The London Lounge

If I can find time on a weekday (really difficult for me) I want to go to Barton and Donaldson to get some more shirts made. My rotation of 18 winter and 18 summer shirts works but is very tight.

I want the heaviest nastiest fabric I can find, some thing that would curl Alden's toes. It must wear like iron. Any ideas?

Tattersals would be nice, also chocolate brown. All cotton only.

I would have gone with Bugelli but he has twice promised to send me swatches and twice forgotten. I honestly do not have the time for this sort of thing....

If you want heavyweight winter stuff, try Albini's D&J Anderson Sea Island Super 120s. Expensive, but I find it wears well. Unfortunately it is not at all nasty, so it may not meet your criteria.

Get your hands on a sample book from Acorn. They have some great heavy shirting including Viyalla.

I always thought that the traditional Viella tattersall checked shirtings were a mix of Cotton an artificial fibres. Coats Viyella, the manufacturer, split into Coats and Viyella some years ago, and I am not sure which company continues the shirtings, if at all.

But these fluffy, flannel kind of Viyella shirts are not very dressy. More the sort of thing you wear on a farm or when shooting or fishing.

The original patented Viyella was 55% wool and 45% cotton. These days the fabrics that mimic Viyella are 80% cotton and 20% wool. The cloth is made in Portugal and distributed by a variety of companies.

The old Viyella was something special. Paired with a heavy tweed jacket or suit, you didn't have to worry much about the cold. It is a thing of the distant past unfortunately.

Flannel shirting would be the closest relative to the old Viyellas, but even these are pretty hard to find.