[Sir Kurokodairu]

Greetings All,

I saw two fabrics I like. Would you be so kind to help me identify them and provide your opinion to the questions?

1) 654030CP. Charcoal sharkskin?

2) 654049CP. Don't know what this is.

Up close:

• What fabric are the above two?
• All of these in the swatch book are 13 oz. Given the same weight, would certain weaves be warmer than others to a degree that can be felt? For example, a sharkskin/twill vs a plain weave. Or compare the above two fabrics.
• What is your opinion on each of these two in terms of formality, style, and level of appeal?

Thank you for your input.

 

[Sir Kurokodairu]

Realized they state what weave the fabric is on their website. The charcoal one is sharkskin and the midnight blue one is hopsack.

I'm getting this for subtropical Winter use, but I worry that the hopsack might be considerably cooler than other weaves of the same weight. Would this be the case? It is a "Winter collection" according to Holland & Sherry, however.

 

[Flanderian]

Realized they state what weave the fabric is on their website. The charcoal one is sharkskin and the midnight blue one is hopsack.

I'm getting this for subtropical Winter use, but I worry that the hopsack might be considerably cooler than other weaves of the same weight. Would this be the case? It is a "Winter collection" according to Holland & Sherry, however.

A quick check states that your average coldest winter low is 57F and the high 65F which isn't very chilly by my standards. Since both cloths are 13oz, they're mid weight, and I'd find them plenty warm enough for such weather, but marginally too warm for much of the rest of the year.

 

[CLTesquire]

Yeah I wouldn't worry about either of those being too cold.

The hopsack will breathe better than the sharkskin. It's probably a touch less formal just because of the texture but I wouldn't hesitate to wear either. My personal opinion on choice is that I like the hopsack for a blazer and the sharkskin for a suit. If you want an open for a suit, a Minnis fresco may be a better option.

 

[Flanderian]

Yeah I wouldn't worry about either of those being too cold.

The hopsack will breathe better than the sharkskin. It's probably a touch less formal just because of the texture but I wouldn't hesitate to wear either. My personal opinion on choice is that I like the hopsack for a blazer and the sharkskin for a suit. If you want an open for a suit, a Minnis fresco may be a better option.

I too always thought of hopsack as a less formal cloth as well, but have noted recently that during the classic era, it was used frequently as cloth for more formal suits, and still features prominently among the cloth offerings for suiting by finer mercers and mills.

 

[StephenRG]

I have a very similar navy hopsack for a blazer and it looks terrific.

 

[SG_67]

Provided the jacket is lined, I don’t think you’ll have any problems.

 

[winghus]

With no personal experience in hopsack trousers to draw on, I have to say it's been said often on other forums that hopsack does not hold a crease well. I would hesitate to have a suit made from a fabric that doesn't hold a crease well unless it was an extremely casual suit.

 

[Sir Kurokodairu]

Thanks for everyone's input. Very informative and helpful.

With no personal experience in hopsack trousers to draw on, I have to say it's been said often on other forums that hopsack does not hold a crease well. I would hesitate to have a suit made from a fabric that doesn't hold a crease well unless it was an extremely casual suit.

That has me a little concerned. I also noted that all articles I've read online regarding the hopsack weave are about Summer/Spring suiting, stating that its open weave is good for coolness. That makes me wonder:

1) Although assured by the gentlemen above that I won't be having an trouble with either the sharkskin or hopsack in 13 oz, I'm still uncertain whether the hopsack would be considerably cooler than another weave of the same weight, such as regular twill, sharkskin, birdseye, etc.

2) Since it seems like hopsack is usually discussed for Spring/Summer cool fabric based on what I read online, which I presume is in a more open/looser weave, I wonder if the general consensus you've read regarding it not holding a crease well applies to the more open/loosely-weaved lightweight hopsack also. So I wonder if the hopsack in this winter collection (H&S Classic Worsted), which I presume is more tightly-knitted, would suffer the same consequence of not holding a crease well.

 

[Dhaller]

Hopsack is my go-to for warm weather suiting (it makes a difference in, say, Bangkok). It's nice because it doesn't wrinkle too badly, even when you're "ironing" your clothes constantly by perspiring - a hallmark of the overheated expat is are crinkly trousers behind the knees. Hopsack dispels much of this.

That said, an irony of hopsack is that the same woven properties that reduce wrinkling also make it harder to hold a crease - a crease is really just a big wrinkle, after all.

So if you want a "smoother" look and sharper crease - sharkskin. If you want less wrinkling/easier overall care - hopsack.

DH

 

[zzdocxx]

May I ask, where and by whom are you having this made?

 

[Sir Kurokodairu]

May I ask, where and by whom are you having this made?

Sure thing. Lee Baron at Far East Mansion, TST, Hong Kong. Peter Lee is the original tailor who I believe built the brand, but has taken up a management/administrative role and has the actual tailor work done by tailors who, as I was told, work at Lee Baron's own workshop, so presumably under his employment(?). Therefore, I don't know exactly who's going to be working on the suit. I'll be meeting him in my first baste fitting though.