Reader question: Cashmere suits

April 22nd 2013

Dear Simon, Hello and congratulations on your blog’s recent milestone! I have a question regarding cashmere suits. I am thinking of buying a suit that is 100% cashmere. Now I have come across many suits that are wool/cashmere blends, but...

Reader question: Cashmere suits

Match in comments:
That cashmere is a tiny proportion Chris, it will make no difference to the feel of the suit. Better to go for a nice merino. And it's not a good sign that they include polyester as well... no good suit cloth will...

Cloth - Reader questionsApril 22nd 2013

Pennine Weavers, Yorkshire

April 17th 2013

As I mentioned in my previous post on Yorkshire mills and merchants, Pennine is one of the best independent mills left in the area. It is also the largest worsted weaver in the UK, with 32 Dornier looms, and weaves 30,000-35,000 metres a week (most f...

Pennine Weavers, Yorkshire

Match in comments:
excellent well presented thank you...

ClothApril 17th 2013

Huddersfield’s mills and merchants explained

April 15th 2013

  I was up in Yorkshire last week, based in Huddersfield and seeing a few of the mills and merchants, including Pennine, Johnsons and Dugdale. What struck me hardest when I got back was the lack of understanding among bespoke customers, ...

Huddersfield’s mills and merchants explained

Match in comments:
Thanks Simon!...

ClothApril 15th 2013

Como silk museum and Le Noued Papillon

October 1st 2012

Normal.dotm 0 0 1 347 1982 Euromoney PLC 16 3 2434 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false I love learning how things are made. That was what first got me into tailoring, and it has remained a passion over the years. I was grateful to Nicholas...

Como silk museum and Le Noued Papillon

Normal.dotm 0 0 1 347 1982 Euromoney PLC 16 3 2434 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false I love learning how things are made. That was what first got me into tailoring, and it has remained a passion over the yea...

ClothOctober 1st 2012

Breanish Tweed: Unique luxury

November 16th 2011

Breanish Tweed has all the hallmarks of a Harris tweed weaver: old single-width looms stored in draughty sheds; decades of experience in hand weaving; a stunning but hostile location that constantly reminds one of tweed’s insulating properties....

Breanish Tweed: Unique luxury

Match in comments:
Terrific post. This is the kind of detail on specific topics that keep me reading your blog regularly. Thank you. Very much looking forward to the book!...

Cloth - Factory visitsNovember 16th 2011

Cloth offer at J&J Minnis

November 2nd 2011

Those that order their cloth themselves might be interested to know that J&J Minnis has a special offer on its website for the Crown Classic bunch, as it is being phased out. This is a lovely selection, weighing 320-350 grammes in a Super 10...

Cloth offer at J&J Minnis

Match in comments:
How much of this would I need to make a jacket? A pair of pants?...

ClothNovember 2nd 2011

The reputation of Smith & Co

July 26th 2010

Following on from my note last week on the history of W Bill, here’s some information gleaned on the history of Smith Woollens. For many, including my tailor, Smith’s is a brand they swear by. Worsteds that are often a little bit pricier ...

The reputation of Smith & Co

Match in comments:
I have a cream lambswool twinset size 42" bearing the label in both pieces 'W BILL, Old Bond Street - pure cashmere', in perfect condition. I would be interested to know if it was produced before W Gibb was taken over an...

ClothJuly 26th 2010

The history of W Bill

July 21st 2010

Dealing with representatives of one or two of the cloth manufacturers in England in the past few weeks, we got to chatting about the history of the various brands. Talking with guys at Graham Browne and Anderson & Sheppard furthered that inte...

The history of W Bill

Match in comments:
Annette, this is an online magazine, not the cloth supplier W Bill...

ClothJuly 21st 2010