Picking suit cloth: worsted and flannel

Grey flannel used to be a sign of uniformity. Not any more

What you know is worsted. That’s what 99% of the ready-to-wear suits out there are made of. It’s wool that has been smoothed in the yarn and again in its interlacing, to produce a clean finish. There are many different types of worsted – serge and gabardine are both worsteds yet feel very different – but again, this is a tiny proportion of the cloth on offer.

Most of your suits will be worsted and there are many options of weight and weave to suit every occasion. It is worth having one or two of flannel, though, and tweed and linen definitely deserve recognition in casual wear.

So let’s start with the options on worsted. Most of the suits you will be used to from the peg are lightweight – between 9 and 11 ounces probably. That’s a shame, because a man should have variation and even a 13-ounce suit doesn’t have to be packed away for the whole of the summer months. There will be chill days when it feels good to slip on a heavier suit. And in a plain grey or navy the trousers may be particularly useful, as trousers wear cooler than jackets.

So try to have a good scattering of weights between 9 and 13 in your wardrobe. If this is your first bespoke suit, you’ll probably need something at the heavier end of the spectrum. That is a blessing, for heavier cloths hang better and retain their shape better than lighter ones, so the suit will look even better for it.

Super 100-and-something is a measurement of the fineness of the wool. Originally a measure of how many centimetres the yarn could be stretched to, it is now codified by the diameter measured in microns. Higher numbers are sleeker, smoother and rarer. So they can look more luxurious and will be more expensive. But, being finer, they won’t wear as well. Until your wardrobe is so full that you only wear a suit once every month, stick with super 100s to 130s.

Heavier cloth is a great opportunity to wear flannel. This is a slightly less processed and therefore hairier material than worsted. It will feel slightly softer and spongier, but hangs wonderfully and is a great contrast to the shine of a man’s silk tie and polished shoes. Personally I prefer woven ties with sleeker suits, to continue that contrast.

Commission a single-breasted grey flannel suit in 12 or 13-ounce cloth and see how it feels to you. Some men prefer it to anything else, it has such character, and spend the summer wearing 9-ounce versions that aren’t strictly speaking flannel but have that same soft handle. Others only wear it in autumn and winter and – much like the Italians with suede shoes – feel that there is something about those seasons that suits greater texture. Either way one or two flannel suits are a necessity in any well-dressed man’s wardrobe.