The fabrics of the house
Fabrics for bespoke suits: ranges, cloth houses, seasons
Thirteen thousand cloths in four ranges, from fine everyday wools to rare pieces, woven by the houses that have shaped the history of cloth. I show them to you swatch book in hand, by daylight, and together we choose the one that will see you through the years.
01 · Fabrics
What are the four ranges of cloth?
The house's 13,000 cloths fall into four ranges, from a fine wool for every day to the rarest piece. Each suit collection opens one or more of them: the detail is set out in the pyramid of collections for the luxury bespoke suit in Paris.
Découverte
The house's fine wools, to begin with. Sturdy, crisp worsteds in the colours on which a wardrobe is founded: navy, grey and charcoal. They dress the Découverte collection.
Maison
The great Italian and English houses: their seasonal collections, their flannels, their stripes, their checks. The range of the Mesure collection.
Privilège
Super 130s to 150s, cashmeres, silks and their blends. Finer, softer cloths, for pieces meant to be felt as much as seen. They become available with the Premium collection.
Signature
The rare pieces: Super 180s and beyond, pure cashmere, vicuña. Lengths that are sometimes limited, shown at the salon and reserved, together with the Privilège range, for full bespoke in the Sartoriale collection.
02 · Fabrics
Which cloth houses do we work with?
With those whose name is woven into the selvedge, the very edge of the cloth: you will see it on the cloth of your suit.
- Loro Pianathe finest wools, cashmere and vicuña, with a touch you recognise at once.
- Ermenegildo Zegnafine, even wools, and seasonal collections of remarkable consistency.
- Vitale Barberis Canonicoone of the oldest cloth houses, with worsteds for every day of the week.
- Holland & SherryEnglish cloth, from flannels to formalwear.
- Dormeuila French house, and cloths of character.
- Dragofine wools in high Super numbers, with a fluid drape.
- Redalight, crisp worsteds.
- Piacenzacashmere and blends of noble fibres.
- Thomas Masonthe cotton shirtings of the luxury bespoke shirt.
The other houses await you at the salon, swatch book by swatch book.
03 · Fabrics
And on the inside: which linings?
Linings in Bemberg or in silk. Bemberg, a cupro fibre that breathes like silk and glides over the shirt, for everyday comfort; silk, for softness and lustre. Plain, in the tone of the cloth, for restraint; or printed, for a flash that shows only when the jacket opens.
04 · Fabrics
Which cloth for which season?
The weight of a cloth is measured in grams per linear metre (g/m). It decides the season far more than colour does.
Summer
230 to 260 g/m: fresco, wool and mohair, linen, blends of wool, silk and linen. Open weaves that let the air through and keep their line in the heat.
Mid-season
260 to 300 g/m: worsted twill, end-on-end, caviar. The weight of the suit you wear ten months of the year.
Winter
300 to 380 g/m and beyond: flannel, tweed, cheviot, cashmere. For the overcoat, see the bespoke cashmere coat, where cloths often exceed 450 g/m.
05 · Fabrics
A short glossary of cloth
Super numbers
They indicate the fineness of the wool fibre, in microns. A Super 100s measures 18.75 microns at most; each step of ten takes off half a micron: 17.75 for a Super 120s, 16.25 for a Super 150s.
Flannel
Wool woven, then milled and lightly brushed, which gives it a downy surface, a soft hand and a supple drape. The cloth of autumn and winter above all others.
Fresco
A worsted of high-twist yarns, woven in an open plain weave. It breathes, resists creasing and stays crisp in hot weather.
Mohair
The hair of the Angora goat. Blended with wool, it brings spring, a slight sheen and coolness.
Cashmere
The down of the cashmere goat, exceptionally fine. Warm and very soft, it is worn pure or blended with wool.
Vicuña
The finest of all woven animal fibres, from a camelid of the Andes. Rare, with a softness you would know with your eyes closed, it is reserved for the Sartoriale collection.
Herringbone
A twill whose diagonal reverses at regular intervals, forming a row of reclining Vs. It catches the light, even in a solid colour.
Prince of Wales check
A check formed by alternating small patterns, often houndstooth and fine stripes, in both warp and weft. Descended from the Scottish Glen Urquhart check, it belongs to the daytime, like the chalk stripe.
Houndstooth
Small broken checks, obtained in twill by a regular alternation of light and dark yarns. Rather sporting, it suits a jacket well.
Caviar
A scattering of minute dots, so close that, as soon as you step back, they melt into a single nuanced colour. A solid that gains in depth the closer you come.
To go further, read our note on cloths and weaves and the story of the house. A cloth is chosen swatch book in hand: book a private consultation.
Frequently asked questions
What we are asked
Which fabric should I choose for a first bespoke suit?
For a first suit, a worsted wool of 260 to 300 g/m, in navy or mid grey, can be worn ten months of the year. A Super 110s or 120s strikes a fine balance between hold and softness. The Découverte range brings these wools together; we help you choose during your consultation, according to how you spend your days.
What does Super 130s mean on a cloth?
Super 130s means that the wool is made of fibres with an average diameter of no more than 17.25 microns. The higher the number, the finer the fibre: 16.25 microns for a Super 150s, 14.75 for a Super 180s. The cloth gains in softness and drape, but asks for more care, and more rest between wearings.
Which fabric for a summer suit?
For summer, choose a light, open cloth: a fresco, a wool and mohair blend, a linen, or a blend of wool, silk and linen, at around 230 to 260 g/m. These cloths let the air through. Linen creases quickly; that is its character. Fresco and mohair recover their shape after a night on a hanger.
Can I see the fabrics before coming to the atelier?
In part: the trial configurator on this site shows a few cloths on a model, and your private salon then opens every cloth in your range. But a cloth is judged by touch and by daylight. At the atelier, you handle the swatch books; on a video call, we present them to you and can have samples sent to you.