For clients of custom tailors, finding a good spring/ summer fabric can be tough. Once you get past your basic linens, cottons, and tropical wools, you’ll notice that warm-weather fabrics don’t have the same textures and patterns that make fall/ winter clothes so appealing. Gone are your prickly tweeds and district checks. Instead, you’re left with solid-colored fabrics on the one hand, and patterns that look like they can only be worn at Pitti Uomo on the other.
After last year’s successful tobacco Fresco run, I decided to put together a couple more custom fabrics. Like last time, I’ve found that it can take a lot of work to get the color and general design just right – a little too much of something this way or that way, and the swatches just look off. After a bit of work, however, I think I have what are two very special spring/ summer jacketings.
The first is another Fresco, although this time patterned (which is a rare bird in this range). Fresco, as many know, is a high-twist, open weave, worsted wool. The extra twist makes the fabric more wrinkle-resistant, while the open-weave gives it better breathability. That makes Fresco a great fabric for both spring/ summer use, as well as travel. Many bespoke clients also prefer Fresco over other tropical wools because it has a bit more body. On this run, I designed a navy and blue houndstooth pattern, which I think is just the right scale for both suits and sport coats.
The other fabric is a unique linen and silk blend. It’s partly inspired by the image of Taka from Liverano & Liverano above. Raw silks like that one are terribly hard to find, particularly if you don’t have access to vintage fabric vaults, so I decided to just put together something similar. This linen/ silk fabric is woven in the north of England and mimics the same texture, but is a bit more breathable than a pure silk jacketing. The weave is also sturdy enough for either sport coats or suits. With the variegated color and slubby texture, you can think of this as your summer tweed.
In the above two photos, you can see the swatches together. The second has been brightened up some, so the color isn’t exactly accurate, but it gives you a better idea of the weave. The first is more reliable in terms of color. The brown linen/ silk fabric is actually somewhat close to the color of this Formosa jacket, but it has a lot more texture.
As for the details:
- Navy Houndstooth Fresco: 100% wool. 10/ 11 ounces. Price is $75/ meter.
- Summer Tweed: 60% linen, 40% silk. 9/ 10 ounces, although it feels more like 10/ 11. Price is $70/ meter.
Shipping for either will cost $47, unless you’re located in Europe. Unfortunately, I can’t combine shipping if you buy both, as these lengths will be coming to you from different places. And as usual, you should ask your tailor how much cloth you need, but 1.5 meters is usually recommended for pants, 2.5 for a jacket, and 3.5 for a suit. I’d add a little extra cloth in there just in case (so, say 4 meters for a suit). As a general rule, you never want to leave your tailor with too little room for error.
If you’re interested, drop me an email. The cut off date for ordering will be at the end of this month. Since these are custom runs, once they’re put through and delivered, they will no longer be available.
(Pictured below: some jackets that approximate what these fabrics will look like when made up. For a more accurate representation of the textures and colors, see the images above. Note the very last image is of a linen jacket – Fresco will wrinkle much less).
