Mens Wool Suits
Now that the green era is upon us and everyone is talking about sustainability wool suits should become even more popular. Wool is definitely a renewable resource and can be used without killing the sheep. They simply get a haircut and that's it. Wouldn't it be nice to make a living by simply getting a haircut a couple of times a year?
Wool Suits are Classy
Wool suits simply look better than other fabrics. They portray a look that is professional. The reason is that wool drapes better than most fabrics. Wool is also very durable. A nice wool suit can last a lifetime for someone that takes great care of it.
Suit Fabric Options
You can purchase a suit out of linen, silk, polyester, wool, and various blends. Linen is basically a cotton fabric that is lightweight. It looks good for a time, but wrinkles very easily. In fact, linen suits are often very wrinkled before the end of the day. They wrinkle extremely easily. Linen suits are often not very expensive at all. They may cost only a fraction of a good wool suit. On other hand, the wool suit can last forever and the linen suit will be lucky to make it a year.
Silk suits are also a good option. They are a fabric that is good for warmer climates. Silk will drape well and look great. The largest downside to silk is that it is not very durable and it is very expensive. Silk suits are so expensive that you may never actually see a person I one unless you go to Hong Kong or Singapore and buy one for yourself.
Suit blends are also very popular. You can get polyester wool blends in many different compositions. Polyester drapes well and is easy to clean and doesn't wrinkle much. Still, there is a difference in the texture of the fabric and a 100% wool suit will feel nicer.
If you are on a budget, then a wool polyester suit blend is probably the best option. For an even cheaper option, you can get a 100% polyester suit. However, it is certainly not recommended. Full polyester suits look very heavy and a get very shiny in places and it look a little funny when the shiny spots appear.
Types of Wool Suits
Tweed
Tweed wool suits are usually what the old timers wear. Tweed is not the best looking of all the wool styles. The good point about tweed is that it is very durable. Tweed will last forever. The other great thing about tweed is that it can have subtle color variations (speckles and such) that make it look great. Tweed is a little less formal than other wools and can look great at a party of worn at church. Tweed has great versatility.
Herringbone
Herringbone is a pattern that looks lie a zig zag or a sawtooth or a v shape. You may have seen herringbone in some high end catalogs. The herringbone pattern is considered very classy. It is like a simple pinstripe look with a little more personality. Herringbone is named after the herringbone fish because the pattern resembles the fish bones.
Gabardine
Gabardine is a very tight knit wool. The fabric is very soft, durable and drapes well. It is one of the most popular choices of fabric for business attire. Gabardine is actually a tweed, but it is so tightly knit that you can't tell.
Donegal Wool
Donegal wool is produced in Ireland in a small factory of about twenty people. The company has been around a very long time. The fabric is legendary. Donegal wool has thick chunks of color all throughout the wool. It is a very distinct look. Donegal wool is considered to be a tweed.
Merino Wool
Most people consider merino wool to be the best in the world. Merino sheep are only raised in New Zealand and Australia. The wool is very fine and is known for one very important quality. The wool doesn't ever itch. In fact, some people call merino wool the cashmere of wool. Nowadays, merino wool is known to be a great insulator for underwear and is also used to make shirts. Now, if you can wear wool underwear without itching you know the wool must truly be soft.
Houndstooth Check
Houndstooth check is a pattern used in fine wools. The pattern originated in Scotland and is now used for lots of various materials. The company David Jones (of Australia) used a black and white houndstooth check pattern for its company logo. The trademark has been considered to be one of Australias best.
Black and white wool spun together,in the pattern of houndstooth check, is striking.
Tartan
Tartan, like many patterns, started out in Scotland being spun in wool. The common term for tartan today is plaid. It will be a rare moment when you purchase a plaid suit. They do exist, but are rare find and even rarer to be worn. When you see a Scottish quilt in plaid, you can remember that the scottish invented plaid.
Woolen and Worsted Wool
When looking at mens wool suits, you may see the terms woolen and worsted. Wool suits are always made of worsted wool. Worsted wool is wool that has taken the longest fibers and put them together in a parallel way. The reason that worsted wool drapes so well and is so wrinkle resistant is due to the long parallel fibers.
A shiny worsted wool suit will be more durable than a dull worsted wool suit. A more dull worsted wool suit will get shiny in spots that are worn.
Woolen wool is softer to the touch and thicker. It may have a large nap or a small nap. The point of woolen fabrics is to keep you warm. Winter hats and winter sweaters are good examples of woolen wool.
Wool Fabric Ratings
Wool is rated according to the super system. The word super doesn't really mean anything. Maybe the wool producers just thought it sounded good. The ratings are super 100, super 110, super 120, and super 150. The ratings are similar to thread count. The finer the wool threads, the lighter and tighter and softer will be the wool fabric. The wool is put under a microscope and measured in microns to get the rating. The range from low to high is 15-18 microns (super 100-super 150). If you want to make sure that you are getting a quality fabric suit, than check the super rating.
Wool Suit Considerations
If you are in a totally hot climate, a wool suit may not be the best option. Wool suits are best for colder climates because they are so warm. There are very lightweight wools that work great, but what if the weather is always over 100 degrees and you are outside a lot. You need to consider the environment you are in.
A lot of people like a wool suit for the winter and something lighter in the summer. It makes sense to have more than one type of suit. Another popular strategy is to just leave the suit coat at home in the summer and wear the suit coat in the winter.
We hope this mens wool suit information has been useful to you.
| |
