The London Lounge

Gentlemen,
I'm trying to decide what my next suit or sport coat order should be. I have 1 single breasted navy suit, 1 blue sport coat, 1 brown glen check sport coat and 1 grey glen check sport coat. I've wanted a double breasted suit for a long time but am wondering how much utility I will get out of it considering that I work from home, don't need to wear a suit every day, and usually wear suits for evening events (dinner, cocktails, parties, etc.). I don't own any tweed jackets and have wanted one for a long time as well. If I ordered a jacket, I'd like a blue/grey donegal tweed one. If I ordered a DB suit, I'm leaning towards charcoal since I don't own any charcoal suits. Since this suit will be for evenings, I'd like to select a cloth that is a bit more interesting and rakish for going out than the standard worsted charcoal commonly seen among business suits. Any suggestions for cloth books to look at?
What do you all suggest; a DB suit or a tweed jacket? I'll probably get more use out of the jacket but a 6x2 DB suit has been on my short list for some time and feel the need to scratch that itch. Thanks for your feedback.

You'll probably get one of each eventually, so start with what looks most promising now.

For charcoal DB, you could think about a herringbone worsted, or maybe a flannel.

Tweeds can be had in endless supply, of course. If you don't go for the LL order, there are many W. Bill books that will serve you well.

The single item I think I have made most use of is my tweed change coat (sports jacket) - it's a fairly plain, brown herringbone 'thornproof'.

The more it's used, the better it looks.

Melcombe wrote:The single item I think I have made most use of is my tweed change coat (sports jacket) - it's a fairly plain, brown herringbone 'thornproof'.

The more it's used, the better it looks.

Pretty hard to go wrong with that.

Get yourself a beautiful dark blue DB.
you know you want it. It's clear from your post.
Wear it for the evening events you attend. And choose the cloth accordingly.
White shirt, satin tie. Perfect.
Don't wait.

I seems that you are just starting a wardrobe. Since you already have a SB navy suit that you can wear to the more formal occasions, what you need now is a DB grey suit that you can dress up or down. Extremely versatile, you could wear it with brown suede shoes, black shoes, shirt and tie, a turtleneck, etc. Don't go too dark with the color (definitely not charcoal) and not too lightweight with the cloth. Keep it simple. A sharkskin or small herringbone will be enough character by now.

I second Hector's suggestion. With the different accessories he has suggested, you can create very different ensembles. That is why it is very important not to use a stripe (says "business"), or a highly unique cloth that everyone will remember more than the whole of what you are wearing. A moderate width herringbone also has the advantage of showing as a self-stripe that looks nice in artificial light without drawing too much attention to itself.

As to cloth books, many of us here have bemoaned the loss of the beautiful heavier worsteds that tailors used to use. The Lesser 16 ounce book doesn't have many choices left. Dugdale has some classic cloth which is that heavy, but I don't find it as fine as Lessers or Smiths (others may disagree), where you will probably end up looking at 13 ounce books. Chris Despos has had great results also with Intercity from Holland and Sherry in a similar weight.

Joel

hectorm wrote:I seems that you are just starting a wardrobe. Since you already have a SB navy suit that you can wear to the more formal occasions, what you need now is a DB grey suit that you can dress up or down. Extremely versatile, you could wear it with brown suede shoes, black shoes, shirt and tie, a turtleneck, etc. Don't go too dark with the color (definitely not charcoal) and not too lightweight with the cloth. Keep it simple. A sharkskin or small herringbone will be enough character by now.

If he wants a suit for the evening, dark grey will be more useful than mid. In many climates, that will be totally appropriate to wear during the day if necessary.

Were he needing something for the office, or to lounge around the club in at midday, that would be different.

How's the climate where you live? It makes a difference whether you live in a place like Montreal or Miami. Do you have a particular season covered already? If most of your clothes are fall or winter weight, you might think of getting something in a summer fabric.

Gentlemen,
Thank you for your feedback. I am leaning towards the DB suit. To answer your questions, I live in Washington, DC where we have extreme temperatures in the summer and winter but spring and fall are wonderful. The summers can get very hot and humid and the winters can be very cold as we've experienced this season. As far as cloth is concerned, I've always loved the birdseye pattern and am considering something in a charcoal birdseye. I think a mid-grey may be too light for evening wear. I too prefer heavier cloths and will look for something that is 13+oz. I love the nap of a heavyweight flannel and have seen some really nice ones from JJ Minnis. However, I don't know if Minnis flannel is still available as I I heard they went out of business. Again, these are just my current inclinations and I am open to the collective wisdom of the lounge. Thanks again.

Sam,
I never miss the opportunity to advance the DB suit. The world needs to see more of them, especially on younger men. Dark blue is ideal. Dark grey is good but not so dark that it could in any way be mistaken for black. Unless of course you want the versatility of a suit coat that can double as a stroller (very dark ,oxford grey), which I advance most of all. You already have three sport coats so add the tweed at your earliest convenience.

sam wrote: I've always loved the birdseye pattern and am considering something in a charcoal birdseye.

Dear Sam,
A birdseye is at an advantage in a medium to dark gray where the general color is the result of the contrasting combination of what is perceived as lighter grey "birdeyes" on darker gray background. If you want charcoal, I suggest you consider a pinhead pattern instead.

sam wrote:Gentlemen,
Thank you for your feedback. I am leaning towards the DB suit. To answer your questions, I live in Washington, DC where we have extreme temperatures in the summer and winter but spring and fall are wonderful. The summers can get very hot and humid and the winters can be very cold as we've experienced this season. As far as cloth is concerned, I've always loved the birdseye pattern and am considering something in a charcoal birdseye. I think a mid-grey may be too light for evening wear. I too prefer heavier cloths and will look for something that is 13+oz. I love the nap of a heavyweight flannel and have seen some really nice ones from JJ Minnis. However, I don't know if Minnis flannel is still available as I I heard they went out of business. Again, these are just my current inclinations and I am open to the collective wisdom of the lounge. Thanks again.

If you want to have flannels, I would recommend that you also take a look at the LL fox flannel book which you can browse on this website. I have both Minnis and LL flannels. I prefer the LL flannels by far. I have not seen flannels in birdseye yet. This pattern is for worsteds. Lesser's 16 ozs and P&B book from Harrison's have a few heavy weights in this pattern.

Fox does have a 10oz mid-grey birdseye on their website but they may have more options available.

http://www.themerchantfox.co.uk/prod/15 ... alk-stripe

hectorm wrote:

sam wrote: I've always loved the birdseye pattern and am considering something in a charcoal birdseye.

Dear Sam,
A birdseye is at an advantage in a medium to dark gray where the general color is the result of the contrasting combination of what is perceived as lighter grey "birdeyes" on darker gray background. If you want charcoal, I suggest you consider a pinhead pattern instead.

Even if you can't see the pattern in a darker birdseye, it is still remarkably comfortable and durable.