Unbiased Feedback: The DressedWell Reviews Thread

The photos looked rubbish so I didn't post them. Looked more of a bright polished bronze. Looks better in reality.

That was my last blazer with shiny golden buttons to resolve. I can rest much easier at night now.
 
Can't remember the exact name of the bunch now, but I find the latest Hardy Minnies cloths to be sub-par compared to other cloths.
My boss sold quite a few suits on his last China trip and some of them were Hardy Minnies.
Is it just me, or do their cloths feel floppy/ limp with little body? They also have more often than not distortions along the selvedges, which makes me think they lack attention in the finishing process.
When made up, the finished suit doesn't look as crisp and sharp as suits made from similar cloths by other mills.
Any of the bespoke customers have similar experiences or have been told by their tailors to avoid them?
 
Scherensammler said:
Can't remember the exact name of the bunch now, but I find the latest Hardy Minnies cloths to be sub-par compared to other cloths.
My boss sold quite a few suits on his last China trip and some of them were Hardy Minnies.
Is it just me, or do their cloths feel floppy/ limp with little body? They also have more often than not distortions along the selvedges, which makes me think they lack attention in the finishing process.
When made up, the finished suit doesn't look as crisp and sharp as suits made from similar cloths by other mills.
Any of the bespoke customers have similar experiences or have been told by their tailors to avoid them?
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No, I have more suits made from Minnis than any other merchant, Their Flannels are superlative. A lot of their cloth is milled in Italy, and that maybe the cloth you've had your paws on.
 
Scherensammler said:
Can't remember the exact name of the bunch now, but I find the latest Hardy Minnies cloths to be sub-par compared to other cloths.
My boss sold quite a few suits on his last China trip and some of them were Hardy Minnies.
Is it just me, or do their cloths feel floppy/ limp with little body? They also have more often than not distortions along the selvedges, which makes me think they lack attention in the finishing process.
When made up, the finished suit doesn't look as crisp and sharp as suits made from similar cloths by other mills.
Any of the bespoke customers have similar experiences or have been told by their tailors to avoid them?
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yes they sell tons of italian made shit now.

their new flannel book (still made in england) is definitely not as great as the old. the old flannel was almost like a very thick cardboard and not lux, very old world (i mean all of this as a compliment); the new flannel i find to be a bit softer and more luxurious to the touch but it still seems pretty great and has some stunning patterns and colors.

the last/current alsport book is a disgrace, like potato sack cloth. the vintage alsport cloth had beautiful patterns and a much nicer hand.

they have a new quality fresco which seems much slicker than the old, but they also still make the old quality fresco too. fresco is what it is. i'm not a huge fan, but find that the old quality fresco is useful and does make nice summer trousers for work. The book also has a mock leno fabric which i find great.

in any event your low taste chinamen clients are probably not buying the classic flannel, alsport and fresco anyway.

i have never tried any of their worsted suitings (both english and italian depending on the book) or their shitty italian jacketings so can't comment on that.

as a side note in the last five or six years of using my london tailor he has never proposed a Hardy Minnies cloth. and he has proposed all sorts of cloth for me from probably every other well known and not so well merchant or mill. this leads me to believe he probably thinks its shit. but i will try to remember to ask him next time i see him. i've always sourced this cloth myself and have used the flannel, fresco and ancient alsport with italian tailors.
 
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Scherensammler said:
Can't remember the exact name of the bunch now, but I find the latest Hardy Minnies cloths to be sub-par compared to other cloths.
My boss sold quite a few suits on his last China trip and some of them were Hardy Minnies.
Is it just me, or do their cloths feel floppy/ limp with little body? They also have more often than not distortions along the selvedges, which makes me think they lack attention in the finishing process.
When made up, the finished suit doesn't look as crisp and sharp as suits made from similar cloths by other mills.
Any of the bespoke customers have similar experiences or have been told by their tailors to avoid them?
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my neapolitan tailor strongly disliked working with their cotton. no comments on the fabrics i got from their fresco 3 bunch. although he will always tell me holland and sherry and drapers are the best (and caccioppoli sucks). he is also always very happy to make up vintage finds with many years on their shoulder
 
FriendCustomer said:
in any event your low taste chinamen clients are probably not buying the classic flannel, alsport and fresco anyway.
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It varies between Bateman&Ogden mohairs (which are nice, BTW) and other "Made in England" cloths. Most dominant colour by far is blue in any shade and in plain weaves. No experiments for business suits.
If I remember I'll take a picture of the HM selvedge. This HM bunch was in the past the go to one for my boss because the cloth held up so well. He still has a suit made almost twenty years ago that still looks good (though a bit dated).
The "New Alsport" feels like it is a lot lighter than the original one, which probably explains the floppy feel.
ConchitaWurst said:
he is also always very happy to make up vintage finds with many years on their shoulder
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Many of the higher end vintage tissues are two-ply weaves. The cheaper ones skip the 2-ply yarn in the weft.
The original Reid&Taylor cloths were marvellous to work with, the new ones are a lot softer and just don't hold up as well.
 
Scherensammler said:
Many of the higher end vintage tissues are two-ply weaves. The cheaper ones skip the 2-ply yarn in the weft.
The original Reid&Taylor cloths were marvellous to work with, the new ones are a lot softer and just don't hold up as well.
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your boss stocking any vintage lengths in the store?

did you ever work with vintage wain shiell?
 
Scherensammler said:
If I remember I'll take a picture of the HM selvedge. This HM bunch was in the past the go to one for my boss because the cloth held up so well. He still has a suit made almost twenty years ago that still looks good (though a bit dated).
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Interesting. On SR, at least when I went, the go to cloth seemed to be the local London merchants H Lesser or Smiths. Unless you were looking for something different. However I imagine that has changed somewhat now that the London merchants have been purchased by Harrisons.


I also forgot to mention I do like the old HM tropical Rangoon. Although I do think the old h lesser was better.
 
FriendCustomer said:
Interesting. On SR, at least when I went, the go to cloth seemed to be the local London merchants H Lesser or Smiths. Unless you were looking for something different. However I imagine that has changed somewhat now that the London merchants have been purchased by Harrisons.


I also forgot to mention I do like the old HM tropical Rangoon. Although I do think the old h lesser was better.
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rangoon is indeed a very good sumner cloth. i would rate it on par with old lesser tropical
 
ConchitaWurst said:
rangoon is indeed a very good sumner cloth. i would rate it on par with old lesser tropical
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download (2).webp


maybe this whole conversation should be moved to the top touch tissue thread
 
Scherensammler said:
It varies between Bateman&Ogden mohairs (which are nice, BTW) and other "Made in England" cloths. Most dominant colour by far is blue in any shade and in plain weaves. No experiments for business suits.
If I remember I'll take a picture of the HM selvedge. This HM bunch was in the past the go to one for my boss because the cloth held up so well. He still has a suit made almost twenty years ago that still looks good (though a bit dated).
The "New Alsport" feels like it is a lot lighter than the original one, which probably explains the floppy feel.


Many of the higher end vintage tissues are two-ply weaves. The cheaper ones skip the 2-ply yarn in the weft.
The original Reid&Taylor cloths were marvellous to work with, the new ones are a lot softer and just don't hold up as well.
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Have you ever worked with and do you have any opinions on escorial wool? a friend of mine was curious about it ( TOGLIATTI TOGLIATTI ). Also any experience with the HM QZ bunch ?
 
What's the best summer cloth that still being made (Rangoon baboon is out of production, right?) ?
 
Monkeyface said:
What's the best summer cloth that still being made (Rangoon baboon is out of production, right?) ?
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Irish linen, cotton, seersucker, fresco and the two other ones that are similar, or a kid mohair blend (my preference) from a reputable supplier. You need to be more specific. But if you are just looking for normal wool, I don't know of any tropical wools that have the body and performance of the old ones.

But there is plenty of baboons around me and the people I know; on my mothers life I could make one phone call and send you back to monkey puberty with your monkey balls cut off and stuffed in your monkey doghouse face, later to be found in a ditch filled with baboons on the outskirts of Tijuana by Tissue Polica Federal.
 
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FriendCustomer said:
Irish linen, cotton, seersucker, fresco and the two other ones that are similar, or a kid mohair blend (my preference) from a reputable supplier. You need to be more specific. But if you are just looking for normal wool, I don't know of any tropical wools that have the body and performance of the old ones.

But there is plenty of baboons around me and the people I know; on my mothers life I could make one phone call and send you back to monkey puberty with your monkey balls cut off and stuffed in your monkey doghouse face, later to be found in a ditch filled with baboons on the outskirts of Tijuana by Tissue Polica Federal.
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Yeah, normal wool. Businessy.
 
Monkeyface said:
Yeah, normal wool. Businessy.
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H&S Crispaire, which is fresco-esque but to me seems less rough than Fresco. 9/10 ounce with an array of business solids plus patterns & textures.

The H&S Dragonfly is light and sexy. 160s worsted, 6.5 ounce.
 
Never understood why Minnis discontinued their Rangoon range, I had my eye on a POW in that book but never pulled da trigga.

Shame...
 
ConchitaWurst said:
your boss stocking any vintage lengths in the store?

did you ever work with vintage wain shiell?
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There are a few lengths of what you might call "vintage" cloths, but in a very limited way.
There were a couple of old R&T lengths, but they went quickly (sadly MTM orders).
Can't say I ever worked with Wain Shiell cloth, vintage or new.
 
FriendCustomer said:
Have you ever worked with and do you have any opinions on escorial wool? a friend of mine was curious about it ( TOGLIATTI TOGLIATTI ). Also any experience with the HM QZ bunch ?
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We made one Escorial suit last year. Cloth is nice to work with and feels and looks good (soft but not floppy).
My boss sold quite a few MTM suits out of the QZ bunch over the past years and they come up well.
 
Scherensammler said:
There are a few lengths of what you might call "vintage" cloths, but in a very limited way.
There were a couple of old R&T lengths, but they went quickly (sadly MTM orders).
Can't say I ever worked with Wain Shiell cloth, vintage or new.
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Addition: When I worked in Solingen I sometimes visited Buddeberg & Weck in Wuppertal. They had a corner with vintage cloths (60's mohairs and alike), but the lengths almost never exceeded 3 m. Haven't been there since 2011, so they are probably all gone. But you might want to give them a call or an e-mail: https://www.buddeberg-weck.de/kontakt/
Or pay them a visit, their cloth selection is quite nice.
 
Thruth said:
H&S Crispaire, which is fresco-esque but to me seems less rough than Fresco. 9/10 ounce with an array of business solids plus patterns & textures.
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I think we have the bunch. TopTop™ for boring people like doctors and/ or accountants or MPs, but no good for monkeys chasing Latina/o booty in California.

While my boss is in favour of British cloths, I find them a bit dull. Colours and touch are so so!
Sure they'll last longer than Italian cloths, but still, don't you want to look good?
 
Scherensammler said:
I think we have the bunch. TopTop™ for boring people like doctors and/ or accountants or MPs, but no good for monkeys chasing Latina/o booty in California.

While my boss is in favour of British cloths, I find them a bit dull. Colours and touch are so so!
Sure they'll last longer than Italian cloths, but still, don't you want to look good?
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Monkey wants boring & breathable
 
TOGLIATTI said:
Poor you

By the way
The new fresco
Is soft
And breathes well
Really
Maybe a it step forward to some

I, hate the soffttness
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I'm hoping California will offer me some more sartorial freedom than London, but I think that freedom will be in the direction of hoodies and denim than cream linen suits.
 
Monkeyface said:
Yeah, normal wool. Businessy.
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Much he already been said up thread. But here are my 2 cents

I think something with some kid mohair, would look sharp, not wrinkle too much, have decent breathability and not necessarily look too mohair for a work environment. I seem to remember, drapers, h&s, Smiths and Harrisons all have stuff like this.

For 100% wool I don't really know what's available in current books. I seem to remember people liking H&S crispaire, or harrisons frontier. Lessers current 8/9 ounce is probably fine. Maybe LP tazmananian. But I have no first hand experience with any of that stuff
 
FriendCustomer said:
Much he already been said up thread. But here are my 2 cents

I think something with some kid mohair, would look sharp, not wrinkle too much, have decent breathability and not necessarily look too mohair for a work environment. I seem to remember, drapers, h&s, Smiths and Harrisons all have stuff like this.

For 100% wool I don't really know what's available in current books. I seem to remember people liking H&S crispaire, or harrisons frontier. Lessers current 8/9 ounce is probably fine. Maybe LP tazmananian. But I have no first hand experience with any of that stuff
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H&S have both their English Mohair 80/20 kid Mohair, made of course in the U.K. Their Classic Mohair is 85/15 made in Italy (Henglish Mohair)
 
Rambo said:
not to get too in the weeds here, but what can you visualize this for me? i'm struggling with this idea in my head.
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Mohair fibres are longer, thicker and straighter than wool fibres. A high mohair content in a cloth usually means more sheen on the surface and a bit more stiffness (wrinkles easier), which you probably want to avoid in a business suit.
 
Scherensammler said:
Mohair fibres are longer, thicker and straighter than wool fibres. A high mohair content in a cloth usually means more sheen on the surface and a bit more stiffness (wrinkles easier), which you probably want to avoid in a business suit.
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alright, i can see that. i was thinking stiffness but it didn't really strike me as being anti-business necessarily.
 
Scherensammler said:
Many of the higher end vintage tissues are two-ply weaves. The cheaper ones skip the 2-ply yarn in the weft.
The original Reid&Taylor cloths were marvellous to work with, the new ones are a lot softer and just don't hold up as well.
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I've a suit in a Reid & Talyor heavy ply-weaved cloth and the trousers can almost stand-up by themselves! Some of them vintage cloths are way too heavy and warm for modernity.
 
Rambo said:
not to get too in the weeds here, but what can you visualize this for me? i'm struggling with this idea in my head.
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I just meant that say a 20 or 30% kid mohair 70% wool suit, would not look too shiny. Most people would think it was a normal suit in a normal fabric. It would just look a bit sharper.
 
Great White Snark said:
Absolutely the worst haiku ever.
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Thank you very much for your kind questions.

I do not want to come back .

The vintage silks are actually vintage . And when I reproductions I've always said .

He who believes in my work and in my honesty may continue to be my client. Who doubts you can contact elsewhere. Also because there are many other companies that produce ties.

And with my statement I no longer want to revisit the subject . What I had to say about playing blue I told you.

Meanwhile, tomorrow alert directly administer Styleforum because I noticed that there are some people with multiple accounts playing criticize honest craftsmen.

They do this because behind this there are economic interests to their advantage. And this I speak from personal experience, I've lived on my skin. And of course because I have proof . And I will say that there are also brands that do not advertise and write quietly . While I honest to pay for advertising.
 
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