Wool/silk/linen blends have been a favourite for summer jackets for many years, although in the UK they only started to be offered about 10 years ago.
More recently, English mills have also started offering their own versions, sometimes without one of the fibres, such as silk. Materials like this are becoming more and more popular, and are often the default for a warm-weather jacket.
Today’s guide is intended to help pick among the various bunches - to suggest colour, pattern and fibre mix, and then recommend specific swatches. It’s similar to the guides we’ve done on corduroy, linen and high-twist wool, but different to the Guide to Cloth, which is more technical and compares all the options for a particular use, such as hot weather.
Colour
In terms of colour, my recommendations for wool/silk/linen are quite similar to the five jackets capsule, just with a lean towards brown, green and browner greys.
The reason for this is that smart, dark navy tends to be better in materials like hopsack in summer, and straight greys can look a little dull - better an oatmeal, or pale tan, which bring out the best in white linen shirts or cream trousers.
So my favourites for a summer jacket in this kind of material are a brown, dark green or beige - shown above, 98427, 98424 and 98416 respectively, from Harrison’s. (They’re actually a wool/linen blend, but more on that later.)
Brighter colours can look lovely in summer, such as bright blue or pastels like pink. Often these stronger tones are better in pure linens though, which soften the colour, and at the least should be kept very subtle and pale.
Pattern and texture
Jackets are usually nicest with a little texture or pattern to them. Trousers will always be plain and shirts often are, so the jacket holds responsibility for visual interest, especially in the absence of a tie and pocket square.
However, it’s easy to go over the top here. Many of those Italian bunches have big, bold checks that will be frankly overwhelming unless you live in the south of Italy. Remember that a check will have greater impact when it’s made up into a full jacket.
Above I’ve shown some examples from Caccioppoli. The first would be too bold for most, the second is the kind I prefer, and the third is a houndstooth that would be surprisingly bold at scale. (This jacket was also too bold in retrospect.)
If in doubt, I’d satisfy myself with a little textural interest - something wool/silk/linens usually have anyway as a result of the variation in fibres, or the slubbiness of linen. You can see that in the plains below from Huddersfield Fine Worsteds.
Fibre mixes
Those examples are from HFW’s Summer Breeze bunch. It’s mostly wool and silk with only a little linen. As a result the material has more sheen (from the silk) and will perform better in some ways (wrinkling, odour, due to the wool) but not be as cool to the touch (without the linen).
This amount of variation in the mix makes a noticeable difference, as it does if you remove one entirely: the Harrison’s Isca bunch is half wool and linen, while Indigo is 80% wool and 20% linen. The latter basically adds a touch of linen’s coolness to a lightweight wool jacketing, while the former has more of the feel of linen and usesa high-twist wool.
But I wouldn’t stress over smaller variations in the fibre mix, such as 5% or 10%. Often weight, yarn thickness and weave will make a bigger difference - something you can see quite easily when you look at the texture and feel the handle of a material.
Look at the two examples from Ariston below, for example. They vary slightly in the mix, but the more important difference is texture.
Other fibres that are sometimes included are bamboo, cashmere and cotton. Cashmere I don’t really understand, as it makes the material much warmer. Bamboo is a great story, but most of the time I’d rather have linen or silk.
Cotton, however, does add something different, and it's worth considering if you want a more matte, casual material than looks a little more casual. Although personally I usually prefer pure cottons.
Mills and bunches
Most Italian mills do a summer jacketings bunch, which changes every year. This can be a little frustrating, as it means anything you see made up has a good chance of being out of stock. You need to look for something similar, rather than the same. But then hopefully the advice above makes that easier.
Among these Italian mills, Caccioppoli usually has a big range, and can be relied on to have the dark browns, greens and beiges discussed above. This year, 330150 is a nice example of the plain brown for example and the herringbone 330144 is nice. (I prefer both to the ones with a colour shot through, such as 330134.)
Drapers has a smaller range but is similar. Ariston tends to have more experimental options, which means brighter colours, bigger checks, more variations in weave and fibres.
Loro Piana and Solbiati (same company, different bunches) have consistently the best taste in my opinion - if I was looking for something unusual, this is where I would go. If there is a pale mint or a yellow herringbone, it will be a good one. They spend more on design and it shows.
Below are some examples from previous seasons. Solbiati is a linen specialist and usually has more linen in its options. Unfortunately their collections are usually available online.
Dormeuil and Scabal tend to be a little luxe, and a lot of bunches use superfine wools or silks. The Naturals bunch from Dormeuil does have some nice plains and a lot of different mixes though - 862610, a cotton/linen mix, has some lovely texture.
Among English mills, we referred to the different fibre mixes of Harrison’s and HFW above. I’d go to them if I specifically wanted the effect of that mix. Same with the mostly silk mix of Holland & Sherry’s Oceania - H&S is best at lightweight wool suitings in summer.
A lot of readers asked for more pieces recommending cloths. My plan is to do more like this, which are relevant for longer than the seasonal pieces we did in the past.
If you have any other feedback, or would like to suggest the next type of material to be covered do let me know. In the meantime I might actually add these pieces to the Guide to Cloth page, to make them easier to find.
More inspiration for colours and patterns (if not necessarily in current bunches) can be found by reading old Spring/Summer pieces here.
Below are images of some of the wool/silk/linens I've had in the past 15 years or so. If you don't recognise them and would like a link to the original piece, let me know.
Simon,
It’s a strange and amazing coincidence that my last comment / request was how I found your guides series helpful and looking forward to a new one.
Simon, you’ve nailed it in this Article, including details of cloth swatches , an article which I do miss and also commented on recently!!
Astounding piece!!!
Thank you Simon.
Pleased it was what you wanted Lindsay. Any questions let me know
Interesting, and I’m touching on a specific request here and a specific colour …cream ..and maybe Ecru but specifically cream coloured cloth.
Why, you may ask?
I have seen a surprising number of bunches containing cream cloth swatches and in different cloth types.
Dugdale – Invincible, W. Bill – Whipcords and Cavalry Twills , Fox – Worsted Classics, Fox Khaki -Cotton and many more and of course all the linen bunches and mixed fibre bunches.
Might make an interesting article.
Hi Simon, thank you for the interesting article. I have tried a few, and I have never fallen in love with wool/linen/silk blends for summer jackets. In my opinion, they usually look and feel rather cheap. They also seem to crease, rather than rumple like linen, quite easily.
I find that a solid, unlined Irish linen jacket (like the A&S china blue you posted on a long time ago) is a much more elegant option for a summer jacket. Cotton drill, like your DB Caraceni, is also very classy, though a bit too warm for really hot weather.
All the best, Andrew
Thank you Andrew. I can certainly see how you might dislike wool/silk/linen if you usually wear those other options. Irish linen is a little heavy for some I think, who prefer the w/s/l blends partly for that reason. If you do want to avoid wrinkling, you can go for heavier options, perhaps with thicker yarn, that will still be lighter than the Irish linen.
Perhaps also, if it’s the sheen on w/s/l that you find makes them look cheap, one with less silk or a wool/linen blend might work well.
Just cold wash the fabric before cutting and the sheen is much less and looks great.
I don’t think that would work for what I’m talking about, H, as it’s the intrinsic sheen of the silk. No cleaning over the years gets rid of that. It does happen with linens etc though, and heavier cottons.
I did just that a few weeks ago with a sheeny linen/silk/wool fabric. The result is very good in my eyes.
Thank you. I guess it’s hard to tell as the sheen on that particular cloth may have been caused by something else, they vary quite a lot
I am also not sure washing a WSL fabric would remove the sheen like with linen. I believe washing linen and cotton before cutting is done to remove the finish (starch I think) that most mills put on linen and cotton fabrics when they are made. This isn’t really the issue with WSL as the sheen comes from the silk.
This is really a matter of personal preference, and I can see that some people may like WSL fabrics because they are very light weight. However, the combination of those three fabrics in my opinion creates a fabric that has a lot of the disadvantages of the three components but not many of the advantages.
Most WSL tend to be lightweight but fairly tightly woven, so they don’t hang as well or allow air to pass through like heavier weight but more open woven wool fresco or linens do. Because they are so light, they tend to crease like very light weight wools rather than rumple like linen. The addition of silk also makes them wear a bit warmer and creates the sheen that I personally don’t like, but they aren’t slubby like a nice Shantung or Dupioni (if you can still find them).
I tolerate heat pretty well, and on days when I felt too hot wearing a linen jacket it was probably too hot to be wearing any jacket at all.
Yes Andrew, that would be the reason and I think you’re right.
On the WSL, yes that makes sense, I would only say that being tightly woven should actually make them hang well – open-weave wools only hang well because the fibre is so twisted.
Personally, I find my WSL jackets don’t rumple or wrinkle much, have a good bit of the performance of wool, and the slight sheen of silk is nice for something dressier. But then there is quite a lot of variation in the WSLs, and we probably have different preferences
Hi Simon, a wonderfully timed article! I was just thinking about a pale green/olive jacket to go with a navy shirt, primarily for cosmopolitan restaurant wear. Would you have any recommendations?
Dark shirts are not easy, but I’d think a dark green could be good – maybe with a blue check running through it to pick up some of that same colour. Or something like this blue/green from Harrisons
Brilliant Simon. Thanks so much.
Very useful and has given me food for thought. I have been looking for the fabric for a summer jacket-ideally black and white check or my second (but probably more sensible) choice of grey check. Living and working in Japan with hot and humid weather in the summer wool/linen mixes are ideal. One option from Dormeuil (see link) seemed ideal online but the swatch was much louder than I thought and not one I could wear to work or more formal events. So now I am leaning towards a grey check with black or charcoal details much like the second photo at the bottom of the article. That pattern looks perfect-subtle yet still different enough to contrast with grey or black trousers. Even though jacket looks blue in shade could you add the link so I can see if there is grey option?
Yes, I can see how that Dormeuil one would come up quite bold Dan.
On the jacket at the bottom, if you’re referring to the green with blue overcheck, that’s my Prologue jacket here, but it won’t be available now nor potentially anything in the same pattern, given it’s an old season.
This is the problem with talking about ranges of cloths like this online – many go out of stock quicly because they’re seasonal, and some mills are still not set up to sell to end consumers (eg Loro Piana) so you can’t see all options online
Thanks Simon.
I’ll try to find something of a similar nature from another maker. A tailor recommended a Zegna Trofeo 100% wool which was light (8oz/240g) but I am still leaning towards a wool/silk/linen mix.
The Trofeo wools are nice, just not usually with the texture you get with the wsl, or perhaps a little coolness from the linen
Exactly what I thought when I saw and felt the swatch. A beautiful cloth but just not the feel or lightness I am looking for.
I would recommend LINFIT by Marling and Evans (see my comment below once it’s approved). They have several grey and black fabrics, including houndstooth and herringbone. They also have a lightweight wool and silk blend in a black and grey Prince of Wales fabric from a book called SHEPLEY.
The other advantage of M&E is that the fabrics are not seasonal. The one I wanted was out of stock but got rewoven quite quickly.
Alan, thank you very much for the tip. I will look Marling & Evans over here.
Is this mix particularly prone to frizzing up? I had a wonderful suit made from a washed out mint green wool silk linen mix I found in a fabric store in Toronto (the wool house, queen street – a real treasure trove of old fabrics), but it frizzed up when I got caught in a heavy rain (as though I’d put it through a washing machine cycle). Been wondering about the mix ever since.
I wouldn’t think so, but it does depend on the weight and weave – how light and delicate it is essentially.
Particularly liked the green and the blue . Green is very much becoming my third colour of choice after navy and grey.
In terms of summer a couple of question
(excuse my ignorance I may be mixing my cloths and textures )
1. Yes, Fresco is a specific material, a type of high twist, and tropical wools can vary but they’re usually a high twist as well. There is a guide to them here.
However, those are better for suits, not jackets. A jacket in a similarly sharp material would be best in hopsack, mesh or mock leno wool. All would be more formal than a wool/silk/linen.
2. It’s usually best to mix them as the default. You can wear the same, but then it’s worth trying to make them different in some way, such as weights or weaves, so they don’t look like mismatched parts of two suits.
There is a whole category on summer, by the way, here.
And with you on green as the third colour – I said the same thing in that linked article from 10 years ago!
Hi Simon,
Thanks for this very useful post!
Somehow I’ve always thought that jackets made of these kinds of fabric do not work well with sharp trousers such as wool and mohair ones or even fresco. Whereas I find your Brioni and the crispaire lovely.
Has rather it to do with the cut of the jacket in this case? Of course I may be wrong!
John
I don’t think it’s the cut, no, I just think there’s quite a lot of variation in them, depending a little on the fibre mix but more on the yarn and weave – some are very chunky and casual, some much more refined
Ok! Thanks, Simon.
Hi Simon, this is a very helpful article, as I really needed some help with the choice of cloth, thank you.
I find Harrisons, Isca, 98416 (beige) quite nice but which colour of trousers would you avoid wearing with that? Also, if you had had a chance to have a look at the Isca bunch in person, does it have some shine? as I would sometimes prefer to wear it with a pair of smart jeans.
Many thanks,
Jack
Hey Jack,
Personally I wouldn’t wear any of these with jeans, but we can talk about that separately perhaps.
The Harrisons would be perfect with a white shirt and grey or dark brown trousers. I’d also wear dark olive trousers and pale denim shirts, as well as colours like a pale yellow stripe
Hi Simon, just add another question on the Isca bunch, do you think it would work as a suit? I think I would wear the jacket alone more often but then bring out the trousers for parties/weddings etc.
I wouldn’t have it as a suit myself – I haven’t had it made up, but it feels more like a jacketing and I’d be afraid the trousers would be a little flimsy
I see,it seems like it would be pretty useful. I also find dark green interesting, and I assume it would also work with dark brown trousers, but I don’t think I’ve seen you pairing these two together that often. Could I ask why?
It’s pretty frustrating that there are no summer cloths that would work with jeans other than RTW brands such as Polo…Personally, summer is the season when I mostly want to wear jeans with a jacket more than winter. I think Anglo-Italian is trying to offer a range of cloths which could work with the jeans but what’s your thought on this?
You mean a dark green jacket with dark brown trousers? It’s just not an easy combination, given both are dark and both can have quite a lot of colour, but the right shade can work, perhaps with one of them being lighter.
It certainly is on summer cloths, yes.
Anglo is certainly on the right lines with some of its cloths, if anyone is going to do they will. Looking at their range online I remember liking AIT57 and 61, though there is quite a lot of silk in there. I’ll try and have a look in person next time I’m in.
Alright, thanks, Simon.
I have one more question about the Harrisons cloth in beige, do you think it’s muted/cold enough to work with the PS Finest polo in black?
Yes I would have thought so
Great article and advice Simon. Just for clarity on the Irish linen, what weights of Irish linen are available for clothing?
There’s a guide to this linked to in the piece Anndra – it’s here
I’ve found that linen trousers are not particularly hard wearing. And suiting with darker blue linens fade on areas where there’s wear and tear. Fresco and hopsack hold their shape so much better, and in my opinion, are much cooler and durable.
Yes, for something like a workaday suit, linen is not what I’d recommend. Wools like that are going to be harder wearing, but also more importantly, rather smarter
Simon, thanks for the article!
I just wanted to clarify the discoloration part – would you indeed say that darker colors in the wool-linen-silk mix fade? Or is it mainly applicable for the pure linen (which I learned the hard way already)?
I haven’t found they do, no. It happens more with cotton and linen, not so much with silk and wool
I’ve struggled to find anything similar to your Mueser commissioned herringbone. That one might be too open a weave, but I’m a fan of the open natural large herringbone for a summer jacket, with jeans and loafers loafers as a form of uniform. But cant seem to source similar cloth. Would be very interested in case anyone comes across something similar, or knows of similar.
(Realise this is self interested, but a similar cloth would fit the permanent style shop ethos of gap in the mkt…!)
Very true Steven. I’ve only really seen it at Ralph Lauren – as a finished Polo jacket or for the MTM
I second Steven’s suggestion, the fabric of the Mueser jacket always catch my eyes every time I come across it in your photos. If somehow you can track down the mill or found someone who can reproduce something similar I would be first in line to order!
Simon, in a similar vein, are you aware of any summer fabrics similar to the PS Shetland Tweed aesthetically? The PS Shetland Tweed looks broadly similar to your Mueser jacket to my eye, though personally I prefer the slightly more subtle look of the former and am looking forward to it being restocked. However, I wonder if there is something similar that could be worn more year-round in a warm climate?
Not really Angus, unfortunately. There is the Summer Tweed that Derek Guy did, which wasn’t for me but is in that bracket. That was nice and slubby and had that casual look, though still denser than this Mueser one, which is why it worked as a suit I think.
Simon this is unbelievably useful, thank you. I know you’ve covered it a little but PLEASE can you do one of these just on hopsacks?!
I don’t think there’s really much to say, JL.
Hopsacks do vary in weight, but the vast majority of the time, people want them for warmer weather and so they’re looking at the same weight, around 9oz.
They don’t vary that much in quality, so I wouldn’t choose one mill necessarily over another. And there’s just one or two alternatives, like mesh.
Do you think there’s much more to talk about than that?
For a navy hopsack jacket, what would a wool/linen mix change compared to wool alone? Would it change formality? Would it wear cooler? And maybe increase the texture? What is you opinion on the combination compared to wool alone, especially if one already has a wool/cashmere navy jacket for fall/winter?
Thanks
I would imagine it would wear cooler and have more texture, wrinkle a little bit more. I’ve never tried one in hopsack though, it’s normally just pure wool – which one are you looking at?
https://www.thearmoury.com/collections/sport-coats/wool-linen-hopsack-sport-coat?variant=31841908916295
Thanks
I think you’ll find that one will be a little cooler and rumple more, but I’d say the biggest difference will come from that mixture of blues – there’s more colour in there and it will look more casual/sporty as a result
Extremely useful article, thank you Simon. Even if specific cloth/bunches are discontinued it’s still helpful to see specific cloths as examples.
You mention hopsack perhaps being best for a navy summer jacket. I was wondering if you have seen Anglo-Italian’s house hopsack?
https://angloitalian.com/products/ait-076
I am interested in it for my ‘main’ navy jacket. AI suggest the weight and texture of the fabric covers summer, as well as being suitable for flannels i.e. a four-season cloth. It therefore seems like a very versatile fabric, but I am abit sceptical whether it can really be used in summer and winter. Therefore, was wondering if you have any thoughts on it?
Many thanks!
I haven’t seen it, but knowing them I’m sure it’s a good hopsack.
Realistically, nothing is four season. But what you really want is a jacket that’s cool enough to wear outside in the summer, and wear inside in the winter, right? If it’s cold you’ll be wearing a coat over it in winter. I think this will feel like a warm-weather jacket, but it will be able to be worn like that, and nothing could be worn outside in all weathers
Many thanks Simon, that all makes sense – as ever, your feedback is very much appreciated.
I think the AI house hopsack is probably the nicest hopsack I’ve run across; Jake (and Alex at the time) really nailed it. If I didn’t already own a few navy odd jackets it would definitely be on my short list.
This is very useful. Thank you for taking the feedback!
Great article, Simon. I have to say, I think the Cacciopolli 330101 is one of the best of the bunch! It is on the loud end of the spectrum for me as well but the colors are fantastic and tone down the check a bit. I find I gravitate that outside of navy, I gravitate towards lighter colors for summer jackets, and reserve darker colors for the rest of the year.
Simon,
Excellent article and very timely. May I kindly ask your advice on two things please?
Thanks
Joe.
Nice to hear Joe, and thanks for pointing out the link error, I’ll fix that.
1. The higher wool content would make a difference, though I think only a slight one. I don’t think this is necessarily going to be an alternative to the Harris Tweed – w/s/l materials are pretty much all smarter than a tweed would be, and indeed it’s an ongoing issue that there isn’t anything obvious that’s as casual and lighter (one reason that J Mueser jacket of mine gets so much focus, as with comments above). It does of course depend how casual we’re talking though (as a starting point – jeans ever?)
On the point of being year round, see question above from a reader about the Anglo-Italian hopsack. This will be a summer jacket, but you could wear it much longer than that.
2. I think the material would make the big difference, the pocket change would only be a small thing. It’s always going to be quite smart.
I personally love, and so do a great deal of my customers, the wool / silk / linen mixes from Marling & Evans. They have some gorgeous colours and patterns and they make up beautifully.
A great guide and coincidentally on the first day I am wearing a a newly made WSL jacket in warm weather for the first time (southern Italy – low 20C’s but extremely humid and sticky). I have to say that I really like the softness, drape, variation in texture and coolness.
One WSL book I would add to your list is LINFIT by Marling and Evans (they also have wool/silk and wool/linen bunches). What’s particularly nice about the book is that the fabrics are slightly heavier at 10oz and in more subdued colours and patterns. My jacket is made out of this grey and black houndstooth that looks almost tweed-like. Not so good if you want a bright summery look but ideal for me as I like to wear the same sort of outfits and colours year round, just in season appropriate fabrics.
Nice, thank you Alan
Thank you, it is a very good and helpful article. And the comments / answers are just as good, like always.
Would you consider a run of PS fabric similar to the one used on your J Mueser jacket?
I recall you mentioning in the past that you like the PS fabrics to fill a gap in the market or serve a certain purpose that isn’t currently well catered for (if at all). It seems to be a popular jacket amongst the readership, and as far as I’m aware, similar cloths don’t exist in current bunches.
I’m pretty sure I’d take a couple of metres of it!
Thanks Jonny, yes that has come up above in the comments. I’m not sure how easy it would be to reproduce, but we could look at it. I’m not entirely sure how I’d feel about essentially copying something that was currently available at Ralph Lauren though?
That’s a fair and interesting point. My assumption/seemingly false memory was that it was a vintage bolt that Jake had, and similar cloths are available via RL. Re-reading, I don’t think it does say/suggest that it is a vintage cloth, just that it was bought in the garment district, where I suppose it could have been left over from a RTW run at some point?
Copying something RL that they’ve essentially created is more ethically contentious than it being a style of cloth that existed in yesteryear, but is now currently only available from them. The latter, I would probably consider fine, the former I would be much more hesitant on.
Guessing a PS x RL collab isn’t on the cards then, eh? (Not to be taken serioiusly).
I think it was vintage only in the sense that it was a few years old, and yes most likely it was an actual RL one that had been rejected or was surplus one season.
Whether RL actually created that cloth is a bit of a grey area – I’m sure jackets existed in the past in basically the same colour and texture, but there will likely be small differences, the size of the herringbone or the fibre mix etc. That’s often what design in classic menswear consists of.
Either way, it does make a difference to me that it’s something RL do currently sell – unlike taking elements from something Polo used to sell in the 90s, and hasn’t offered for retail for many years.
Wait just to be clear, is such a cloth actually available through ralph lauren? Where would you find that?
Yes it is, if you use their MTM programme. They don’t sell the cloth itself.
This is where the vast majority of cloth innovation and interest exists – in RTW clothing and those companies’ MTM offerings. Not in the cloth available for bespoke clothing, it’s too small a business.
Ah damn – definitely don’t want to use their MTM programme. I’m sure I am far from the only person that is bent out of shape coveting a jacket in the same cloth as your J Meuser!!
No, they’ve been pretty much inundated!
I was just thinking about how I wish you still did these! I’ll be using this for commissions this summer. Thanks so much!!
Do you think that silk is used because of the tradition of it being a summer fabric? Reading the article, and comments, apart from a touch of luxury, there appear to be few real advantages.
No, it also helps give strength as well, you often find it being added for that reason. And I think some of the plain wools (unless superfine) as well as the wool/linen mixes are very matte – dull to some people, lovely to others, but perhaps less attractive to a good number
A profound and timely article. Thank you.
One of my favorite summer jackets is a cream 65 % cotton 35 % silk mix (Loro Piana fabric). I find that the cotton counters any sheen silk has and the silk makes the fabric very crease resistant and somehow luxurious.
Thanks Markus
Great article Simon and great timing as I’m going to Naples in the next week for holidays and will have a spring/summer jacket made while I’m there.
Can you send a link to the first/top jacket at the end of the article? The mid brown one worn with cream pants, white shirt and sunglasses.
Also, suggestions on a winter brown tweed or herringbone would be great!
Thanks
Thanks.
Sure, that outfit was covered here.
For winter brown tweeds, I really love this dark one, or the PS Harris but that might not be dark enough for you
Hello Simon,
great article as always. I appreciate the specific fabric examples with references and the variety of mills. I want to ask what’s the jacket fabric on the fourth picture at the bottom of the article worn with a navy polo? It looks green but also kind of greyish. And do you know the composition? It looks lightweight yet not cheap or flimsy as many of the summer jacketings feel like to me. It really caught my eye. Do you think it’s similar to some of those Dormeuil Naturals fabrics? Thanks very much.
Hey Michal, do you mean the jacket in this article? If so the jacket is brown/grey and the polo is charcoal!
Yes, that’s the one. The colours on my phone look different. Thanks, I didn’t know there was a whole article.
No worries Michal
Do WSL blends perform well as trousers?
Not usually, no. I’ve had trousers in them in the past and they tend to be too flimsy. But wool/linen blends can do well, like the Isca bunch
Hi Simon,
First time commenter here, very interesting article and lovely examples of outfits.
I’m not yet at the stage of wardrobe building to be choosing specific cloth, but I am currently shopping the extensive selection of high street ‘off the peg’ summer suits for a wedding in Italy this July.
It’s just outside Rome, evening time and expected to start around 30° and cool off to 20° later in the evening.
Do you think that a linen/wool/silk blend would be sufficiently cooling for that temperature?
There is a nice selection from Walker Slater which looks a great balance of quality and affordability.
Or do you feel for that temperature I should aim for pure linen?
Many thanks
Joe
Hey Joe,
Wool/silk/linen isn’t generally great for suits, it can be a little flimsy. So going on that alone, I’d be more inclined towards linen. But feel free to link me to anything you’re thinking of specifically, and to ask about colours and so on.
Hi Simon,
Thank you for your response and offer to look at the options I’m toying with, it’s very generous of you. I’ll try and keep it concise.
I really fancied the below suit, but only the jacket is currently in stock in my size:
https://www.walkerslater.com/edmond-jkt-ln-nat-pl
So I thought I could get the jacket and team it with any of the below trouser options. I suppose the first question is it it ok to wear a mismatch of jacket and trousers?
The first is a 50% Wool, 35% Silk & 35% Cashmere blend. With a knee lining of 50% polyester which is a little concerning.
https://www.walkerslater.com/martin-trousers-wsl-brn-dn
The second doesn’t give %’s, but states is a Cotton/Silk/Linen blend.
https://www.walkerslater.com/edward-trouser-csl-blk-whb
For completeness, I am planning on wearing brown suede brogues with matching belt and a white poplin shirt (no tie).
Any feedback is gratefully recieved, positive or negative, it all helps to move me in the right direction.
Thanks
Joe
Hey Joe,
The jacket looks nice, and I like the overall sound of the combination. I wouldn’t worry about the trouser lining, but I would maybe about the material, I think something a little plainer would be nice and maybe last better.
As to whether it’s OK not to wear a suit, that’s very much up to the hosts of the wedding. Have they specified anything about dress code?
Hi Simon,
Thanks for your feedback, I’ll continue looking for trousers and broaden my search a little. There are some nice brown cotton ones from Pini Parma that may tick the box – and I’m also in Rome next weekend, so I can have a look around then, I’m sure I’ll be spolit for choice.
Regarding the hosts, I’m positive they won’t mind. They have not specified anything on the invitations, but knowing our group of friends there will be a lot of guys in chinos. I had to convince some to not wear shorts.
Thanks again for your assistance, and for the fantastic digital tome of information you’ve created here. I’ll certainly keep coming back to learn more.
Joe
A pleasure Joe. And yes, in that case you’ll be fine in a jacket and trousers!
Hi Simon,
Interesting comment that you feel wool/silk/linen can be a bit ‘flimsy’ for a suit, and then you go on to recommend a pure linen instead. Would you mind please elaborating on what you mean by ‘flimsy’; also, intuitively I would have thought wool/silk/linen a great alternative to linen as it can still have a similar appearance to linen, but with the added advantage of less wrinkling and a better ability to maintain the trouser crease?
Many thanks,
Alex
So there’s a couple of things going on there. One is that linen is inherently a strong fibre, and makes a much better sharp, densely woven tailoring material than silk does. So the silk in the mix lets the material down a little bit as regards being a good trouser material.
But the other thing is that, wool/silk/linen could be just about OK for a trouser, but because it’s not ideal, the actual materials that are made from it are lightweight, with open weaves, designed for jackets rather than suits and trousers.
By being flimsy, I mean the trouser won’t be hard wearing (wear down/though faster) and it won’t hold a clean line. Again silk is the main culprit, which is why wool/linen mixes are more common for suits/trousers among these mixed-fibre materials
Thanks for the insight, Simon. Curious – what do you think about a cotton/linen blend? Do you think there would be less issue with ‘bagging’ at the knees because linen is less stretchy? Or still likely an issue?
It depends on the proportions, but all else being equal, the linen should help yes
Hi Simon. Thank you for your great Guide to Wool/Silk/Linen fabrics! What do you think about it being used for Trousers. Rota for example has some nice options.
Thanks in advance!
Hey David,
A couple of people have asked about that above. To be honest I usually find them quite flimsy – I’d go with pure linen myself
I feel an obsession coming on. Again one of your blog posts makes me envy options you men have. The Ariston P206-4 68% wool, 18% silk, and 14% linen clear blue swatch makes my heart beat a little faster.
The photos of you in wool/silk/linen make clear how casually elegant these blends can appear. You look comfortable. Maybe I’m talking through my hat, but I believe if I saw a man dressed this way during a heat wave, I would be struck by how perfectly sensible and attractive he looked.
What about hemp for summer jackets?
Hemp can be nice for more casual jackets sometimes, it tends to be a little thicker or slubbier. But most of the time I’d rather have linen
Hi Simon, two questions:
1) Is there any particular reason you don’t like Caccioppoli 330134 so much? Is it just the added colour? Looking at the images online, I like the colder shade of brown on this one.
2) If I wanted the jacket to be very casual, would it be better to go for wool/linen, without silk? In your experience, does the 20-30% silk content make a big difference to the smartness of the look?
1) Yes it’s just that added colour
2) It does make a difference, but just as much is the fineness, the yarn etc. None of these materials are for jackets I’d describe as really casual to be honest
Makes sense, thank you.
Could you just expand a bit on why you prefer hopsack to WSL mixes for navy? I had been thinking of a lighter navy WSL (i.e. not midnight) in something similar to the Caccioppoli below which has more colour texture than hopsack. Alternatively, something in a slightly lighter shade of blue although my concern is they tend towards being too bright and with violet tinge. Thanks
https://collection.caccioppolinapoli.it/en/3301-jackets/3065-330138.html
I think for a lighter blue like that it’s fine. I mean for smarter, darker navy, as it’s more intended usually to be formal or business-like
I had a waistcoat made in a very light tan WSL and it has been worth every penny. A friend had an entire suit made out of the same fabric and enjoys it immensely.
Greetings Simon,
It’s well understood that you were trying to present a group of British mills, with a sprinkling of those from Italy. May I suggest one very notable omission, Italy’s E. Thomas.
They were among the very first to the party with the commingling of these yarns some 40+ years ago…a consistently tasteful offering of color, pattern and texture.
Hi John,
Thanks, but no I was trying to represent most mills. E. Thomas are great, but their bunches are not that widely available, I rarely see them around
Unfortunate, isn’t it, that mills that were widely represented either by agents, or in their own offices in most every important menswear market, are no longer widely shown?
Very true, the market is so much smaller and it often doesn’t justify it.
An interesting side point, I think is how big of a role the merchants played in that, in that they took the risk on stocking cloth from mills, paid for bunches to be made, often set up offices. But they had to charge a margin for that, and now more mills just go direct to consumer, which seems great and lowers prices, but there are fewer bunches and places to see physical cloth probably as a result.
I like lightweight English mohair suiting (e.g. William Halstead) for summer wear. Wears cool, holds a crease, resists rumpling.
Simon,
Great article and timing for summer coming up! How does the combination of only linen and silk typically perform?
Best Regards,
Glen
The silk adds some strength to the linen, which is helpful, and it means the linen wrinkles less.
I have a suit in Dormeuil Cosmos (jacketing, but I went for a full suit anyway) and E. Thomas (Suitsupply RTW, thrifted, I usually wear the jacket odd since it’s a brown check with patch pockets and the pants are too slim for my tastes).
The Cosmos is definitely fine and luxurious. It’s 230gsm, flowy, and just pleasant. It’s a subtly slubby brown-on-brown herringbone. Definitely a summer suit, although I try to wear it whenever possible.
The E. Thomas fabric is much heavier, in 38-34-28 wool-silk-linen. I wear the jacket in spring and fall, or maybe on a cool summer day.
I write more about each here, and generally about how some linens and linen blends are heavier, and therefore more summer-friendly. See: https://thesecondbutton.com/heavy-linen/
Thanks for a helpful piece. Your tailor overviews are always very interesting reads but its the fabrics that really get the juices flowing or activate the neurons as they say these days.
I’ve been intrigued by wsl mixes for a while now but I keep ending up with single fibre because I’m a bit unsure about the mixes, how these perform and look. I do plan to have jacket made once I’ve found something that speaks to me.
It’s also great that you have mini guide to mills and bunches as I find mill websites often to be cumbersome and unintuitive to navigate (when these don’t just break or fail to load) and the naming conventions also aren’t exactly always straightforward. This coupled with sheer amount of product available can be a bit overwhelming for those new to this passion.
Glad to hear it.
Yes, mills aren’t really set up to sell that much to consumers, and they’re not going to invest a lot in their websites or customer service. That’s the role merchants and agents have always played
I love that yellow Loro Piana and shall bicycle promptly to my tailor here in Rome (Sartoria Ripense) to inquire.
Location is everything with these summer patterns. Even the boldest you show look rather “conservative” next to jackets I regularly wear in summer in Calabria and even weekends in Rome. I wouldn’t wear them in Milan however, much less London.
Agree Max. Sorry to disappoint you though, but as I say in the article, those LP examples are from previous seasons
Yes I realize but generally when I show Andrea at Sartoria Ripense something I like, he finds a close candidate. We’ll see…
Cool, let me know how you get one!
Simon, can you please link to original article covering the jacket in the second to last picture (the herringbone one with the beautifully shaped patch breast pocket). Thanks
Sure, that’s from Elia Caliendo. Article on it here, and the image is taken from this different article
I love the pattern on the jacket you say is too bold in retrospect. It is bold, but the black check on a summer cloth makes it interesting. It’s an unexpected mix of color.
True, and it is of course a matter of taste. I just found it too much at scale
Hi SImon
This is an excellent – and excellently timed – article. I’ve just been looking at having a WSL jacket or suit made.
After reading an article on summer jackets over at PutThisOn, I was really into the shade of green shown here:
Do you think this is too light? The Harrison green you’ve shown appears quite dark in comparison.
That’s a nice, muted shade. Paler colours are just a little bit harder to wear, though it depends a lot on your situation. Darker things tend to be easier to wear professionally, to an office, or on dark days
Hi Simon, thank you for helping me find the fabric I’ve been looking high and low for – for a summerish jacket – the Caccioppoli 330150. Question is, the tailor I use doesn’t have a relationship with them, and Caccioppoli haven’t responded to my email(s) yet. Is there a way to buy individual lots of fabric for a UK individual? Simon
Not really, unfortunately. The tailor needs the relationship
Is wool silk linen suitable for odd trousers?
No, not usually. See above in the comments (maybe search the page for ‘trousers’)
First of all, thanks for your reply.
By the way, So it seems that wool linen blend seems to be suitable for three-way suits?
Best
That would be a good way to look, yes. Just keep in mind that cloth is a little complicated and just going off the fibre mix isn’t always a full guarantee – it’s why advice is so useful from a tailor you trust.
Hi! Lovely piece. I was wondering what fabric is the jacket on the second last picture? Would something like this work with cream chinos?
The second last one is an old jacket, covered here. The precise cloth isn’t available any more. It would certainly be a good colour with cream chinos, yes. A little striking and tonal, but very elegant
Thanks for the advice. If you see in my picture below, I find the fabric number 3 from Abraham Moon (50wool50linen) to be pretty close to the one you are wearing. For the first seasonal odd jacket in a lighter shade, would you agree that number 3 is a good candidate? It works well with the cream chinos in the middle (Brisbane miss), don’t you think? I want the versatility with grey and beige trousers and maybe some faded jeans as well.
Yes, that looks nice Max
My personal preference for a more casual sport coat would be just wool and linen with no silk. I found silk is too much of a pain to maintain and does not breathe as well. I’ve just discovered linen pants and I’m liking them so far, more soft and comfortable than I anticipated. The coat would also have no pattern and for color I would go for something like a taupe-ish color like that Dege jacket you have or a pale tan/oatmeal esque color, nothing too dark as I think anything else would wash out my fair complexion.
Can you do one of these for high twist wool?
There already is one – it’s linked to in the article
Hi Simon,
Is there a reason you prefer Caccioppoli 330150 over 330134? I am thinking about having a jacket in 330134 made and I think the cloth is really beautiful, how do you like it?
I personally don’t like the ones with those little dashes of colour in them. It’s very personal, but I prefer it within the weave or a pattern
Hi Simon,
Do you find that there is a temperature threshold at which you will refuse to wear a tailored jacket? My estimation is that, at around 29C/85F there is just no way to wear one and be comfortable (assuming you aren’t spending your time inside in air conditioning/at a business or formal function).
I’ve worn them in 39 in Italy Mike! But perhaps that is an exception.
I honestly think that no, there is no limit like that, but it does depend a lot on lifestyle. Not that you’re in air conditioning all the time, but at least inside; that you’re not commuting on a packed tube; that you’re not in a hectic, high-stress occupation. I think this is also backed up by how many people used to wear tailoring in precisely that kind of weather – and often a waistcoat, and never take the jacket off.
I’m not saying we should be dressing like that, just that the limit is often higher than most people think.
Fair enough, and true enough.
Thank you!
Hi Simon,
Would a jacket like this be casual enough to go with mid blue jeans?
https://us.loropiana.com//en/p/man/blazers/sweater-jacket-FAE8388?colorCode=W000
Thanks
It certainly looks casual and soft enough John, yes. Being Loro Piana it’s a bit Italian and luxe, so you might want slightly smarter jeans, but you should be fine
what mill / book would have something similar to the brioni cream beige wool/silk/linen? i know this their proprietary fabric – but looking for something as similar as possible. thank you.
I’d look at the seasonal jacketing books from the Italian mills – so Loro Piana, Solbiati, Drapers, Caccioppoli etc
Hi Simon,
Thanks for the article; it’s amazing!
I’m interested in a custom blazer exactly like what David Beckham had at Wimbledon 2019; please see the link as a reference: https://executive-bulletin.com/fashion/david-beckham-in-ralph-lauren
I’m trying to see if I can find the fabric and have it custom-made, I think the fabric is a linen blend (from Ralph Lauren); I was wondering if you have any idea where I can find the exact fabric.
Cheers,
Adam
It’s highly unlikely you’ll find the exact fabric Adam – 90% of Ralph fabrics are custom, which is one thing that sets them apart.
I’d say a linen mix yes, but you’ll have to hunt through bunches for the most similar thing.
Simon would you find this navy check fabric more on the bolder side for a jacket I’d like to wear in regular rotation?
Yes I would think so
Hi Simone,
After some digging, I found two potential candidates for beige jacket. One from Dormeuil (WSL, plain) and one from Zegna (Silk and Linen, twill) as I couldn’t find anything similar from the Italian bunch this year. Would like to know your thought. Thanks
https://dormeuil.com/products/ref-417107?variant=41255670677713
https://bukle-fabrics.smugmug.com/Ermenegildo-Zegna/ANTEPRIMA-Summer-2024/i-qc99pFN/A
Of those I’d go for the Dormeuil, because it appears to have more texture. The issue with plain fabrics for jacketings like this is they’re better with a little texture in the weave, otherwise they can look a little dull. It would be better with more still, but I’d go for that one. Always better if you can see them in person of course, especially given one is mostly wool, the other doesn’t have any – have you seen them?
Thanks Simon. My tailor hasnt received the Zegna bunch yet. I will take a look at the Dormeuil bunch in person first. Again really appreciate your help!
Hi Simon,
Thank you for the great article. Interested in hearing your thoughts on silk linen blend. I believe its the same as the summer tweed. Wonder if its something you would recommend for a navy summer suit (I got bored with the traditional navy worsted suit and am hoping to get something that is slightly more casual but not wrinkles as much as pure linen). As per the sales, the fabric is not at all shinny.
https://www.bennett-silks.co.uk/silk-fabrics/fashion-fabrics/matka-and-suitings/silk-suiting-8012/57-Navy/
Cheers
Hey Jonathan,
Hard to say as I haven’t seen this in person, but I wouldn’t think it would be that much more casual with that much silk in it. I’d suggest a lightweight cotton might a better bet for a more casual summer suit if you don’t like the wrinkles?
I did consider navy cotton but I just cant forced myself to like the look of it. It always look a bit too old-manish to me. Good point on the silk though. I might take a look at the wool / linen bunch instead. Thanks again Simon!
How do I know which mill and respective collection the Ariston and Cacciopolli fabrics come from ?
You don’t, but it isn’t necessarily a good idea to do so – it doesn’t necessarily tell you anything useful.
People are so used to a ‘brand’ today and taking everything from that, but mills make for different people, in different ways and sometimes different qualities. Focus on the cloth and what you like or don’t like about it