Buying a Used Suit: A Few Notes about Fabric, Construction and Color

"I unfortunately don't speak French, but my wife is now fluent in English, which really reflects rather badly on me."

-- Sean Connery

So, you've decided to buy a used suit? Congratulations, that is a very smart decision. Unless an item is custom made exactly to your specifications and measurements, there is very little reason to pay full retail prices, which can be ridiculously high. Of course, you could buy a brand new polyester blend suit off the rack at your local department store. But why would you want to do that? You'd be left with a poor quality suit that looks not only cheap, but like the same cheap suit that everyone else is wearing. If you know what you're looking, a high quality and inexpensive suit is not far away.

First, a little history. As with all crafts, the introduction of new technology has changed things. Advances such as the computerized sewing machines, automated cutting machines, laser cutters, and the ability to glue or "fuse" fabrics together have had an impact on the price and quality of suits over the decades, both for better and for worse.

In general, I think it is fair to say that most of the changes brought about by technology have not hurt the quality of the suits, but they have robbed the garment of a little of its charm. On the other hand, they have lowered price of decent suits for those who could not afford a fully hand sewn option, or didn't care about the construction methods of their clothing. One change, however, has remained highly controversial: fusing.

Fusing-- In order to give suit jackets shape and structure, canvas is sewn into the front and lapels of the jacket between the two layers of wool. The stitching is then covered with the jacket lining. This process is known as canvasing. Fusing is the cost cutting process of gluing the canvas interior in place rather than stitching it. Fusing became common in the 1980's. Today, only relatively high end suits remain fully canvassed. Partial fusing and partial canvassing is also common. The common complaints against fusing among suit aficionados are that the fusing may be too stiff (a canvassed jacket will be highly flexible) and that the fusing can fail causing bubbles to appear on the outside of the jacket, often at the lapels.

To be fair, fusing technology is better today than it was in the 1980's. A fused, or partially fused, jacket can be fairly high in quality and nearly discernible (but never totally indiscernible) from its canvassed counterpart. Fusing versus canvassing is something to keep in mind, but not to obsess over. Personally, I was only able to arrive at that conclusion after months of obsessing.

Super numbers-- Recently it has become common for suit makers to trumpet the so called "super numbers" of their wool, such as, super 110's, or super 120's, even super 220's. This number refers to how many yards of yarn can be spun from a pound of raw wool. In other words, higher super numbers equal lighter cloth--and higher prices. But higher prices are not the only drawback to these lighter materials. They are also very delicate. While they may be appropriate for extremely hot summers in Italy, where they tend to originate, these designer fabrics are far from necessary. Beyond 120, wool becomes too fragile to be practical. Additionally, there is no regulatory body overseeing this numbering system, so many times these numbers indicate absolutely nothing whatsoever other than a higher price. There is no need to buy into this fad. Look for the label that says 100% wool, and has an appropriate texture and weight for your needs.

Weight-- Suits come in different weight fabrics. The weight of the wool probably won't be on the label, but you'll know just by touching it whether it's the type of suit you'd wear in summer, winter, or year round. It's something to keep in mind. You'd be way too warm wearing a heavy flannel suit during the summer, likewise in a tropical worsted in the dead of winter, you'd freeze.

Pattern-- Suits come in wide varieties of patterns and textures, most of which have great names like, glenplaids, sharkskins, birdseyes, twills, windowpanes, pinstripes, chalkstripes, houndstooths, herringbones and solids, to name but a few. Choose the ones that you like the best. Solids are the best place to begin. Some say the pinstripes are strictly for business.

Color-- This is also your personal preference, but a solid charcoal and solid navy are the most versatile places to start. After that, consider other colors or some of the patterns listed above. Two quick notes about color: Black suits are hip, but technically black should be restricted to formal or evening wear. Break this rule at your own risk, because debates about this among suit aficionados can get quite heated. Brown suits are best reserved for outside of the city. This rule is now commonly ignored, but be advised that historically the rule was "no brown in town".