Donegal tweeds

[JDelage]

Hello everyone,

I am interested in knowing your experience with donegal tweeds (and any woollen fabric with a pronounced "color fleck" effect - whether true donegals or not). I'm in the process of refining a cloth selection for a versatile odd jacket, and I would love to get 1st hand testimonies of LL members. Please feel free to contact me via PM or to respond to the thread.

Thanks,

Joss

[Frog in Suit]

I have a jacket made of Donegal tweed. My then fiancée, now my Dear Wife, brought me a piece of material purchased from a Magee shop while on a visit to the west of Ireland (Connemara, I think). I had it made into a hacking-type jacket by my then-tailor in London (one vent, slanted pockets with flaps, three button, slightly raised edge to the lapels and front). The cloth feels lighter than some other tweeds I have and appears fairly soft and loosely woven. It is mainly heathery/greenish, with orange, cream (?) flecks, perhaps some blue as well. There are enough colours, in small doses, to make it very versatile. I had it made up in 1991 and it is still going strong. I find it a very useful garment from Autumn to Spring.

I hope this helps.

Frog in Suit

[alden]

Joss

Donegals fabrics are not for everyone, there are those who will panic at the sight of the flecks of color, some untold error or imperfection. The best Donegals vanished awhile back but there are some good choices to be found in the books (notably W Bill or Scabal), still they are a bit like Harris tweeds these days, a bit light and airy.

Donegals might age a young man by today’s standard. You would do better to look elsewhere for a first bespoke make.

Cheers

MA

[JDelage]

Frog in suit,

Thanks. Magee seems to be one of the most often quoted brand for Donegal, but their site is being worked on, so I can check out there stuff.

Michael,

Thank you for your advice. The fleck effect is what I seek, and in fact I'm finding most donegals that I see a tad on the tame side. I still have in mind an AA illustration of a student in a rough donegal 3-pc suit that looked awesome. That might be a bit much in this day and age, but I'd like some richness. W Bill seems to be the obvious go-to resource, but I am not sure how one would proceed from outside the UK.

I'm 38 by the way, maybe I conveyed the wrong impression regarding my age.

Cheers,

Joss

[alden]

Hi Joss

This may seem difficult to believe, but you are a young man.

We can organize some WBill to look at. I will be there this week. Write me. I also have some Magee for you to see.

And in the not too distant future, there will be some LL heavyweight Donegal. We are in the process of testing now. Overcoating and suitings are on the menu.

Cheers

Michael

[JDelage]

There's an interesting donegal coat in the movie "Julie & Julia", about 20% into it. Julia & Paul Child are at a photography exhibit, and a man passes by pretty quickly with a rough donegal coat.