derek guy Profile picture
Oct 16, 2024 15 tweets 7 min read Read on X
Fabric comes in different weights. In the menswear industry, this is measured in ounces or grams per square meter. American tailors tend to use ounces; Europeans and Asian tailors tend to use grams. Here we see swatches from Draper's Ascot book ranging from 8oz to 12oz. Image
In men's tailoring, 12-14oz is considered midweight. Anything less than 12 oz is lightweight; anything above 14oz is heavyweight. Once you get above 18oz, this is considered "coating" weight, which is to say it's typically used for overcoats. Image
If you live in a very hot, humid climate, then you might want to wear lighter weight fabrics, especially in open weaves, as they will wear cooler. Here's a suit made from a Harrisons of Edinburgh cloth (from their Indigo book). If I remember correctly, this is an 8oz fabric. Image
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Conversely, here's a pair of grey flannel trousers made from what I believe is a 16oz cloth and a wrap coat made from a whooping 27oz cloth. You would melt if you wore this outfit in the summer, so it's strictly for cold days. Image
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Lots of things go into how a fabric hangs or keeps its shape: the fiber composition, the weave, the finishing, etc. However, one important dimension is the weight. Here are two pure linen suits. Right is 11oz; left is 17oz. Look at the difference in the wrinkles around the lap. Image
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Men in the past wore much heavier fabrics. It wasn't unusual for a summer suit to start around 13oz; winter suits to start around 16oz. This is partly why everything hung so well and looked so great. Look at the sharpness of these trousers. Image
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Over time, fabric has gotten lighter weight for a variety of reasons. First, the spread of central heating meant that people no longer had to wear heavy clothes indoors. Second, a combination of technology and animal breeding made lightweight cloth more accessible. Image
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The fashion industry also sold men on the idea that lighter, shinier, and silkier fabrics were more luxurious. "Oh la la, monsieur! Just feel that fabric. So silky and smooth and lightweight. You will always be so comfortable!" Image
There are two problems with lightweight fabrics. First, any mismatch between the tailoring and your body will show up in the form of ugly wrinkles and creases. Heavy fabrics hang better, so they're more forgiving. Check out how these heavy tweed trousers hang. Image
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Second, as mentioned earlier, lightweight fabrics will hold their winkles more readily than their heavier counterparts (all things equal). Trump buys many of his suits from Brioni, and luxury Italian brands like these often sell customers on the idea of "luxurious" wools. Image
If you get a lightweight fabric, you have to compensate in other ways. For instance, Ascot's 2-ply Ascot fabrics clock in at 8oz. But the yarn has been given an extra twist during the spinning process, which makes them naturally wrinkle resistant.
Everyone has to figure out which types of fabrics are right for them. Your internal furnace, sensitivity to heat, lifestyle, and climate all play a part. One person might sweat in 14oz fabrics; another person is totally fine in something as heavy as 18oz, even in the same area. Image
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But as a general rule of thumb, you should try to wear the heaviest fabrics you can bear. Trump favors lightweight, luxurious wools almost year round, and that's why his pants often look wrinkly. Image
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Sorry, this is switched. The suit on the left is made from an 11oz pure linen. The suit on the right is made from 17oz pure linen. You can see how the suit on the right is less wrinkly. This is due to the difference in fabric weight.

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More from @dieworkwear

Sep 15
I disagree that Obama wore "slick suits."

Let me tell you about Obama's tailoring. 🧵
I've seen people here suggest Obama was a stylish president. I couldn't disagree more. Outfits like these read better in 2025, but during the slim-fit, Euro style craze of his presidency, Obama was routinely panned for his "frumpy dad style." See Vanity Fair. Image
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His style transformation really came post-presidency. I suspect, but don't have proof, that this is partly the influence of his wife, who is quite stylish. Even his suits look better now. See clean shoulder line + shirt collar points reaching lapels + nice four-in-hand dimple. Image
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Read 16 tweets
Sep 9
Although it's rarely expressed in outright terms, people often use a very simple heuristic when solving fashion problems: they wish to look rich, which is often disguised as "respectable."

I will show you why this rarely leads to good outfits. 🧵 Image
In 1902, German sociologist Georg Simmel neatly summed up fashion in an essay titled "On Fashion." Fashion, he asserted was simply a game of imitation in which people copy their "social betters." This causes the upper classes to move on, so as to distinguish themselves. Image
He was right. And his theory explains why Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, was the most influential menswear figure in the early 20th century. By virtue of his position and taste, he popularized soft collars, belted trousers, cuffs, Fair Isle sweaters, and all sorts of things. Image
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Read 25 tweets
Sep 6
It's funny to see people imbue traditional men's tailoring with their own prejudices. They assume every man who wore a suit in the far past must be a staunch conservative like them. The truth is much more complicated. 🧵
This bias, of course, stems out of the 1960s and 70s, from which many of our contemporary politics also spring. I don't need to belabor this point because you already know it. The framing is neatly summed up in this Mad Men scene — the rag tag hippie vs man in a suit.
Thus, people assume that men in suits must always be part of the conservative establishment. But this was not always so. The suit was once a working man's garment. When Keir Hardie, founder of the Labour Party, arrived for his first day in Parliament, he wore a suit. Image
Read 17 tweets
Sep 6
Which of these two jackets do you prefer?

There's no "right" or "wrong" answer here, so feel free to go with your gut. I will then give you my views below. 🧵 Image
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In men's tailoring, the area below the jacket's buttoning point is colloquially known as the "quarters" among menswear enthusiasts. Or the "front edge" by actual tailors. These terms refer to the edge of the coat, connecting to lapels. Image
Some suit jackets have very closed quarters, such as you see on the left. In this way, the jacket forms a Y-shaped silhouette.

Other suits have open quarters, such that the front edge sweeps back on the hips, as you see on the right. This forms an X-shaped silhouette. Image
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Read 6 tweets
Aug 30
Here are ways to dress up in the summer if you wear menswear. 🧵
We will start with the most formal and work our way down, so that you can adjust things in ways that make sense for you.

The first and most obvious choice is to wear a soft-shouldered suit rendered in a material such as linen or seersucker. Seersucker can even be tonal (pic 4) Image
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However, when it comes to dressing for the heat, it's important to remember that the fabric's weight and weave are more important than fiber. A 10oz tropical wool — known for its open weave — will wear cooler than a densely woven 14 oz linen because it allows air to pass through Image
Read 23 tweets
Aug 26
I will tell you why I think the split-toe derby is the greatest dress shoe of all time. 🧵 Image
Let's first start with some terms. The term oxford refers to a footwear style where the facings have been sewn into the vamp. By contrast, the term derby refers to a style where the facings sit on top of the vamp.

On the left, we see an oxford. On the right, we see a derby. Image
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I believe that men wore tailored clothing best from the 1930s through '80s. If you share this premise, there are certain ideas about how an outfit should be put together, such as how oxfords look best with suits, while derbies go with suits or sport coats

Read 19 tweets

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