11oz
Charcoal Herringbone
Glenrothie Mill, Selkirk
The safest cloth in the book and the one we recommend for a first commission. Reads solid at three paces, textured at one.
- Composition
- 100% worsted wool
- Season
- Three seasons
The Cloth Book
Weight first, colour second
Most clients arrive with a colour in mind and leave having changed it. Weight is the decision that determines whether a suit is worn — an 11oz cloth is comfortable in a heated office in February and in a taxi in June, and a 9oz Fresco will outlast three summer suits in lighter worsted.
12oz
Navy Chalk Stripe
Glenrothie Mill, Selkirk
A soft-edged chalk line at 22mm spacing. Stripes must be matched across the pocket and the shoulder seam, which adds four hours to the make.
- Composition
- 100% worsted wool
- Season
- Autumn to spring
11.5oz
Slate Birdseye
Ravenshaw & Daughters, Huddersfield
A fine white pindot on slate. Hides creasing better than any plain weave we stock and takes a press beautifully.
- Composition
- 100% worsted wool
- Season
- Three seasons
9.5oz
Stone Fresco
Pellandro, Biella
Open, wiry and almost porous — you can hold it to the light and see through it. Wears far cooler than the weight suggests.
- Composition
- High-twist wool
- Season
- High summer
10oz
Ink Wool-Mohair
Pellandro, Biella
A dry hand with a faint sheen under lamplight. Springs back out of a chair, which is why it goes into so many evening commissions.
- Composition
- 78% wool, 22% kid mohair
- Season
- Summer, evening
12oz
House Midnight Barathea
Woven to our specification
Our own cloth, rewoven every second year. Deeper than black in a lit room and it never photographs grey.
- Composition
- 100% worsted wool
- Season
- Evening, year round
14oz
Mid-Grey Flannel
Bramwell & Sons, Stroud
Milled soft and brushed. The cloth that makes a plain grey suit interesting. Bruises if pressed hot, so we finish it under a damp cloth.
- Composition
- 100% woollen-spun wool
- Season
- Autumn to spring
24oz
Moss Donegal
Kilbarron Weavers, Co. Donegal
Handwoven, with rust, ochre and oxblood flecks thrown through the ground. No two lengths are alike; we keep the batch number in your file.
- Composition
- 100% wool, undyed flecks
- Season
- Deep winter
22oz
Fawn Covert
Ravenshaw & Daughters, Huddersfield
A dense steep twill built for weather. Traditionally finished with four rows of stitching at the cuff and hem, and we still do it.
- Composition
- 100% worsted wool
- Season
- Deep winter
13oz
Olive Glen Check
Glenrothie Mill, Selkirk
A large check on an olive ground with a faint amber overcheck. For odd jackets only — a full suit in this is a costume.
- Composition
- 100% wool
- Season
- Autumn to spring
A note on stripes and checks
A patterned cloth has to be matched across every seam — pocket to body, sleeve to shoulder, trouser leg to trouser leg. That adds four to six hours to the make and about 0.4 metres to the cloth we strike, which is reflected in the price. It is worth it. An unmatched stripe is the fastest way to spot a suit that was made carelessly.
Cloth you already own
We will happily cut a length you bring us — an inherited piece, or something found on a trip. Bring it to the consultation so we can check the width and whether it has been stored well. We need 3.6 metres for a jacket and 5.2 for a two-piece, and we will tell you honestly if there is not enough.
Bring it to a fitting