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Sharkskin suits.

43K views 53 replies 31 participants last post by  windsor 
#1 ·
How do you feel about sharkskin suits?
 
#2 ·
I guess I'd say that's retro enough to qualify more as "costuming" or "vintage" nowadays.

I can see a case for wearing one to some kind of themed party or the like, or if you're in a field where you can have a bit of sartorial fun (like design, the arts, entertainment and so forth, since any such suits you'd find would tend to be kind of "mod".)

D.
 
#4 ·
I guess I'd say that's retro enough to qualify more as "costuming" or "vintage" nowadays.

I can see a case for wearing one to some kind of themed party or the like, or if you're in a field where you can have a bit of sartorial fun (like design, the arts, entertainment and so forth, since any such suits you'd find would tend to be kind of "mod".)

D.
You don't see much sharkskin these days but with ties and lapels getting skinnier like they were in the early sixties, I wonder if the sharkskin suit might be due for a comeback as well.
 
#13 · (Edited)
shark skin is great. it wears well, keeps its press.

just make sure the teeth are removed, they bite hard.
I doubt that most of the posters here would recognise a pick-and-pick weave if it bit them.

It is just a two tone four harness weave. If the yarns are black and white it has a beautiful, and very subtle salt and pepper appearance. Because it is a type of twill it has crispness such that it tailors well and keeps its shape. Many quality books of worsted include pick-and-pick weaves in them. The Harrison's books all have them, as do the Lesser and Minnis books. Generally, they are not marked in books as a being pick-and-pick weave. Unless you know a bit about textiles most people wouldn't even recognise them as such.
 
#14 ·
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#16 ·
Modern sharkskin fabrics are quite nice and not as audacious as their forebearers from a generation ago. One of my favorite suits is a steel blue sharkskin that I bought five years ago. Like its namesake, sharkskin is very resilient. My suit looks brand new and I've worn it well over 100 times. The trousers in particular have worn far better than other pairs of worsteds I have owned for similar lengths of time.

You can't go wrong with sharkskin, period. It's tough enough for travel but urbane enough for the boardroom.
 
#18 ·
I doubt that most of the poster here would recognise a pick-and-pick weave if it bit them.

It is just a two tone four harness weave. If the yarns are black and white it has a beautiful, and very subtle salt and pepper appearance. Because it is a type of twill it has crispness such that it tailors well and keeps its shape. Many quality books of worsted include pick-and-pick weaves in them. The Harrison's books all have them, as do the Lesser and Minnis books. Generally, they are not marked in books as a being pick-and-pick weave. Unless you know a bit about textiles most people wouldn't even recognise them as such.
Beautiful. I would love a suit in that fabric. I think I will call it pick and pick from now on. It sounds more distinguished.
 
#20 ·
I think people on this thread are cofusing Shark skin with Mohair.
I think it might be an American thing. I came across something in a text from the ?1970s or so about some source of cheap and nasty polyester blend stuff that was being marketed as "sharkskin" in the US. That may be the source of the expression "the sharkskin rat pack" there. I am not sure if it was even woven like the genuine pick-and-pick weaves found in high-end cloth books. It may have been a name given to a gaudy design that looked like a shark's skin with a cheap shine to the texture. I have never seen a quality pick-and-pick that was shiny. In fact, plain twills and serges have more sheen to them.
 
#23 ·
#25 ·
#26 ·
shark skin is great. it wears well, keeps its press.

just make sure the teeth are removed, they bite hard.
Modern sharkskin fabrics are quite nice and not as audacious as their forebearers from a generation ago. One of my favorite suits is a steel blue sharkskin that I bought five years ago. Like its namesake, sharkskin is very resilient. My suit looks brand new and I've worn it well over 100 times. The trousers in particular have worn far better than other pairs of worsteds I have owned for similar lengths of time.

You can't go wrong with sharkskin, period. It's tough enough for travel but urbane enough for the boardroom.
It may have been a name given to a gaudy design that looked like a shark's skin with a cheap shine to the texture. I have never seen a quality pick-and-pick that was shiny. In fact, plain twills and serges have more sheen to them.
I was always under the impression that shark skin DID indeed have a bit of a sheen. Is that the case? If so, would it be a good choice for guys that tend to shine up their trouser seats and elbows since it is durable and its inherent sheen would camouflage the sheen brought on by wear?
 
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