Last edited by Mr Darren Beaman (2007-06-14 11:59:56)

Do you mean like matte vs. glossy in terms of paint?

It’s like pornography, difficult to define but you know it when you see or, rather, in this case feel it.  Best way I’ve found to put it in words, for the uninitiated, is that the feel of satin is the antithesis of “dry” while burlap is its apotheosis.  If he doesn’t know antithesis and apotheosis, I can’t help him.  Curiously, and of no help to our novitiate, however far from “dry” a fabric might be, it would never be called “wet”, would it?  Now closing Thesaurus.

And indeed it merits pride.  Further, I understand completely what you are trying to convey when you say Lesser’s fabrics are dry.  I’m only saying that I’ve always used “dry” to describe the hand of a fabric.  I have also known "dry" to be used when describing a fabric’s appearance.  But I have not heard “wet” applied to fabric’s hand, while it is sometimes the perfect descriptor for appearance as in, “my black latex cat suit has a wet look.”

Sorry.  Forgot which forum I was on.

www.hlesser.co.uk

Thanks for the explication.   I think I know what y'all mean.  I've got a suit made from Smiths cloth, I've posted it here before (3 piece heavy worsted in char grey, that seems to have what I'd describe as a "dry finish," though maybe not as much as the Lesser cloth that I've seen.  But very nearly so.

Though I find myself to be in sympathy with the Fogey Brigade, what I like about FNB's angle is that the old school is taken and adapted into something that becomes in its own way both hip and conservative at the same time.

Went with the wife to my tailor Saturday and, although I'm not generally a fan of Lesser ( not the quality, which is fine, but the patterning which is generally a little too sedate for me), I've ordered some.  I've picked two out of the new 10oz book at the behest of the wife who said I need some more conservative suits. One's a blue glen plaid and another is a faint windowpane. I agree the cloth is nice but very sedate. A number of the H&S cloths ( I really like the Marl book)have as nice a hand though and patterning/colors that I like better.

The H&S Marl and Victory flannel books have nice things as said. My latest are a DB suit out of the Dormueil "Tonik" book and a Porter and Harding sportcoat. The GRM (sic)books I've seen are also nice. Given my druthers, I'd probably tend more Dormueil ( if the quality were more consistent) or H&S than Lesser. But to get along I'm getting those two.

Last edited by yachtie (2007-06-18 16:46:13)

I have placed a second footnote into the H. Lesser essay to better convey the concept of dryness about the cloth. I think it is an important one because it is so much of what makes the cloth appear higher quality, richer, exclusive and convey a look of power.


http://www.filmnoirbuff.com/article/h-lessers-and-sons