are often available in a charcoal melange (not blue, I know, but versatile for trousers). My fine-gauge Scabal cavalry twills are the most crease-resistant trousers I own, but they are in dark tan and olive. I should have bought more lengths.

I should have bought more lengths.

The oft heard plaint.

Cheers

Gentlemen thank you all for your advise. Having looked at some Minnis, Smith and Co whipcord and Fox Flannel samples my tailor (Danny at G. Browne) lead me to Porter and Harding Thornproof and steered me away from any shade of blue to be worn with a contrasting blue blazer. My most favourable choice might be their (18 oz) 62269. Do any members have advice please upon the Thornproof range, and what might be the pros and cons of having them half lined? Again your help will be much appreciated, thank you.

Regards,
Snapper

I've never done thornproof trousers, but I would imagine that a lining would be a good idea. The cloth is coarse and porous enough that it could be pretty scratchy in close quarters-- the flip side of its obvious virtues.

snapper wrote:Do any members have advice please upon the Thornproof range, and what might be the pros and cons of having them half lined? Again your help will be much appreciated, thank you.

Regards,
Snapper

Dear Snapper,

even with the coarsest tweeds and flannels, I have never lined any trouser. I prefer to feel the texture of the cloth on my skin. To me, lining trousers is like jellying apple tart. So 1970

Cheers, David

PS: I would assume lining could be added if you have a problem. Start with one pair and see.

Regarding lining tweed trousers, you can make knee-length linen boxer shorts and wear knee-high socks, instead of requesting lining. Cheap, no problem with scratchy tweeds on your legs and easy to iron the trousers.

davidhuh wrote:

PS: I would assume lining could be added if you have a problem. Start with one pair and see.

I've had at least one tailor get agitated at the thought of lining a pair of trousers after the beginning of the order. It must affect how the waistband gets put together.

Also, while you can certainly wear long boxers and high socks, some of the worst chafing is going to occur at the knee when you're seated or moving vigorously. There's certainly no harm in trying without a lining, but I wouldn't want to do that with a rougher tweed.