About tweed suits...

[Dirk Wainscotting]

RTW = ready to wear (or 'ready made' as it used to be called).

I suggested Cad & Dandy because they are one of the non SR tailors who might be able to knock out a coat about the same price as you find in the dearer RTW brands or some independent clothiers.

Of course there's no law that says you can't just buy a good ready-made and have it altered to fit. The majority of people do and it's fine. Have a look at the coats on places like Savvy Row (some nice hacking jackets crop up on there) or other people (here on FL too) who sell good old tweed jackets; at 2nd-hand vintage shops in your area too.

Personally I find a lot of the new RTW 'tweed' coats a bit flimsy and with poor finishing. Not surprising since they are almost exclusively not made in Europe or America any "first-world" country and not 'hand tailored' in any way, despite what the mendacious label may claim.

 

[Benproof]

What do you think of the Austin Reed & Nigel Cabourn tweeds? They seem to pop up now and then. I saw a few and they look like they are made in England. Some of the 'mall' tweeds by St Michael (UK) and Mervyns (USA) are really nice although I get the impression that the most incredible ones are the vintage era ones (maybe Ivy League? Cambridge Classics?)

Sizing with normal off the rack is hell lol. Buying off the internet, I think I prefer the feeling of things before the actual disappointment arrives : / I'm not very keen on the snobbish attitudes of Cad & Dandy. They might not mean to be that way, but I find them quite underwhelming. Maybe if they had a really stunning tweed which stood out.

There must be some other British tweed manufacturers still out there!

 

[Dirk Wainscotting]

There must be some other British tweed manufacturers still out there!

Do you mean of tweed cloth or clothes made from it? There are loads of companies that sell 'tweed' jackets of varying quality. Cordings, for example, right down to H&M and even Primark! I looked at Austin Reed's website and I think they have a smaller range of cloths than Cad & Dandy, though the two sources are not really comparable. I'm puzzled as to why you find them snobbish; they make 'bespoke' suits for just over a grand, which is a fair deal it seems to me.

I'm a tweed purist really. I don't like very lightweight 'tweed-like' affairs. I like it to be more solid and preferably actual tweed, rather than any woollen (or wool-mix) cloth woven to resemble it. Also the modern RTW coats tend to have lapels that are way too narrow.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Tweed, Denim, Gabardine, warming flannel and so on...

It's all basically just "twill-weave" on english language.

 

[Mathematicus]

There must be some other British tweed manufacturers still out there!

Not sure if they have an actual shop somewhere, but I've heard positive reviews of Booksters. I'm a lover of heavier fabrics too and some of the samples in their website are quite appealing. Years ago they offered only made to order items, but now they seem able to alter patterns much more, since they offer a full made to measure service.

 

[Benproof]

Do you mean of tweed cloth or clothes made from it? There are loads of companies that sell 'tweed' jackets of varying quality. Cordings, for example, right down to H&M and even Primark! I looked at Austin Reed's website and I think they have a smaller range of cloths than Cad & Dandy, though the two sources are not really comparable. I'm puzzled as to why you find them snobbish; they make 'bespoke' suits for just over a grand, which is a fair deal it seems to me.

I'm a tweed purist really. I don't like very lightweight 'tweed-like' affairs. I like it to be more solid and preferably actual tweed, rather than any woollen (or wool-mix) cloth woven to resemble it. Also the modern RTW coats tend to have lapels that are way too narrow.

Tweed cloth ... tailored in the UK; horn buttons - all UK.

'Made in Turkey'..'Made in Egypt' ... 'Made in the Republic of Aunty D.M. Ochre-Sea' destination labels for which English label companies outsource to.

I've never been to Primark or H&M. They have a kind of crowded mass appeal that makes me think there's nothing interestingly original or period faithful about their clothing.

Austin Reed were famous suppliers of British Ministry of Defence clothing during the 20th Century war era. I think their current marketing is probably a shadow of the calibre which it was.

It's not the prices that make Cad & Dandy snobbish. Far from it - theirs are very reasonable. It's their attitude towards bikers, but that was just my own experience. They seem to struggle if someone doesn't fit their own narrow idea of what their clientele should look like or travel like. I'm sure they probably need to realise that in a large city, many people chose to travel by motorcycle rather than four wheel cages. Minor point anyway.

I like heavier tweeds too. My tweed cap is great in winter. It's amazing how much heat it reflects back and makes it possible to dress without excessive winter layering. Heading towards a Harris tweed although a refined Donegal Tweed wouldn't go amiss if I can find one which doesn't feel too coarse.

 

[Benproof]

Tweed, Denim, Gabardine, warming flannel and so on...

It's all basically just "twill-weave" on english language.

Errr.... polyester can also be twill woven!

 

[Benproof]

Not sure if they have an actual shop somewhere, but I've heard positive reviews of Booksters. I'm a lover of heavier fabrics too and some of the samples in their website are quite appealing. Years ago they offered only made to order items, but now they seem able to alter patterns much more, since they offer a full made to measure service.

Thank you!


What a fascinating array of fabrics! Charcoal herringbone?! Incredible. So hard to find anywhere...all I can see is that ubiquitous mid-grey stuff.

http://www.tweed-jacket.com/CLOTH PAGE/images2/pages/M CHARCOAL HERRINGBONE TWEED_jpg.htm

 

[Trenchfriend]

Errr.... polyester can also be twill woven!

What's the point? Polyestre is just a fibre.

 

[Benproof]

I don't know.... this is about tweed!

Tweed is just a fibre too. But I don't understand how equating tweed, gabardine as twill fibres to help make a decision about which tweed!

 

[Trenchfriend]

I don't know.... this is about tweed!

Tweed is just a fibre too. But I don't understand how equating tweed, gabardine as twill fibres to help make a decision about which tweed!

Tweed is just an areal name for twill-weaved fabric, equally, if cotton-fibre, wool-fibre or mixed-fibre.

Please, don't forget, that the fabric is generally known as "twill", worldwide. Be fair.

But, I ever would not want to substitute my S.Oliver-tweedcoat from Bulgaria.

 

[Dirk Wainscotting]

Tweed is just an areal name for twill-weaved fabric, equally, if cotton-fibre, wool-fibre or mixed-fibre.

Please, don't forget, that the fabric is generally known as "twill", worldwide. Be fair.

No it isn't. There's a difference between simply any twill woven cloth and tweed. The name Tweed may have started life as a misreading of the word 'twill' or 'tweel' in Scotland (whatever the etymology), but it is always a wool cloth, woven as a 'woollen'. There are worsted cloths that are twilled and they are certainly not tweed, it is NEVER cotton.

Twill and tweed are not the same thing.

 

[Wolf99]

There must be some other British tweed manufacturers still out there!

Walker Slater? I've not used them but heard good things.

 

[Benproof]

Thanks - I already been there.

They didn't have any of the nicer fabrics which I'm after. Too many windowpane checks and way too many browns. Not enough charcoals and dark greys. Some nice herringbones in the Martin style:

http://www.walkerslater.com/martin-jacket-brown-fine-herringbone-lambswool

 

[Benproof]

Here is their waistcoat version in the same style.

I feel like they've built it all wrong.

http://www.walkerslater.com/martin-waistcoat-brown-fine-herringbone-lambswool

No 4 front pockets. Only 4 buttons. High front but not collared. Split back instead of full back.

And just look at that eyesore of a colour of a back

It's not really period authentic enough for my taste. I might be wrong but it just looks like a modern suit made in traditional Scottish tweed wool. At least it is made here though not one that I would want made for me...

 

[Benproof]

This was the killer:

http://www.walkerslater.com/martin-trousers-brown-fine-herringbone-tweed

You can see that they built the trousers completely antithetical to traditional trousers.

No cinch belt sides. No buttons for suspenders. Which is fine, if like most people, a belt is preferred over braces. Don't get me started on 'half-lined' trousers. These drive me crazy, the number of times my toe catches and shreds the linings. Full lining, or none at all please.

But then look at the waistcoat: it doesn't even cover the belt on the front, nor the back.

It just seems really sloppy (?) to put together a suit like this. I think I could do better wearing a smock.

 

[Dirk Wainscotting]

Here is their waistcoat version in the same style.

I feel like they've built it all wrong.

http://www.walkerslater.com/martin-waistcoat-brown-fine-herringbone-lambswool

No 4 front pockets. Only 4 buttons. High front but not collared. Split back instead of full back.

And just look at that eyesore of a colour of a back

It's not really period authentic enough for my taste. I might be wrong but it just looks like a modern suit made in traditional Scottish tweed wool. At least it is made here though not one that I would want made for me...

It's not particularly wrong for the waistcoat to have a high opening and no collar. A no-collar waistcoat is standard. It also has 5 buttons, but the last one is unbuttoned. The back probably reflects the lining used in the coat and I'm sure they'd put in the lining the customer requires. A split back (the centre 'v' I assume) is not uncommon either; it turns up on waistcoats from the victorian period onward.

Remember this example on their website is just a model and it reflects current trends, since they hope to attract a modern customer base. I didn't even know about Walker-Slater, but as a tailoring outfit they should be able to make more-or-less anything the customer wants.

Windowpane overchecks, houndstooths and club checks in browns/greens etc are at the heart of tweed style. The more city tweed colours of blues and greys are more nondescript, but good for city wear. As far as I can tell there are far more grey and blues for sale in the major outlets. Guy Hills of Dashing Tweeds, a cloth designer based on Savile Row, produces specialist urban tweeds, but the price reflects the address and the short-run production.

 

[esteban68]

Pakeman Catto & Carter do some nice off the rail (RTW) stuff of very good quality and not too high a price.
Re Primark they did actually have a half way decent fifties style atomic fleck sports coat on sale last year, patch pockets etc...it was actually quite nice though lightweight and most probably wool mix.

 

[Mathematicus]

But then look at the waistcoat: it doesn't even cover the belt on the front, nor the back.

It just seems really sloppy (?) to put together a suit like this. I think I could do better wearing a smock.

I agree it's quite sloopy-looking, but I wouldn't blame entirely the waistcoat. The trousers are too low-waisted and are clearly not cut to be worn with a waistcoat. Sides and back would be still too low even with a longer waistcoat.

 

[Benproof]

Pakeman Catto & Carter do some nice off the rail (RTW) stuff of very good quality and not too high a price.

Thanks -

http://www.pakeman.co.uk/category/120/Tweed_Suits

they've fixed every single problem I've listed above with the waistcoats having collars and four pockets; the trousers having cinch belts.

Looks like a fabulous Welsh tailoring shop and there are plenty of first rate sheep in Wales