Summer Jacketings

[jamesd]

As a Company we are always striving for better. So my question is what is the perfect Summer Jacketing?.

[Harrisons]

Okay thats a great question but what in your opinion makes a great summer jacketing what are the key factors you take into consideration when you are putting together a bunch?

[jamesd]

Jacketings for Summer have always been a problem..In the UK we suffer from a lack of weather which means predominantly we have a window for summer Jacketing of a few months.Don't get me wrong ,people do want something,but are not sure what. Linens are the English Gentleman's bread and butter when it comes to it.Easy to wear and can be worn for smart and casual.
The problem i have is jacketing taste varies from country to country, so as we are catering not just for UK we have to bear this in mind .

So in answer to your question on looking at a new summer jacketing quality we have to take note of current fashion in England and add a touch of European design .I think the quality needs to be Silk ,Linen and wool .This gives the cool wear of linen with a touch of sparkle from the silk and the wool to stabilize it .
Harrisons Sunbeam is a great silk and Wool Mock Leno jacketing and has a particular look which has worked for us as has our Mersolair which covers most angles in summer trousering and linen /linen mohair jacketings.
Perhaps just Perhaps we have room for one more quality...maybe next year when Harrisons celebrates its 150 years Anniversary.
Hope this answers your question.

[gruto]

Apr 18, 2012 14:33:23 GMT 1 jamesd said:

I think the quality needs to be Silk ,Linen and wool .This gives the cool wear of linen with a touch of sparkle from the silk and the wool to stabilize it .

Are there any disadvantages of blended cloth in regards to tailorability and durability? I have encountered that more tradition minded customers prefer pure qualites.

Also, how do you look at fresco cloth? How does Frontier compare to fresco cloth? I was thinking maybe Frontier could make a fine summer navy blazer.

[jamesd]

Hi Gruto...In answer to your first question ....Yes. Pure wool cloths are easy to work with. Pure wool will stretch under heat whereas Silk and Linen will not ,making tailoring far easier .However pure wool is a great insulator and hold heat very well and with a summer jacketing thats no perfect. Wool fibres trap heat whereas linen and silk dont making a more comfortable jacket for the consumer. We feel as merchants getting the right combination of all three is critical.Possibly 50% wool 25%silk 25%linen.I will let you know how i get on.!!

Fresco Cloths ...well thats a question...In the Far East these have been very successful,but in the uk not really . The problem/Appeal with fresco is the coarse handle.This fabric is a compressed yarn which undergoes high twisting which in turn produces a rough/tough resilient fabric.Whereas Frontier is made by usual mill methods.Frontier is softer more forgiving and generally much more accessible as Fresco cloths in general come with a high price tag.I have found people prefer a summer jacketing to be slightly softer and a bit more forgiving than Fresco.

Gruto i hope this answers your questions...its only my point of view...but go with frontier Its safe ,strong,and wont let you down.

[banjo888]

I have a few jackets made up with the discontinued H Lesser Barbera cloths and they are some my favourite jackets, perhaps a little too warm for the summer, but patterns like that in mixture of silk, wool or linen would be great.

[jamesd]

Lessers Carlo Barbera jacketing is great.. Some designs a little dated but quality is beautiful.Harrisons policy regarding buying is we always try to buy British... Sometimes this can work against us but I feel it's important for us to be able to say we are solely British Merchants.
We will issue new jacketing but the details are still hush hush!!...but with silk and linen it will be cooler to wear than the other lesser jacketings.
Thanks for post
Thanks for

[rogerc]

I'd say that there is some room left under the Glorious 12th for an 8-9oz pure wool jacketing cloth. There are already a number of wool/linen/silk mix books out there, and it would really come down to the design if a new book of that sort would contribute much. Conversely, I can't think of a book right now that offers the classic elegant design language present in the G12th in a summer weight. One other idea: does Harrison have the capacity to manufacture open-weave, high-twist fabrics? I would be very interested in such fabrics bring offered with summery patterns, rather than only in solids.

One other question: are there still CB for Lesser lengths left?

[jamesd]

Rogerc thanks for observation regarding G12...Porter and Harding issued a range called Solway super110s in 8/9 oz ... trouble was the patterns were very similar to G12 which is possibly the best in class at present....it just didnt sell so well...maybe it should have been in plain weave ....but that limits the patterns..Wool /linen/silk hmmmm...If i turn the question on its head...why are there so many books of this out in the market...Business head says thats what sells globally well.Whilst my heart wants to relive G12 in all its variations...im just not sure...i will think on...
rogerc thanks for your thoughts. REf CB from Lessers another lightweight jacketing which is beautiful but just didnt sell well in general...there are some patts left please enquire via email.
Great Post Thanks again..

[rogerc]

I saw on your Twitter that you called the new range Mirage. Do you have any idea yet when the full range will be viewable online? The twitter pics look very tasty indeed...

[jamesd]

We are expecting to put on web very shortly...we will keep you posted

[camilli]

One other option would be a sort of linen hopsack. Suiting is OK for summer jackets, but a coarser weave is even a little better. Anderson & Sheppard has a lovely house fabric of this type in a light fawn color. Branching out to a navy, a sort of slate/RAF blue, and maybe a few items with discreet overchecks would make a decent collection.