The London Lounge

Gentlemen,

My girlfriend wishes to make a tailored classic summer blazer, but wants to stay away from highly creaseable pure linen - so possibly linen and silk, linen and mohair etc. The material has to be firm enough to tailor well and hold a structured shape but light enough to be a casual blazer rather than a 'rigid form' suit jacket. What material would you recommend and is there a bunch that could be purchased in a light colour (not stark white) such as stone, cream, beige etc ?

Thank you in advance for any help.

Regards, Snapper

I know exactly what you´re looking for.
Mersolair book. From 28020 to 28030.
10 oz cloth, 50% Irish linen - 50% mohair. Stone and beige available amongst several other colors.
If creasing is not desired, I would not recommend the cotton blend.

hectorm wrote:I know exactly what you´re looking for.
Mersolair book. From 28020 to 28030.
10 oz cloth, 50% Irish linen - 50% mohair.

Gentlemen,

I have a suit and a pair of trousers in exactly this mix from Mersolair - and would not do this again. The cloth looks good and sharp, but it wears rather warm because the breathability pure linen has gone entirely

My recommendation to the lady would be to stick to pure linen, be careless about the creases during the day and invest in a good semi-professional steam iron to remove the creases after wearing.

Cheers, David

hectorm thank you for your reply and the amount of detail contained. Your recommended cloth meets all the criteria of my specification in terms of composition, weight, structure etc. I have looked on line at the colour range and am certain there is one in there that would specifically fit the bill. I will make sure my lady gets to see and feel the cloth in question, she is highly qualified in this field and will know immediately how it will tailor. Thank you again.

David, my thanks to you for your considered response. It is always good to get advise based on experience and, as with every post you submit, I appreciate your depth of knowledge and obvious concern to offer helpful comments. I realise everyone's tolerance to temperature is not the same, and it would be unfair to expect you to be able to speak for another, but is it likely that as trousers are worn on bare skin and a suit covers the entire body a less formal blazer might not run so hot?
Again my thanks to you.

Regards,
Snapper

snapper wrote: (....) but is it likely that as trousers are worn on bare skin and a suit covers the entire body a less formal blazer might not run so hot?

Dear Snapper,

agree that the trousers are not ideal. My trousers have a traditional wide cut, and I miss the flow of air plus the weight of 100% linen. However, the worst are the waistcoat and the coat itself - they just wear too hot. I'm wearing the suit and it looks sharp. But in my experience, a 100% linen is heavier in weight, but by far more comfortable in a very warm climate.

Cheers, David

davidhuh wrote: The cloth looks good and sharp, but it wears rather warm because the breathability pure linen has gone entirely........ stick to pure linen and be careless about the creases.....

I think David has a couple of good points here that deserve attention.
First: pure linen has its big trade-offs.
Thin 100% linen (let's say under 10 oz) wears extremely cool and airy, but it creases a lot. Even the good quality cloths from Ireland or Belgium. Many would say that it's supposed to crease, adding to its charm. For me, in trousers, this is unacceptable. I can take some wrinkles on the inside of the jacket's elbows, but the look of an accordion around the crotch is not charming. On top, in light colors -a lovely natural flax, for instance- it's pretty sheer.
Heavier 100% linen starts to wear less cool and airy, and you notice the weight, but it creases less, and it's less sheer.
Where is the break-even point? It's a matter of personal choice and the climate around you.
Second: normally, for a tailored summer jacket, I would have echoed David's advice of sticking to pure linen. But having read the main concern of the OP as avoiding creases, I could not recommend just putting up with them, and I thought that Mersolair (linen/mohair blends from a good merchant/mill) was the perfect choice. Honestly, I did not think that the adding of mohair to the linen would make the cloth significantly less airy. Of course, my experience with mohair is limited to wearing it in a blend with wool, where it has made my suit lighter, cooler and less prone to creasing (if a bit shinier, though).

Perhaps a plain weave 100% mohair?

Airy (although not quite as much as the linen) but durable and crease resistant.

Again Gentlemen my thanks for your replies and considered inputs.

I have re-read the Mohair topic in the Bespoke Forum and taken notes of the recommendations and comments therein. I have looked at the William Halstead cloths as detailed on the Pepper Lee web site and have viewed possible alternatives from Bateman Ogden.

I will put these to my lady who is also make enquires from her current cloth surpliers based on all your inputs.

I would just add that it is a tribute to the LL in general that what was such a relatively simple question has generated such a diverse range of answes and inputs. It's good to be part of this knowledgeable forum.

Thank you all again. Regards, Snapper