The Journey

[BESPOKE62]

55867 by The London Lounge, on Flickr

This cloth is why I joined the cloth club. I realize this a not a LL creation, yet, I believe it is germane to the conversation. After much travel and dismay on this sartorial journey, I received a moment of enlightenment; which changed the entire way I view fabric and the bespoke process.

This moment happened in the shop of my tailor, who I had only meant months earlier. He was telling me a story of a gentleman, who came into his shop with some cloth from down town; those who are from Los Angeles, knows what that means, and wanted to commission a suit. He politely refused to make the gentlemen a suit from the material. His comment to me, not the gentleman, was, and; it was not said nor meant in a condescending way “I would not soil my hands on that material.” I didn’t understanding the full meaning of what he meant until sometime later. I will expound on this another time.

Then he proceeded to pull out some fabric that had to be 50 plus years old and gave me a life changing lesson on fabric and why it is critical. He was dismayed, at the fact that most men, who came into his shop, had no idea about fabric, and when he tried to guide them they were completely uninterested.

We view in awe, the great and distinguished dressers of the past such as, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Errol Flynn and Fred Astaire; to name a few, and try to achieve the “look”. We come close, but never quite attain; why, because the fabric used to create their clothes, have all but disappeared. This fabric had life, it had character, it had attitude. It radiated with richness and color, patterns and textures. Most, not all, but most fabrics created today are void of life.

From the experience in the tailor shop, I fell in love with H. Lesser fabrics specifically and all old world fabric in general. To me it invoked the thoughts of the golden age of dress, a world that is gone, and a time that has passed. It represented a time when men were men, they knew how to dress and was void of feminine influence. While, it may be controversial, I was given a piece of advice awhile back that has served me well, “never let a woman dress you.”

I spent hours scouring through fabric books at Jodek International, trying to find those unique fabrics from the days of yore. Having little success in this endeavor; David, the owner, suggested that I try the LL and the cloth club. He said they produce unique fabrics, and would probably be just what I was looking for. He was right! I joined the cloth club in 2011, I believe that I have participated in most subscriptions since that time. I even acquired some of the past subscriptions.

So when I saw the above cloth, I was immediately drawn to it; and it reminded me of one of Mr. Alden’s post; The Good Intention Trail, “Oh how facilis descensus Averno my dear brothers of the cloth! But if hope does springs eternal, maybe these will be done someday.”

This bring me to the gist of the matter. Michael has created something here that will probably not be seen again in our lifetime. We are privileged to be a part of this. Through his passion, we have the ability to create small remnants of the wonderful fabric from yesteryear. In this man’s no so humble opinion, Michael’s creations are among the best that exist today, and the Alden LL Flannel, dare I say, is probably the best out there.

Without doubt, the Cloth Club fabrics are authentic. Even so, we have discovered that some methods are lost and cannot be duplicated; materials needed are no longer able to be sourced and craftsmen with the expertise are gone. We all can recollect when Michael wanted to recreate a Reid & Taylor fabric; the looms needed had been thrown away, and we need to think no further back then the camel hair overcoat that could not be produced, because the yarns need, no longer existed.

The above cloth called my name and I answered. It is currently in the hands of a skilled craftsmen, being transmuted into what it was always destine to be.

One of these days, Mr. Alden will retire to his bucolic chateau; no time soon we hope, and we will all lament that good cloth is nowhere to be found.

[davidhuh]

Dear Bespoke 62,

I could echo your story - I stopped bespeaking suits because I simply couldn't find the cloth anymore. Well, there are very few exceptions out there, especially in the tweed department. But few they are and difficult to get.

Thanks to the LL, the fun is back, and with it the pleasure to dress

Cheers, David

[couch]

Hear, hear!

I only regret the lost years after the financial crisis when my affairs did not permit me to test or participate nearly as fully as I would have liked, or commission anything.

Fortunately Michael has not given up on us. So I am, to the extent possible, making up for lost time . . . .

[bond_and_beyond]

For me personally it is particularly the lack of good suiting that worries me. As a relatively young man with a long "bespeaking career" ahead of him, the bespoke future does not look very bright.

I have had the pleasure of some lightweight vintage Lesser Golden Bale, which is some of the most amazing cloth I've seen. I press the trousers maybe once a year and they still hold their sharp crease!

I now have two suits made of LL-cloth (Brisa and Piuma respectively) and have a third one in the making in (Mistral). I also have an order in for the new Brisetta.

For me the priority is to get a hold of good suiting in "suitable for business" patterns / colours. To that end I hope the Cloth Club keeps going, focusing on "staples" that everyone needs.

BB

[couch]

This is

For me the priority is to get a hold of good suiting in "suitable for business" patterns / colours. To that end I hope the Cloth Club keeps going, focusing on "staples" that everyone needs.
BB

This is an interesting point. Michael said in the early days that a principal aim of the Cloth Club was to revive cloth qualities and patterns that had fallen away from the standard books, but not really to duplicate those.

With the LL Fox Flannel books, and the linen books, he has branched out in partnership with merchants to make some more mainstream types of cloth available in quantities greater than the Cloth Club usually manages, though of course in qualities and (in some cases) patterns not readily available elsewhere.

With the decline of quality in "basic" suiting cloths among the standard books, perhaps 'business' worsteds (the nailhead is a venture in that direction) might now be a more worthwhile effort than they would have been ten years ago—either as a collaborative venture like the LL Fox Flannels, or in the Cloth Club. I fear one challenge for the latter avenue is that fewer men wear suits daily, and more men who wear tailored clothing find sport jackets and odd trousers more versatile. Given that participation in the Cloth Club is, if I read Michael aright, already less robust than it once was, the venture would not be without risk.

But wouldn't it be a great quest to try to recreate the best of the old Lesser suitings? Or even something like the Smith Whole Fleece? I wonder whether the components are still there to make it possible . . . .

[davidhuh]

But wouldn't it be a great quest to try to recreate the best of the old Lesser suitings? Or even something like the Smith Whole Fleece? I wonder whether the components are still there to make it possible . . . .

Dear Couch,

to a certain extent, this has been done or is ongoing. Think about all Brisa, Brisetta, Piuma, Mistral, Nailhead, Mohair, Reid & Taylor and put them in a bunch

Cheers, David

[couch]

Dear David,

Yes, but the first four are all high-twist yarns and mohair is mohair. The patterned Reid & Taylor is not really business wear these days for most offices where suits are required daily. The nailhead, I'll grant you, is closer to "standard" business wear.

But what about all those Lesser Golden Bale worsted flannels, the pick-and-picks, the heavy dry plain weaves, the twills and gabardines—the stuff of what Manton calls conservative business dress—if that raw material is declining, there might be a reason to revive it.

(NB: I have and love three of the Cloth Club categories you list, as well as others. But I work at a university, so have more relaxed dress requirements than bond_and_beyond was describing.)

[hectorm]

As a relatively young man with a long "bespeaking career" ahead of him, the bespoke future does not look very bright.

When I was initiated into bespoke, back in the early 70's, the amount and variety of excellent cloth that was available at any of the two tailoring houses I was dragged to -by my father and godfather respectively- was enormous. Not only on the dozens and dozens of swatch books, but on the hundreds of bolts displayed on tables and shelves. I didn't know much then, so the general type of cloth was always suggested by my elders and finally dictated by the store front men. I only remember that I liked Donegal and I learnt its name.
Two decades letter the initiation was on Savile Row this time, and the selection of cloth was, once more and even more, immense. Despite, or perhaps because, by then I knew worsted and flannel, linen and corduroy, tweed and silk, the process of cloth selection was overwhelming.
But one thing I learnt: do not invest big amounts of money on bespoke tailoring that will last 20 or 30 years, or maybe even more, if you don't procure a cloth that is going to last those 20 or 30 years in good shape. Yes, a second pair of trousers will help, but nothing equals a rather heavy and gutsy cloth, woven with passion and the old fashioned way.
Nowadays anything bespoke I might commission would probably outlive me no matter the quality of the cloth (well, maybe not any cloth) so I don't care as much as before, but I still can utterly appreciate LL Cloth Club's endeavor.

[DavidS]

...

[bond_and_beyond]

I know I may be branded a heretic now, but I would have thought that the Cloth Club could reach a wider audience if it teamed up (at least for a special) with someone like Simon Crompton of Permanent Style. Just look at how quickly the things he pushes on his blog sell out. He recently sold some specially commissoned shirting which sold out in about an hour. So the demand might really be there, with the right "marketing tools".

Hope I am not banned for suggesting this

BB

[davidhuh]

I know I may be branded a heretic now, but I would have thought that the Cloth Club could reach a wider audience if it teamed up (at least for a special) with someone like Simon Crompton of Permanent Style. Just look at how quickly the things he pushes on his blog sell out. He recently sold some specially commissoned shirting which sold out in about an hour. So the demand might really be there, with the right "marketing tools".

Hope I am not banned for suggesting this

BB

Dear BB,

your suggestion is well intended, so there is no reason for a ban

Without knowing the readership of his blog, I base my judgement on the comments I read once in a while. There seem to be a few bespoke clients, and many more people tempted about the idea. This is simply not the audience for sturdy old fashioned heavy weight cloth, and not the people who would consider wearing a suit for 20 years. Consider how difficult it is even here, on the LL, to convince people joining a subscription with a heavy weight cloth of which you don't even know if it would be made and when it would be delivered...

Nowadays, it takes considerable flight experience to understand the importance of a good cloth. And if there is one criticism I would make about Mr Crompton himself: he doesn't seem to have an understanding about the raw material tailors are working with. All his comments focus on finishing and fit. This is ok, and likely enough for his audience.

Cheers, David

[davidhuh]

Dear David,

Yes, but the first four are all high-twist yarns and mohair is mohair. The patterned Reid & Taylor is not really business wear these days for most offices where suits are required daily. The nailhead, I'll grant you, is closer to "standard" business wear.

But what about all those Lesser Golden Bale worsted flannels, the pick-and-picks, the heavy dry plain weaves, the twills and gabardines—the stuff of what Manton calls conservative business dress—if that raw material is declining, there might be a reason to revive it.

(NB: I have and love three of the Cloth Club categories you list, as well as others. But I work at a university, so have more relaxed dress requirements than bond_and_beyond was describing.)

Dear Couch,

now we're having an argument, where is my Armagnac and my cigar?

Trust me, the LL Reid & Taylor stuff is perfect business wear. Mistral is a true workhorse. With Brisa, it depends a little on the pattern, but it is mostly business wear. And Piuma is so much business that I find it almost boring. Mohair is mohair, true, but the ones I have work perfectly for work as well.

I agree that out there, the raw material is indeed declining, but what Michael has produced in the past 3, 4 years refilled my closed with great business wear. Finally, I have the impression that what many people consider "appropriate for business" is a bit too narrow minded. Most meetings I'm attending these days are packed with people wearing nothing but shabby dark grey plain cloth. I remember more discreet flamboyance in the past... or is my romantic memory taking over here?

Cheers, David

[couch]

No argument, David. I didn't mean that the high-twist cloths were not suitable for business. I have and wear the very first Brisa, Piuma, and will soon have a warm-weather suit in the mid-gray mohair that I would wear in some business climates. What I meant was that these are relatively specialized cloth types (though in our versions unusually versatile). That leaves s a whole range of common suiting types that were once widely available in higher quality than today. When we first embarked on the Cloth Club, there was no real reason to duplicate those. That might be a decision worth revisiting today, if the raw materials, know-how, and equipment are still available.

I agree some discreet flamboyance is not a bad thing, but we'll have to agree to disagree on the Reid & Taylor remake for "CBD."

In any case, I remain incredibly grateful for the wonderful cloth already made, and look forward with interest to future offerings.

[bond_and_beyond]

Dear BB,

your suggestion is well intended, so there is no reason for a ban

Without knowing the readership of his blog, I base my judgement on the comments I read once in a while. There seem to be a few bespoke clients, and many more people tempted about the idea. This is simply not the audience for sturdy old fashioned heavy weight cloth, and not the people who would consider wearing a suit for 20 years. Consider how difficult it is even here, on the LL, to convince people joining a subscription with a heavy weight cloth of which you don't even know if it would be made and when it would be delivered...

Nowadays, it takes considerable flight experience to understand the importance of a good cloth. And if there is one criticism I would make about Mr Crompton himself: he doesn't seem to have an understanding about the raw material tailors are working with. All his comments focus on finishing and fit. This is ok, and likely enough for his audience.

Cheers, David

David, I'm not sure that I would automatically conclude that there is not an audience for this kind of cloth on blogs such as Permanent Style. They just need to be educated / convinced, which would only take a few blog posts by Mr Crompton celebrating "true" cloth etc. Look at how he sold his own tweed, shirting, tie etc.

Out of the thousands that read that blog, surely there must be 30 - 40 that could be interested in Cloth Club subscriptions (especially after a promotional round by Mr. Crompton, perhaps together with a Permanent Style x London Lounge collaboration and an interview with Mr Alden himself), and surely that is all we need?

In an ideal world Brisa, Mistral and Piuma in particular in various colours and patterns would be available as standard bunches from Lovat in the same way the LL flannel is. But I may only be dreaming..

BB

[DavidS]

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