Which Superfine Wool is Most Suitable?
Trying to navigate fine suiting wool on behalf of your clients or your tailor?
If so, you've likely heard of superfine wool or seen something like "Super 100" in the selvage of a bolt. We are proud to carry superfine wool fabric at Ellesby.
But do you really need to spend the money on superfine wool, or is it just a gimmick?
First, I should point out that not all fabric with wool mentioned in the selvage is actually wool. I routinely come across fabric that states "based on Italian wool design" or similar on the running edges, which means that it is likely polyester. I see this a lot in Los Angeles Fashion District shops, so buyer beware! Polyester is a poor fabric for suiting because it doesn't breathe well or feel good. Suiting cost is largely labor, so splurge on good materials since there is no difference in time.
Wool has been a revered fabric for thousands of years, and people take it very seriously. Real wool must follow specific labeling protocol in a lot of countries, such as here in the United States. This includes whether it is new or recycled wool, and whether it qualifies as "super".
Among real wool, there are a wide variety, including:
non-wovens, like wool felt
knits, like jersey or sweater weaves
heavy wovens, like coating
midweight woolens, still suitable for apparel
fine and superfine wool, generally marked as such
For quality suits, either superfine or fine wool is what you want to use. Other woolens can be used for suiting as needed and are often used in women's midrange careerwear. However, superfine/fine woolens tend to not feel rough or pill from rubbing, so they are the best for suits that clients expect to maintain for decades.
So what is superfine wool really?
Essentially all fine 100% wool suitable for suiting is Merino wool raised in Australia or New Zealand. From there, it generally makes a trip to Europe to be milled by English or Italian textile mills.
Before the sheared and spooled wool makes its flight, it is weighed and measured for fineness. This is how superfine wool is determined. Fine wool would be wool that doesn't quite meet the criteria of superfine but has a consistent fineness.
There are a few parts to making superfine wool. One is to stress the sheep. Sheep living on steep pastures have thinner, finer hair. This is followed by additional processing by wool manufacturers to sort the coarseness of the wool to be consistent and maximize the amount of wool per spool.
What do numbers like Super 100s mean?
If you are a sewist making your first suit, you may be tempted into getting a higher number because it seems better. Likewise, people in the market to buy a suit are often sold suits with high superfine numbers because it sounds like a premium.
The number after the word "super" corresponds to the number of spools per specific weight of wool. The higher the number, the finer the wool is. Thus, the higher the number, the thinner the wool fiber, because that pound or kilogram of wool yielded more thread than a pound of coarse wool. The goal is to maximize the length of wool per pound to create a "super fine" fiber...
To a point.
Designers and tailors aren't crazy about very high superfine fabrics because they slide a lot as they are sewn. Furthermore, high Supers (about 180 and above) can look cheap on our clients because they are so thin and unsubstantial. So higher is not always better with superfine wool.
Here are the specifications for average width in microns of the wool fiber at each superfine designation.
Super 80s: 19.75 microns
Super 90s: 19.25 microns
Super 100s: 18.75 microns
Super 110s: 18.25 microns
Super 120s: 17.75 microns
Super 130s: 17.25 microns
Super 140s: 16.75 microns
Super 150s: 16.25 microns
Super 160s: 15.75 microns
Super 170s: 15.25 microns
Super 180s: 14.75 microns
Super 190s: 14.25 microns
Super 200s: 13.75 microns
Super 210s: 13.25 microns
Super 220s: 12.75 microns
Super 230s: 12.25 microns
Super 240s: 11.75 microns
Super 250s: 11.25 microns
Okay, now you know what superfine means, but which one should you use for your suit?
So that's a lot of numbers, but they probably don't mean much to you. As a fashion designer myself who works with a lot of clients on bespoke suits, I generally recommend between a Super 100 and Super 150. Less than 16 microns has too limp of a drape for what should be a well structured garment like pants or a jacket. On the other hand, Super 80s and Super 90s feel too rough.
Here is my personal rule of thumb for fabrics for suits:
Super 100 or 110 is great for intricate patterns like houndstooth or glenplaid.
Pinstripes and windowpane work well in the Super 120 and 130 range.
Solids look sleek in Super 140 or 150.
Budget / casual suits are appropriate in regular pure wool, wool blends, or fine wool.
Period costumes are fine in heavier woolens.
What are you making out of wool? Share your project in the comments section!
All the best,
Erica
