silk vs bemberg

What you always wanted to know about Elegance, but were afraid to ask!
Guest

Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:43 pm

I have noticed alot of tailors use bemberg rayon lining rather than silk. Is there a reason for that apart from cost factors? Would you say higher quality suits are made with silk lining? does that apply for the trouser lining? thanks
Guest

Tue Nov 20, 2007 7:41 pm

In my observation, silk linings are rather unusual, and restricted to situations when a unique pattern might be installed. Silk wears warm, and tends to wear out faster than other linings. I have never known a Savile Row tailor to even think of offering it-- probably for that reason.
Guest

Tue Nov 20, 2007 8:52 pm

so do they prefer bemberg? or is there some kind of other lining?
to be honest i thought silk lining was used for the trousers at least...
Guest

Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:04 pm

From what I know silk lining is an option and costs more. Henry Poole & Co. charge around £200 plus VAT for it.
Guest

Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:33 pm

I am no expert but I think Bemberg began as a brand, and the rights were purchased by a Japanese company. The term is in generic use now. I think the best linings are made in Italy and Japan, and all called Bemberg. There are different weights and qualities.

I can see no valid reason for silk, and only disadvantages for some of the reasons already mentioned.

tteplitzmd
Guest

Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:44 pm

I think silk is more luxurious. Rayon shouldnt be used by savile row tailors considering you pay a higher price for what you get..only the best i say!
Guest

Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:53 pm

Apparently bemberg is a really good lining fabric as it breathes extremely well. But I have also heard that a lot of the good Savile Row tailors will silk line your suit and trousers for a little extra. If they do that, it must mean the only reason bemberg is used as an alternative must be due to its price.
Guest

Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:22 pm

From what I have read over the years about Bemberg is that it is durable and will last a lot longer than silk.

One salesman at a haberdashery told me once, when putting on a bemberg lined jacket, it glides like ice.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79
Guest

Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:35 pm

Hi. It surely all comes down to cost at the end of the day. Most of my suits are bemberg lined. I have one which is silk lined (paisleys print) and it is my pride and joy. I had it made 3 years ago and the silk's still going strong. I doubt anyone wants to keep a suit for more than a decade so why not have your suit lined with the most luxurious fabric there is. After all, we only live once.

Regards,
James
Guest

Wed Nov 21, 2007 3:49 am

i would prefer ermezine to all others it allow better breathing and slips on just like bremburg.

the old time i would think about using silk is in odd winter JKT's

L-C
Guest

Wed Nov 21, 2007 12:42 pm

Ermezine is quite nice for lighter weight jackets--Mr. Smoothjazz told me about it. It is available from Lear, Brown (Harrison's/Porter and Harding) and other sources. To a casual observor it looks and feels like the regular Bemberg and comes in a wide swathe of colors.
'
tteplitzmd
Guest

Wed Nov 21, 2007 4:44 pm

Bemberg is made of cotton. "Rayon Bemberg" is to Bemberg what vinyl is to leather.
I only have one suit lined in silk and I can't say the coat glides on the shirt better than the ones lined in Bemberg, or that it breathes better (quite the contrary). If I ever commissioned another suit lined in silk, it would deffinitely not be a summer suit.
As far as trousers are concerned, as the lining comes into contact with the skin, silk may feel more soft and luxurious, but then as it's been said it wears warm and it will wear out very quickly at the knees and crotch.

Costi
Guest

Wed Nov 21, 2007 6:40 pm

Anonymous wrote:Bemberg is made of cotton. "Rayon Bemberg" is to Bemberg what vinyl is to leather.
Costi
Yes and no, at least as I understand it. Bemberg is derived from cotton. The cellulose found in cotton is "regenerated" through a chemical process to produce fibers that are woven to make the material used in Bemberg linings. Bemberg is a proprietary term.

http://www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/fibers/en/ ... index.html

Rayon, similarly, is regenerated through a chemical process; however it comes from cellulose found in wood. The producers of Bemberg claim that it is 100 % pure cellulose, while rayon, which is not a proprietary name, can contain (at least in the US) “substituents” which “have replaced not more than 15% of the hydrogens of the hydroxyl groups.”

http://www.fibersource.com/f-tutor/rayon.htm

Not quite the same difference as between vinyl and leather, to my non-chemist’s mind. I’m sure the intellectual property lawyers can explain the propriety, or not, of the term “bemberg rayon.” Whether the linings of my RTW and MTM clothing are cotton “Bemberg” or wooden “bemberg rayon,” I find that they breathe and dissipate body moisture much better than silk and, therefore, are preferable to me.

Oldog/oldtrix
Guest

Wed Nov 21, 2007 7:29 pm

Is the Ermezine cellulose of cotton origin different in some fashion from the bona fide Bemberg? The Ermezine claim to fame is that it breathes better than the rest, and seems to be of a lighter weight. Anyone? Anyone?

tteplitzmd
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