Wool fabric guide
Wool Suit Design with AI
For a wool suit, most mills quote worsted wool suiting at 230 to 320 g/m²: a classic pairing.
Of the 12 cloths this guide lists for this cut, it sits between polyester blend suiting and cashmere and wool suiting in weight.
Next to suiting linen, it is heavier, more fluid, warmer to wear and more demanding to care for.
Studio films
Wool Suit at a glance
- Cloth to ask your mill for
- Worsted wool suiting
- Typical weight
- 230 to 320 g/m²
- Drape
- Soft
- Stretch
- Slight
- Breathability
- High
- Warmth
- Warm
- Care
- Dry clean
- How common
- A classic pairing
- Typical cloth price
- $15-80/yard
Typical trade ranges, not one mill's figures: confirm them with your mill.
The suit, in numbers
- Typical length
- 72 to 78 cm, from the high point of the shoulder
- Defining details
- Matching jacket and trousers, canvassed front, lined jacket, optional turn-ups
- Cloth needed
- about 3.2 to 3.8 m of 150 cm cloth, roughly $52 to $330 of cloth at typical prices
Typical figures for an adult size M. The pattern tier is set from the real piece count when you order.
How wool behaves on a suit
In a suit it tailors well: the shoulder rolls naturally and the lapel presses into a soft line.
Cut short, a soft cloth keeps a relaxed line without much movement at the hem.
It wears warm, which places it in autumn and winter collections.
The finished piece is usually labelled dry clean only.
It recovers from creases overnight and resists dirt, but it felts if washed hot and moths eat it in storage.
About wool
Wool is the fleece of the sheep: springy, warm even when damp and naturally resistant to odour. Fine merino feels soft against skin, while coarser wools give tweed and melton their body.
Fine merino comes mostly from Australia and New Zealand; Biella in Italy and Yorkshire in England are known for fine worsted cloths.
Wool dresses, skirts and tailoring are usually lined in viscose or cupro so they slide and do not itch.
Cutting, sewing and color
An 80/12 needle; wool shapes with steam, so ease a sleeve head or a curve with the iron rather than with extra seams.
It takes acid dyes evenly, and heathers and marls come from blending dyed fibres before spinning.
Its surface is matte, so it photographs evenly under flat light.
A description to start from
A suit in worsted wool suiting, 230 to 320 g/m², with a soft drape and a matte surface, for autumn and winter.
If wool is not quite right
- Lighter: Cotton, in cotton twill
- Heavier: Cashmere, in cashmere and wool suiting
- Cooler: Linen, in suiting linen
Also: how the studio works, prices and questions and answers.
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