[rockstar57]

Seems that some 3k designer suits such as giorgio Armani and E. Zegna still use semi canvas, I guess half canvas is not a big deal?

 

[rockstar57]

Sorry, I didn't watch the video, but the notion that full canvas construction is either necessarily heavy, or prone to wrinkle is false, and self-serving. Depending upon the particular canvas and padding used, a full canvas jacket can be quite light, and not at all prone to wrinkling.

What this discussion ignores is the quality of the build, irrespective of the method. It's possible to make a good fully fused jacket, and a lousy full canvas jacket. And a half-canvas can also be one or the other, and have differing properties depending upon the materials used and how well that method is applied.

Frankly, I have a half-canvassed blazer that is both light and supple, and with which I'm very pleased. Bought it from O'Connell's quite a bit ago. Would I have been better pleased with Samuelsohn? I can't say either that I would or wouldn't be. I did once have Paul Stuart do a special order of a Sammy for me, and Sammy screwed up the shoulder padding. They're not magic either.

I think you could be well pleased with either maker, all things being equal a lot more work goes into the Sammy, and the prices reflect this. Will you like it better for this reason? Can't say.

But I can say with absolute certainty that the retailer from which you make the MTM purchase is critical! Their level of knowledge and experience with doing business with the particular MTM program is far more likely to determine whether your purchase is a home run, or a disaster than which one you select.

Good point, sir. I got my first mtm suit which happened to be a Samuelsohn from Harry Rosen last January, and the salesman did a really crappy job in my measurement and I had to go back and forth 3 times to alter the suit, but eventually it still doesn't fit me like a glove. That's why I'm considering Coppley from a boutique because the measurement is taken by their master tailor.

 

[rockstar57]

Giorgio Armani has many different lines so it's really not fair to say Armani and be done with it. The Armani with a black label, it will simply say Giorgio Armani, are well made garments and to my knowledge made to pretty high standards. One can argue value but it's quality stuff.

Likely with Zegna. If you're talking about Ermenegildo Zegna tailored clothing, the jackets are fully canvassed. There's Z Zegna which is a diffusion line of which I cannot speak.

I believe all Giorgio Armani suits are semi-canvassed while some E Zegna suits are indeed half-canvassed,

 

[rockstar57]

Full canvas is better. There is less stiffness in a full canvas coat without it being sloppy. I find that fully fused or 1/2 canvas tend to be stiff (like armor) and give a stiff appearance. The softer appearance of the full canvas is more elegant.

Yes, there are full canvas coats which are inferior. I agree that superior workmanship and fit in a fully fused coat is superior to an ill-fitting and poorly made canvas one.

A telling anecdote. A Savile Row tailor that I used to frequent had grown by acquiring and merging with other tailors who were retiring. Most of these acquired firms were celebrated. One such tailor was the Duke of Windsor's last tailor. That tailor fused his coats. My tailor, the one acquiring and merging the businesses, told me that he was phasing-out the fusing upon acquiring that other firm. My tailor felt that a hand made Savile Row suit should be hand made and not be fused. The full canvas front was a higher level of make. Hence, he discontinued the fusing except for a few hold-out customers who demanded it.

But what about half canvas vs full canvas? Nowadays it's more likely to be 2/3 canvas even though they are still called half-canvas.

 

[rockstar57]

In terms of endurance, I know some full canvas suit can last up to 1 or 2 generations, but how long does half-canvassed suit last?