Tutumulut wrote:Dear Mr. Hillier
Congratulations with what looks like a great and comfortable suit. May you wear it (in) in good health!
And thank you for providing much inspiration. I'm hoping to receive the Thornproof soon and am now planning something similar:
- - trousers with side adjusters and high waist and tail, buttons for braces, button fly, 2 inch turnups. Although advice is not to have pleats but a dart instead, I'm still contemplating a single pleat folding inward (French pleat in Italian)
- classic city coat with 3 roll 2, patch pockets with flaps and 1 welted chest pocket, 2 side vents, fairly open quarters, storm collar, 2 inside game pockets as shown so nicely in your earlier example and as described and commented on by Hectorm. Originally I was contemplating a 1-button closure (high closure, still covering the trouser waist), but I can't see it with a storm collar. If someone has examples of a combination of 1-button closure and storm collar, I would be thankful
I decided against the action back as I plan to use it for walking/hiking as its most active activity and I'm not sure my tailor would be able to do it convincingly. It will be only my second commissioning (well, after starting 2 years ago with 2 suits in 1 go) and although I plan to push his and my boundaries, experienced members here have warned me not to go too fast too soon (as if a Neapolitan tailor ever lets a bespeaker tell what to do
).
A lovely thread where your questions and others' answers have proven to be a good school, for me and maybe also for others.
Cheers
T
Dear Tutumulut,
Thank you for your comments and your good wishes!
I think you are absolutely right, this has been a great thread, it is almost a 101 in tweed suits. Many of the points you make are also right on the money from the point of view of my experience, especially what you say about not pushing your tailor too far. The tailor who made my suit is not, as far as I know, experienced in action backs, and in retrospect something like that really does benefit from some experience, which became apparent when I realised that there wasn't enough slack in the lining to allow the back to open fully. As you wisely seem to realise, it didn't do anything for the mutual trust in the relationship.
My trousers seem fine with pleats, and this fabric is around 580 to 600 g/m. The tailor who made the suit would not consider trousers without pleats, and I naturally deferred to his judgement. I suggested darts as an alternative to pleats, as suggested by another of the members, and he was equally horrified.
Regarding your idea of a one-button closure, I am sure it would look great, but if you are planning to use the coat for walking and hiking, from my experience, you want as many buttons as possible. Although it is not classically done, I often find myself closing all three buttons on the front of my coat when I am walking into a cold wind. The same comment might apply to open quarters.
Also, there is a big difference between a tab collar which works and one which is cosmetic. Make it clear from the start that it needs to work.
One other issue which might one might consider in depth is the balance between functionality and fit. As was discussed at length earlier in the thread, an outdoor suit probably needs to go over a sweater. Mine is cut to go over a substantial sweater. The downside is that when worn just the waistcoat, there is a lot of space inside the jacket, and the suit wears cool because of this. As I have no matching breeks anyway, if I was to do this a second time, I think I would fit the jacket to go over a lighter sweater only, because when wearing it over a heavy sweater, I'm unlikely to be wearing the jacket with the trousers. If I wear the coat with the trousers, I'm more likely to be wearing it with a v-neck sweater, the waistcoat, or just a shirt. If you need a tweed jacket to go over a heavy sweater, maybe it should be an odd one. A suit can be warmed up with a wool layer underneath, a sweater, then an outer coat; the only reason for cutting it to accommodate a vary heavy sweater seems to be so that the jacket can be worn in very cold weather with nothing over it, to allow for movement, such as when shooting or fishing.
In fact, from the point of view of functionality and sheer tweed extravagance, I have started daydreaming about a 'tweed super suit' to cover all eventualities; in six-pieces:
-full Norfolk jacket, cut to accommodate a heavy sweater, for serious outdoor use
-classic three-button single breasted jacket, cut to go over a waistcoat and light to medium sweater, no action back
-waistcoat, as described
-trousers, as described
-breeks, as described
-cap
Best of luck with the suit, I hope you will keep us updated!