How much cloth is required to make a suit?

[Tenorclef]

Apologies if this has already been asked and i know its probably asking how long is a piece of string.

I'm considering buying the cloth to have a suit made. Interested in a Harris Tweed Nut Brown Herringbone cloth but still unsure if I'm wanting a 2 or 3 piece suit or SB or vintage style DB.

If it helps i'm a 46s jacket and 40" waist.

Thanks,

TC

 

[avedwards]

At a very rough guess based on something I read somewhere (probably on here) I'd say about four yards, depending on how material consuming the style you choose is. I'm sure one of the tailors on here can give you a more exact answer.

 

[Tenorclef]

Thanks avedwards, however most places seem to sell the fabric in metres in either single or double widths which is another mystery now to solve(?)

I'm steering toward this colour or something similar like nut brown. However definitely prefer a dark brown colour.

this one is quite nice too but not as complex as the first example-

 

[avedwards]

I'm not sure how to convert yards in standardised widths (no idea what that would be) to metres in single or double widths I'm afraid.

I particularly like the second sample (more so having seen how good it looked on Mario's '50s suit) but I have spent my suit budget for several years, plus I still need a black chalkstripe three piece and a "North by Northwest" style suit before I'll invest in a tweed suit.

 

[Oldsarge]

First I'm going to get rid of 4-6" off my spare tire! Then, I'll be saving up for a bespoke three piece Country suit in something greenish brown like Bookster's Glade. It comes in at 340 gr. the meter which is light enough to be a three season suit here in SoCal but isn't a true tweed weave. All of them are too heavy for our mild climate. And so I'm all ears, too, when someone comes up with a definitive answer. Maybe I ought to PM Andy on askandyaboutclothes.com. If anyone around knows, he will.

 

[avedwards]

Hopefully Matt Deckard, Indy Magnoli, Marthi Mathis, Tailor Tom or when of the other tailors on here can give a definitive answer which applies to vintage suits as I'd imagine a modern SB 2 piece with low rise trousers uses siginificantly less than a vintage style 3 piece or DB (or even a cloth wasteful but supremely elegant 3 piece DB).

 

[Tomasso]

2 or 3 piece suit or SB or vintage style DB.

If it helps i'm a 46s jacket and 40" waist.

For the cloth you've chosen I would guesstimate 4 yards, in the hands of a proficient cutter. But it would be best to ask the tailor that you intend to use. Some could get it done with a bit less while some would need a bit more.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Wherever you buy your fabric should tell you how wide it is. This is an important consideration. If it's quite narrow, more metres (1 yard = 0.9 or so metres) of fabric will be required …

 

[Tomasso]

True, my quote is based on 60” goods.

 

[Tenorclef]

Well looks like I'm answering my own query here but I rang up Harris Tweed & Knitwear today and asked for some Herringbone samples to be posted and they said i would require no more than 4 metres at double width (they actually said 3.5m for a two piece and the tailor I have in mind to do the work seemed to think 3m would be enough for a 2 piece). At £25 per metre this doesn't seem to bad at all. Probably enough fabric left for a waist coat too.

 

[Tomasso]

At £25 per metre this doesn't seem to bad at all.

It's not the cloth that costs...

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

we could collect questions like this in a sticky maybe.

how to prepare for a mtm or bespoke suit order. ...or something like that. would be helpful.

 

[Edward]

Well looks like I'm answering my own query here but I rang up Harris Tweed & Knitwear today and asked for some Herringbone samples to be posted and they said i would require no more than 4 metres at double width (they actually said 3.5m for a two piece and the tailor I have in mind to do the work seemed to think 3m would be enough for a 2 piece). At £25 per metre this doesn't seem to bad at all. Probably enough fabric left for a waist coat too.

Where are you buying your fabric from?

On the matter of 2pc v 3pc, unless there is a very significant upcharge for the waistcoat, I would suggest always go for the three. Nothing beats a well matched three-piece. Even with a DB jacket (I often remove my jacket in the office, and it would be nice to have the option of a waistcoat in the colder months, also pockets on a DB are handy for pens, phones, whatever other bits you like having close to hand rather than hanging in your jacket at the other end of the room). Of course, you don't have to wear the waistcoat, so it gives you flexibility. The other argument in favour of a three piece at time of purchase is that otherwise it is next to impossible to match fabric from a different bolt should you decide you want one later on.

 

[avedwards]

On the matter of 2pc v 3pc, unless there is a very significant upcharge for the waistcoat, I would suggest always go for the three. Nothing beats a well matched three-piece. Even with a DB jacket (I often remove my jacket in the office, and it would be nice to have the option of a waistcoat in the colder months, also pockets on a DB are handy for pens, phones, whatever other bits you like having close to hand rather than hanging in your jacket at the other end of the room). Of course, you don't have to wear the waistcoat, so it gives you flexibility. The other argument in favour of a three piece at time of purchase is that otherwise it is next to impossible to match fabric from a different bolt should you decide you want one later on.

:arated:
I am currently trying to convert my suit wardrobe so that all my SB suits are three piece suits. If you're going to have a suit made up you might as well go the extra mile and make it a three piece. The waistcoat should be only a fraction of the price of the suit (the MTM I'm collecting next week charged £525 for the suit and an extra £100 for the waistcoat).

 

[Oldsarge]

Andy agrees. Call it 4 meters to provide lots of wiggle room.

And I agree that getting the three piece to start with is always the best policy. As Edward said, you don't have to wear the waistcoat if it's too warm but trying to add one later is a real challenge. Even if you can get the same 'official' color from one season to the next dye lots vary. Your best bet would be to forget trying to match the cloth and go for an odd vest in some appropriate color, say maroon with a dark blue or forest green with a grey. And naturally if you have some genuine buckskin it looks great under tweed.

 

[Tenorclef]

Where are you buying your fabric from?

Hi Edward, I thought I mentioned that already however its from the http://harristweedandknitwear.co.uk/

 

[Tenorclef]

Ok very excited 4m of cloth ordered today and genuine leather buttons too. 3 for each arm and 3 for the front. Decided on HB24 as the colours are far more vibrant and complex than you can really see from a PC screen.

 

[Oldsarge]

Wow, that's some stout material. But you live in N. Yorkshire where I imagine it gets plenty chill in the winter. Out in my neck of the woods, a 340 gr. tweed pattern worsted is about as heavy as I can wear unless I want to restrict my tweed to December. Sometimes I might get a couple of weeks more in January but usually three-season cloth is 340-360 gr. Lovely stuff, that.

 

[Tenorclef]

Wow, that's some stout material. But you live in N. Yorkshire where I imagine it gets plenty chill in the winter. Out in my neck of the woods, a 340 gr. tweed pattern worsted is about as heavy as I can wear unless I want to restrict my tweed to December. Sometimes I might get a couple of weeks more in January but usually three-season cloth is 340-360 gr. Lovely stuff, that.

Thanks Oldsarge, I could not appreciate this fabric until i saw it up close and then it really comes to life. I'll post up progress reports from time to time and a few photos of the suit when its finished.

As a thought does any one have any ideas for the jacket lining colour? I'm thinking orange or something like a Supersax lining you find in Bladen jackets...

 

[Edward]

Hi Edward, I thought I mentioned that already however its from the http://harristweedandknitwear.co.uk/

Ah! Thanks, I'll check that out. As to lining colours, I think an orange would look great on that - If you're feeling flash, how about a bright orange similar to the lining of later USAF MA1s and the like? Alternatively, I think a gold satin would look nice too, or something that picks up on one of the dominant colour flecks in the cloth (such as a green). I'd avoid greys, silvers and blacks - I don't think they would look so good with a brown toned cloth.