When it comes to investing in bespoke menswear, there are a lot of things to get excited about. There’s the guarantee of a perfect fit for one thing and the chance to incorporate all your personal preferences for another. But we think one of the absolute best things about working one-on-one with a tailor is the freedom to fully explore fabric.
The type of fabric you choose will have a dramatic impact on the final look and feel of your suit. For this reason it’s wise to give your cloth preferences a decent amount of thought. Different fabrics offer varying levels of warmth, formality, flexibility and longevity.
We’ve blogged before about traditional British fabrics and how to choose between them. In this post we’re zoning right in on luxury fabrics and why you should consider incorporating them in your next tailoring commission.
Silk
Silk is a natural fibre that can be woven into a very light and smooth cloth. In tailoring it’s typically used for linings, ties, shirts and adornments such as collars and cuffs. Silk is highly valued thanks to it’s sleek feel and it’s highly breathable nature. Unlike other similar fabrics, silk is smooth and soft without being uncomfortably slippery.
Cashmere
We touched on cashmere in our post on traditional British fabrics, but no luxury fabric round up would be complete without including it. This is a super soft natural wool fabric made from goat hair fibres. It’s real selling point is that it’s super warm (in fact it’s three times more insulating than normal wool) while remaining soft and lightweight.
Linen
Longer line linen fibres create beautifully fine linen fabrics. It works well with traditional tailoring as it is incredibly smooth to the touch and lint free. Linen is a popular choice for summer outfits as it is an extremely breathable fabric which stays cool even in high temperatures.
Mohair
Mohair is a silk-like fabric woven from fibres from Angora goats. Like cashmere it is soft with incredibly good insulating properties. However, it’s also very cool to wear in warmer temperatures. Mohair is highly durable and resilient and will continue to look good even after many, many wears.
Not sure whether to make the extra investment in a luxury fabric? There’s a school of thought that recommends always investing in the best quality fabric you can afford. We think this is a very wise consideration. After all, higher quality fabrics are likely to give you much greater wear and value over time.
Want more of a taste of luxury fabric? Take a look at our cashmere pullover collection and woven silk neckties, all available to order online.