The London Lounge

I am seeing my tailor next week and intend to have made up a blue /navy suit I can wear to a wedding I am attending in Southern Spain in July.

I am not sure whether I should go for a linen, or a lightweight / porous wool cloth.

As I am a bit short of time, LL Cloth Club offerings (which probably would be the best, I love my Brisa but it is the RAF PoW) are out of the question.

I am therefore asking for specific advise for which cloth I should ask my tailor to order in to do a basted fitting next week.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
BB

You cannot beat the LL Marine Blue Linen. I made up two last year for my customers twin sons to wear to their sisters wedding in July in Italy. They loved the choice. This cloth loves the hand stitch.

Minnis have just launched their Fresco III book. Can't go wrong with the cloth, and they have some lovely new colours; solids and patterns. Also, softer hand than Fresco II.

aston wrote:Minnis have just launched their Fresco III book. Can't go wrong with the cloth, and they have some lovely new colours; solids and patterns. Also, softer hand than Fresco II.

Thanks Aston. How does it make up? Does it hold a press well?

Thanks,
BB

old henry wrote:You cannot beat the LL Marine Blue Linen. I made up two last year for my customers twin sons to wear to their sisters wedding in July in Italy. They loved the choice. This cloth loves the hand stitch.

This is certainly a very good suggestion. If something more formal is required, I would go for mohair - LL mohair, of course, if something is around

Cheers David

I have only seen Fresco III in a bunch at my tailor; it really is a very recent addition.

However, I have many suits in Fresco II and that is a great cloth; makes well and is virtually wrinkle free.

I'm making a set of clothes for groom and groomsmen for a wedding in Ravello, Italy in July. we went for a beautiful marine blue mohair suit from Ariston for the groom. The groomsmen are using the same fabric as the groom, but only for a jacket. white linen pants below. the same white as the groom will be wearing the night before with a soft green linen jacket.

Linen and cotton mix loro piana shirting to go with.

Should look great. And the best part is that I'll be able to see it in action. My wife and I have been invited!!!

Thanks all, much appreciated. As noted in my OP I need to have the cloth next week so LL cloth is unfortunately out of the question.

Do any members here have more experience of the new Fresco III book mentioned by Aston or indeed any experience with Crispaire?

Thanks,
BB

Crispaire is very decent stuff, even if it isn't especially dressy. It is a little warmer than the lightest Fresco and Finmeresco owing to the tighter weave, but useful nonetheless.

Thanks.

I am also thinking of making the jacket casual enough to be worn separately. Would I need to go for patch pockets to achieve that? Not a fan of patch pockets on suits though all my odd jackets have them.


BB

I am also thinking of making the jacket casual enough to be worn separately. Would I need to go for patch pockets to achieve that? Not a fan of patch pockets on suits though all my odd jackets have them.

BB,

I do not especially care for patch pockets on worsted cloth of any kind. I would save them for other more casual fabric types like linen, tweed or even cotton. Flannel is border line in this regards, it can work well. Personally speaking though, I do not have a flannel suit with patch pockets.

I also tend to use brown horn buttons on any blue suit where I intend to use the jacket as an odd jacket. This trick gleaned from the Italians works quite well.

Cheers

I have suits in Crispaire, Minnis "Fresco" and Finimeresco from years ago.

It was my very great dissatisfaction with these fabrics led me to create Brisa, Mistral, Piuma, LL Mohair and Brisetta.

Cheers

I think the original post was based on timeframes rather than the relative quality of certain cloths when compared to LL versions of.

Thanks to the kind invervention by Michael, 4m of navy Piuma is now on its way to my tailor. Many thanks to both Michael and the fellow LLer who was willing to part with his Piuma. With any luck there'll be a basted fitting on Friday.

BB

Thanks to the kind invervention by Michael, 4m of navy Piuma is now on its way to my tailor. Many thanks to both Michael and the fellow LLer who was willing to part with his Piuma. With any luck there'll be a basted fitting on Friday.

All's well that begins well! And beginning with the best quality cloth is very wise indeed if you are engaging, at great cost, the talent of a skilled traditional tailor to make your clothes.

BB, Good luck and keep us posted!

Cheers