wool pants/clothing questions
Hey all, hopefully my terminology is all good but with the season change I had some questions about wool clothing in general.
1. First off, what percentage of wool is considered good? I see 100% wool outer shell coats with synthetic inner linings, or wool blend socks etc. if one is looking for something of good quality, what’s a good basic number to look for?
2. How does one identify tweed? From Google, tweed is wool…so if something isn’t specifically labeled as tweed how do you tell? For example I saw a nice blazer (what i thought was nice) in banana republic last weekend - It had a good weight to it. It was thick and warm with a bit rougher texture and look to it. I thought it might be tweed but it wasn’t labeled as such. 3. Wool pants - where to get in Canada/onljne? Ideally around $200 cdn and can go a bit higher if needed. I usually have a bit of an issue with pants as I have a 32-34ish waist and 24” thighs so they’d need to fit a bit looser but ideally not “baggy” or oversized das I like a slim(mer) fit. Ideas? Any other tips about shopping for wool in general? Thanks!
2. How does one identify tweed? From Google, tweed is wool…so if something isn’t specifically labeled as tweed how do you tell? For example I saw a nice blazer (what i thought was nice) in banana republic last weekend - It had a good weight to it. It was thick and warm with a bit rougher texture and look to it. I thought it might be tweed but it wasn’t labeled as such. 3. Wool pants - where to get in Canada/onljne? Ideally around $200 cdn and can go a bit higher if needed. I usually have a bit of an issue with pants as I have a 32-34ish waist and 24” thighs so they’d need to fit a bit looser but ideally not “baggy” or oversized das I like a slim(mer) fit. Ideas? Any other tips about shopping for wool in general? Thanks!
17 Replies
1. this is sooo brand dependent, there are many good and bad reasons not to use 100% wool. If you're buying secondhand though i would stick with 100% wool. You almost always want wool coats to be lined, which is usually synthetic. Ime polyester lining isn't as nice as other synthetics, but again that's not a rule.
2. I wouldn't worry about whether a fabric is or isn't tweed unless you're specifically looking for something, e.g. Harris tweed. Other people here will know more about how to identify it, but I don't think it's that important.
3. Try searching for wool flannel pants. Taylor stitch and Spier & Mackay have had them in previous seasons in slimmer cuts.
1. Synthetic inner lining is a bigger problem than a small percent of nylon or polyester in the shell. Try finding something with vsicose in the lining.
3. My friend @top raisin tells me not to recommend made-to-measure to everyone. But, if otr pants don't fit, mtm is the solution.
I find wool fabrics from British mills to be more durable and hard wearing than Italian wools. Dugdale, Minnis, Fox are really good. The lighter VBC fabrics are good but a little fragile. Though the most hard wearing I have come across is the vbc 4-ply.
Often wool is dry clean only. Some can be washed though. Depending on your situation, you need to decide on that aspect as well.
What major city are you by (don't give details to dox yourself!) I've got a list of good retailers. Imo the best way to understand fits that work for ya is to try stuff on in person. Made to measure sux.
If you're near Calgary - NAQP is going to be in your pricerange with brands like Earth/Studies,Universal Works, and Paratodo in your price range for some decent/nice wool pants.
GravityPope is in a few cities (EDM/CGY/Van) with similar brands
Uncle Otis is a favorite in Toronto as a multibrand retailer, and out near mississauga (I think) is Spier and Mckay (dressier wools).
@top raisin I kinda thought the first question would be a hard one to answer. I was hoping there may be a general consensus among the fashionable but I will keep your points in mind as well as defer Nomnom’s response as well. My question about tweed was a bit vague as well - to be honest the first time I ever heard of the material in a memorable way was I saw a donegal tweed suit and just loved it (but Google tells me donegal is quite a bit lighter and not generally suitable for colder weather). I will keep my search to quality brands like the ones you mentioned (for pants, as well as other things) and just try to physically experience different materials.
@Nomnom thank you for the recommendations! I will start researching what I can. Aside from luxire (which is all over Reddit) do you know of any other mtm companies? I’ve always had problems with pants fitting and if that’s the best way, then so be it. very good point about the dry clean only with wool as well. I see a lot of people excited about cooler weather as it’s “wool trouser” time - do. They truly just dry clean weekly? Or is it a matter of finding the stuff that can be laundered? In your opinion of course
@algoresky I’m actually in Calgary, no worry of doxxing it’s a big city and it’s not the first time I’ve posted my location. You are, coincidentally, the second person from this community to recommend gravitypope and NAQP. I’ll make a point to visit them asap.
Thanks again everyone
Thanks again everyone
I will say, for your first question, 100% wool is usually a safer bet. To clarify on the lining, me and nom mean the same thing - viscose and rayon as generally nicer than polyester.
Whatever Google says, Donegal tweed is still a warm woolen fabric and still a good choice for fall/winter. It might not be as thick as other wools but you can always layer under it. But as you said the best way to go is to experiment for yourself!
Thanks! Hopefully with the recs from algore above I can stop and see what I think of different things
Just to confuse you further, Donegal tweed comes in a variety of weights. For instance I have two Donegal tweed balmacaan coats, one is 655g/mtr and the other is about 500g/mtr in weight (no idea what this is in oz/yds, sorry). The heavier one is bulletproof in the cold and wind but has 100% polyester lining whereas the other has viscose lining which I much prefer.
Not actually that confusing! Really appreciate it; is there any way to determine fabric weight or is it experience and checking the clothing ? I feel like if the manufacturer doesn’t specify, good luck
I have yet to try anything mtm - I don’t currently wear anything with a high rise (I believe most of my pants are mid, or they’re high and I just wear them wrong 🤷♂️). Truth be told I find pants around my actual waist ridiculously uncomfortable. I only bring that up to segue into my next point of - I believe I should try on similar trousers style pants and get an idea of their measurements before going full made to measure. I also noticed that spier and Mackay do mtm but also recommend to purchase clothing first.
To hand wash, I assume I can look it up online but I feel like a lukewarm bath and a small dab of soap if needed, massage lightly into the fabric, rinse thoroughly and hand or lie flat to dry?
Also I did check the luxire site but since I wasn’t logged in I think a lot of functions were unavailable to me
Luxire actually sucks, i wouldn't recommend mtm unless you genuinely cannot find OTR pants that fit or you're really invested in the entire mtm process.
greggie01
Yes, you got it right. For drying, I sandwich the pants between 2 towels, on the floor, and walk ofer it for a few minutes. Becomes semi-dry. Then just airdry.
The weight of both fabrics was listed on the manufacturers website, plenty of companies don’t do this though which is annoying when it comes to coats in particular
it’s unfortunate it’s not standard information - although I do know a good amount of guys/men who just truly don’t really care so I can also understand why it may not be “worth” advertising
Even when listed, there is an issue. Some list gsm, some glm, some Oz/Yard, some oz/meter.
If listed "230 grams", I don't often know what to make of it.
Mixing imperial and metric together is absolute madness
Yes, I think it is done by sellers from metric land, targeting imperial US. Grams are converted to Oz, but meter remains meter. So, 300 grams becomes 10 Oz