At a glance:
| Pros | Cons | |
| Hardy Minnis’ Fresco | Great for wearing every week. Great breathability. | Coarse to the touch, not ideal for wearing outside in colder weather |
| Loro Piana’s Super 170s | Very soft to the touch, (wear once per month or less), extremely luxurious | Not robust, so can’t be worn every week |
| Gladson’s Voyager Series | Robust fiber with incredible stretch while maintaining structure | Doesn’t breathe well. Coarse to the touch. |
If you’re at the point where you’ve decided to get a custom suit, be it made-to-measure or bespoke, you’re probably wondering what type of fabric the suit should be.
If you haven’t yet, check out my article on the basic characteristics of fabrics, so you have the fundamental language and understanding down. (READ: How To Become a Fabric Expert)
Once you understand the fundamentals, picking out a fabric is an infinite rabbit hole that you can get lost in because of the pure amount of choices.
But that’s why I’m here.
In this article, I’ll give my three recommendations for your first go-to suit; the suit that you need to wear for business meetings, weddings, funerals, and a night out.
Each recommendation has different characteristics, which can help you determine what’s most important in your go-to suit.
First Recommendation: Hardy Minnis’ Fresco
TLDR: Pick this fabric if you plan to wear it every single week and/or you tend to run hot.
My first recommendation is a Fresco fabric from Hardy Minnis.
These fabrics are made from a thicker gauge wool fiber, so it can take a lot of punishment.
And because the yarns are double-twisted, they’ll last even longer.
If you’re looking for a fabric that you can wear every single week for years to come, look no further.
Also, if you tend to run hot, the Fresco weave allows more air to pass through it, which will keep you cooler than your typical weave.
The downside of this fabric is how coarse it feels. Fresco fabrics use a wool fiber too thick to register on the Super Scale, so it doesn’t have a good hand, as they say.
Second Recommendation: Loro Piana’s Super 170s
TLDR: Pick this fabric if you don’t wear a suit often and want a luxurious fabric that feels amazing when you touch it.
My second recommendation is Loro Piana’s Super 170s. (READ: Loro Piana: A Mill Beyond Compare)
This is the ideal fabric for someone that wears a suit once a month or less, and really wants a show-stopper fabric.
If you decide on the Super 170s, you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone with a nicer suit than you.
Loro Piana is known for high quality, and the Super 170s walk the line between a relatively durable fabric and luxuriously soft.
The Super 170s is going to feel extremely soft in your hand, but because we’re not at the 180s and above, you can get away with wearing the suit consistently,
The weight of the 170s is squarely in the middle of four-seasons, so you can get away with wearing it all year round.
The downside of this fabric? It doesn’t have much stretch to it as a Fresco weave and the next recommendation, and it’s not meant to be a suit worn every single week, so it won’t hold up to consistent heavy friction.
THIRD Recommendation: Huddersfield’s Voyager series
TLDR: Pick this fabric if the most important aspect to you is stretch. Great for bigger guys and people that are moving around a lot.
My third recommendation is for those who love to have stretch in their suits.
When I started the company back in 2013, it was very rare to find any high quality Italian or English mills producing fabrics with stretch in them.
But these days, nearly every mill has a collection with elastane or lycra mixed with high-quality merino wool, giving suits great give in between the shoulder blades, in the seat and the thighs.
If you’re a bigger guy but still want a more tapered look, stretch fabrics will do you good.
I’ve found fabrics with more than 4% elastane or lycra tend to compromise on structure, making a poor fit. But the Voyager series strikes the prefect balance between stretch and structure with 3.5% lycra.
The downside of this fabric is that it’s not going to feel as soft as the Super 170s, and it’s not going to breathe as well as a Fresco fabric.
Commission Your True bespoke suit
Each bench-made bespoke suit is made from the finest Italian and English fabrics, the pattern hand drawn from scratch, and over 50 hours of handwork is put into each coat. Regular fittings appointments available in Detroit, New York City and Los Angeles. Other locations may be available upon request.
Only 100 bespoke suits are made per year, so inquire below for availability.
What Would I pick?
If I had to pick what fabric to choose for my own go-to suit, it would be the Super 170s from Loro Piana.
Budget being no issue, Loro Piana is one of the best mills in the word, and you can’t go wrong filling your closet with fabrics from them.
I also tend to wear sport coats and trousers more than suits because it gives my looks each day more versatility through mixing & matching, so on the occasions I wear a suit, I would want a show-stopper like the Super 170s.