The London Lounge

Hello,

Would you be kind and offer your opinions:

What are the distinguishing characteristics?
Weight alone doesn't seem right as I have seen heavier vintage suiting than so coatings.

Probably jacketing are those materials considered too soft (expected to easily bag) or too delicate (cannot take the wear i.e. alpaca cashmere etc)

Any other thoughts will be much appreciated.


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My understanding is that cloths that won't hold their shape (too soft) or are too delicate are usually deemed "jacketings" . Some materials called "coating' could be useable for suits if they are woven tightly enough to hold their shape. E.G.- H.E. Box 22 oz twill makes great ( and vitually indestructable) trousers- but it's sold as a coating material.

yachtie wrote:My understanding is that cloths that won't hold their shape (too soft) or are too delicate are usually deemed "jacketings" . Some materials called "coating' could be useable for suits if they are woven tightly enough to hold their shape. E.G.- H.E. Box 22 oz twill makes great ( and vitually indestructable) trousers- but it's sold as a coating material.

Could someone explain a bit more on the differences between jacketing/coating and suiting, cf. 5x5 jackets. I guess colour is important too: darker tweeds tend to be jacketing, ligther ones to be suiting?

Jacketing is woven and finished to be more casual. Tweeds, or worsteds that are woven in designs like tweeds are more likely to feature in books of jacketing. Worsteds tend to be more colourful in design and may be finished with a rougher texture.

Suiting is woven as a city cloth. Designs are mostly plain or pinstripes, although window pane checks are also common.

Overcoatings are nearly always finished to look a lot rougher.

No cloth, whatever its purpose, should be woven, deliberately or accidentally, to be loose, soft, or delicate. These are symptoms of a poorly woven cloth - sometimes purposefully so - tissue paper weighted, and woven on loose weave settings from delicate fibres. Some call such flimsiness "luxury" because it has a fairy soft hand. Don't be fooled.

http://www.cutterandtailor.com/forum

Could someone explain a bit more on the differences between jacketing/coating and suiting, cf. 5x5 jackets. I guess colour is important too: darker tweeds tend to be jacketing, ligther ones to be suiting?

Worsted are suitings. Flannels are almost always suitings as well.

In tweeds, everything has to do with the trousers. If a reliable trouser can be made from the tweed it can be considered a suiting (ie high twist cheviots, Saxony tweed or worsted warp tweeds.) If a trouser cannot be made form the cloth it is considered a jacketing only (Harris tweed, Shetland tweed, etc.)

For an exotic soft cloth like cashmere to be made as a suiting it must have some worsted cloth in it so as to accommodate the trousers.

Overcoating can mean just about anything because you can make an overcoat at many different weights and for many different seasons as well. Traditionally overcoating was very thick beastly stuff in the 26 ozs and above range made for hard winter wear.

Cheers

Michael Alden