Fabric Houses

[Gilles Deleuze]

I would be interested to hear members views on Holland & Sherry in general. I have never comissioned from their offerings. They seem to be the favoured fabric house of the pretend bespoke mob - "Made to Measure suits from the finest English cloth from £500". Interestingly, my own tailor (SR) has never opened an H&S book in fron of me. Is this telling?

I'm hardly an expert and can't speak from personal experience, but I was in with a tailor on the Row the other day discussing a blazer project I'd like to commission in the near future and one of the cloth options brought up was Holland and Sherry's crispaire (10oz?).

[yachtie]

I would be interested to hear members views on Holland & Sherry in general. I have never comissioned from their offerings. They seem to be the favoured fabric house of the pretend bespoke mob - "Made to Measure suits from the finest English cloth from £500". Interestingly, my own tailor (SR) has never opened an H&S book in fron of me. Is this telling?

I'm hardly an expert and can't speak from personal experience, but I was in with a tailor on the Row the other day discussing a blazer project I'd like to commission in the near future and one of the cloth options brought up was Holland and Sherry's crispaire (10oz?).

I have a couple of suits of H&S cloth. I have no problems with the quality. As with a number of sellers there's various qualities under the one house brand.

[alden]

H &S was one of the first distributors to jettison the real heavyweight traditional cloth that many of us here like. It was an understandable move, people were not buying the cloth.

Holland & Sherry was, however, one of the premier cloth distributors in the UK for a great many years. I remember seeing their correspondence, cuttings and price lists when I visited Reid & Taylor and studied their archives from the 1930s. It's something I will never forget, the cloth was simply remarkable.

Michael

[Rowly]

On a recent visit to Savile Row I was advised that H. & S.'s high end cloth is fine, as it's made in Huddersfield, but that their more entry level cloths are made abroad and are of a less desirable quality.

[tteplitzmd]

H&S, Dormeuil, and Scabal, all overpriced in my view. No schlock in Dormeuil and Scabal, but some of H&S is rather generic.

[couch]

Holland & Sherry was, however, one of the premier cloth distributors in the UK for a great many years.

When I commissioned my very first bespoke garment, an SB 3-button navy blazer, in 1984 from the old Hawes & Curtis, John Kent sent me half a dozen flannels and worsted flannels from which to choose. I picked a H&S as the best of the lot (I'd guess about 12 ozs.). It was one of the then-new "Super 100s" and when I saw John, he said, "Did I put that one in there? I'll have to adjust the price I gave you. Since it was my mistake, I won't charge you the whole amount--we'll split the difference." I think he was also concerned that it wouldn't have the guts to stand up to heavy wear. Since I lived in Austin at the time, the weight was perfect, and it had by far the best color and "spring" of all the cloths, including samples from Dormeuil, Smith, and others. Well, I still have the jacket 27 years later and, were I still the same shape, I could wear it confidently today. Excellent goods in those days.