Photo: Holland & Sherry
According to a man who should know, flannel, soft woven wool with a distinctively mottled face, was invented in the 18th century to meet the requirements of continental European armies that were seeking a snag resistant uniform cloth. Three hundred years later, the stuff remains to my mind the best choice for winter suitings when it is woven from merino yarns or a mixture of wool and cashmere.
Flannel wears warm and has usually been woven to about 400 grams in weight, making it a cloth for freezing climates (there are newer, hybrid worsted versions of 310 grams or lighter that wear considerably cooler). The classic weaves are gray and navy solids, chalk stripes on gray or navy grounds, simple windowpane checks, black on white houndstooth, and of course the glen checks popularized by the Kings of England, in black and white, grays, or tans and browns.
Men who wear tailored clothing could do worse than to have a winter rotation of half a dozen flannel suits in their closets.
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11 comments:
Do you reckon that woolen (not worsted) flannel is appropriate for non-formal evening wear in dark grey or dark blue, or would you say that a worsted cloth is a safer choice? What about a worsted flannel, which is something inbetween?
Solid flannel would be perfectly appropriate, particularly the unmottled stuff.
Most worsted flannel looks like worsted anyway though I've seen nicely mottled examples of it from one mill.
While I do enjoy your column, I wonder - could you dedicate some space to those of us who want to dress well but do not the ability to build a wardrobe that compares to yours?
Hope you get some great bolts, Will.
Flannel has been my economic meltdown! I found a beautiful blue flannel in hounds tooth pattern...so I ordered two pairs of pants(forward pleats for braces, and regular pleats for a belt), a vest... my tailor is too fast. I can't work the float between when I order and when he delivers...who would've thought.
Gentlemen, flannel in winter is not only warm but extremely elegant. And many well dressed men are going flannel this year in Rome...enjoy.
Flomberg, if you use the ASW search function you should find a dozen or more posts that others have found useful for beginning a wardrobe. There are other writers that specialize in that area. I cannot do a lot more because I am not familiar with ready to wear.
Ah, that mottled grey second from the top... me likey... (enough even to make me talk like a child!)
And, if I may, a question about the weight of fabric: you speak of cloth measured by ounces, 12-oz, 10-oz, and so forth, and here you speak of grams... to what exactly does this refer? The actual weight of the cloth given a certain area? This is knowledge I'd like to arm myself with for my next visit to the tailor. (And a way to possibly redeem my childish enthusiasm, see above post.)
Full width cloth is 150 cm wide. The weight is for a meter of it. To get the equivalent measure in ounces, divide by 30 (easy) or 34 (more accurate).
Is the third one from the top a bolt of white flannel or is it a shelf?
We might not need to go ahead with the white-gray spring flannel order over at the London Lounge after all!
Yes, Enzo it is white. But at 17/18 ounces it's not going to be too comfortable in the heat.
Will, a question for you:
I am having a 10 oz flannel double breasted suit made up and would like to know what the pitfalls of a half-lining is, if any, for this particular case of fabric and jacket style.
I like the finish of partially-lined jackets, but will not tolerate any issues with regards to wear of the fabric, or drape of the skirt and quarters.
Thanks in advance.
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