The London Lounge

Could our cloth experts kindly refer to best woolen flannel books.

Looking for lightest weight (is 8-10 ozs. available?) , mid or silver grey, chalk stripe optional, woolen flannels, first quality.

Something decadent.

In flannel, decadence and 8 ounce cloth are incompatible.

Anonymous wrote:In flannel, decadence and 8 ounce cloth are incompatible.

Agreed.

I don't believe that 8oz. woolen flannels exist. Fox Flannel and Loro Piana do have some 8oz. worsted flannels -- in fact some of the LP ones are made by Fox.

OK, moving off of the 8oz detour, where does the decadence begin and in what book shall we discover it?

The best flannel books are the Fox, Minnis, Harrisons and Lesser books. The Fox books should be at the tailors within a month if they aren't already. The Minnis book is quite good with several nice woolen and worsted fabrics and designs in 12, 14 and 16 oz. Ditto for the Harrisons book. Lesser has several nice worsted flannels in 11/12oz. They have a handful of plain colors in 13/14. For more oomph and less durability you can seek out the Lesser Lumbs Golden Bale flannels.

Several other companies produce flannel bunches with varying degrees of attractiveness. Drapers, H&S, Scabal and Moxon come to mind.

Fox Flannels make flannels in weights of 200-230 gms. but don't specify whether worsted or woolen.

Fox also makes call mid-weight flannels: 290-330 gms. In lambswool/cashmere blend.

http://www.foxflannel.com/

I believe that Fox is considered by some the finest manufacturer of flannel cloth.

I haven't found a Fox book anywhere; are they only manufactuers to the large cloth distributors which re-brand the flannel with their own names?


Also, Scabal has some beautiful, lightweight flannels; again, not sure whether worsted or woolen.

Scabal generally is undernoted in discussions; but makes some beautiful patterns, cloth and is a favourite of fine Italian tailors.

Please be careful with flannels. Weight is not everything, it is breathability that matters. The most luxurious woollen (not worsted) flannel I know comes from Scabal and is a super 100s. It is far warmer although lighter than some other more breathable woollen flannels I have.

I have not yet seen the new Fox book, but my cutter tells me it is worth the wait. Otherwise the Scabal for standar plain colours if you adore softness.

Please be careful with flannels. Weight is not everything, it is breathability that matters. The most luxurious woollen (not worsted) flannel I know comes from Scabal and is a super 100s. It is far warmer although lighter than some other more breathable woollen flannels I have.

I have not yet seen the new Fox book, but my cutter tells me it is worth the wait. Otherwise the Scabal for standard plain colours if you adore softness.

I have to agree: don't ignore Scabal for beautiful flannels.

Can't wait to see the Fox book.

Holland & Sherry do 8 oz flannel in Super 140s, not sure if they are worsted or woolen.

Yes, H&S also does lightweight flannels.

But HS always gets short shrift here in LL compared to the other cloth distributors.

I wonder why...? Is HS second tier?

Everything in the current Minnis book is wollen. That is, the current book floating around NY.

Harrison's is a mixture. FWIW, Frank Shattuck has recently worked with both and prounced the Minnis superior by a wide margin. I can't see a huge difference myself, but then again I am not sewing the cloth either.

I do have experience with H&S flannel, and it is in my jugement inferior to those made by the producers listed above. It is quite a bit flimsier, has less body, and does not hold a crease worth squat. There are two lines: the 100s and 5% cashmere, and the 140s with cashmere and mink. The former are a little better than the latter and much more traditional looking. Some great designs. The designs of the latter are modish. Both are, wearing wise, seriously deficient compared to Minnis or Fox.

Depends what you mean by "decadent". If you mean traditional, then go with H&W or LBD. It does not come any better than these two as far as traditional is concerned and tailorability. If you mean with a bit of color and design choice, or perhaps a superior "feeling" quality (I know, that's subjective) I would definitley then recommend the H&S spr 140/cashmere and mink. I have a suit from this and I consider it a beautiful fabric worth every bit of it's extra cost and have no qualms whatsoever in putting my clients in a suit from this fabric. it looks and feels very rich and tailors a dream. Traditional it's not. but that's what choice is all about. It's not what I like or someone else likes, it's what you like and want that matters.

Leonard

Anonymous wrote:................., then go with H&W or LBD. It ...............
Leonard

Is that HFW? What kind of prices are these commanding in the new world these days with the Pound so high?


-Oscars fan.