Spring Tailoring: A More Relaxed Approach
As Sydney moves into spring, the change in season naturally brings a change in the way we dress. Heavier cloths begin to make way for lighter wools and linen blends, while tailoring itself can become a little softer and more relaxed.
It doesn’t mean abandoning the suit. Instead, it’s about choosing the right cloth, construction and cut for warmer days, and finding ways to wear tailoring beyond the traditional business wardrobe.
Dressing for a Sydney Spring
Spring in Sydney can be unpredictable. On cooler days below 20 degrees, I’ll still comfortably wear a light to medium weight suit, and occasionally a three-piece. Once the temperature starts reaching the mid-20s, however, lighter cloth becomes increasingly important.
Personally, this is when I start reaching for lightweight wools and wool, linen and silk blends. I have a few suits in brown and green tones that I’m particularly looking forward to wearing this spring.
The versatility of these cloths is part of their appeal. During the week I might wear one with a shirt and tie and a pair of Loake loafers, while on a more casual day the same suit can be worn with a good T-shirt and sneakers. It works just as well for a relaxed day at work as it does for a weekend lunch.
Lightweight Doesn't Always Mean Better
One mistake we often see when choosing a summer suit is focusing solely on finding the lightest cloth possible.
Weight is certainly important in warmer weather, but an extremely lightweight cloth without enough body can have poor drape and crease easily, leaving a suit looking untidy by the end of the day. The way the cloth is woven and constructed is just as important as the number on the scale.
High-twist wools are particularly good for this reason and have become increasingly popular in recent years. Fox Brothers' Golden Fox is one we particularly like. It's a lightweight, high-twist wool that breathes well, resists creasing and still has enough body to drape properly.
For someone looking for a summer business suit that needs to remain presentable throughout a long day, it's an excellent option.
A More Casual Approach
Perhaps the biggest change we're seeing isn't simply lighter suits, but a broader interpretation of what tailoring can be.
We've recently been making more pieces designed specifically for weekends and casual occasions. Denim shirts with matching trousers, safari-style shirts in linen, colourful cotton chinos and relaxed separates in wool and linen blends are all finding their way into the wardrobe.
Cloth becomes particularly important when making these garments. With casual tailoring, the choice of fabric can dictate the entire character of a piece, from how it hangs and moves to how formal or relaxed it ultimately feels.
The cuts are changing too. My own trousers are certainly fuller than they were five or ten years ago, with a slightly higher rise, a wider leg and, in some cases, a single pleat. Jackets and casual pieces have become softer and less structured as well.
It's a change we've gradually started to see amongst our clients.
Cotton Denim by Albini
Fuller Trousers, Double-Breasted Jackets and More Colour
While most clients still favour a relatively narrow trouser, we're beginning to see more interest in higher rises and slightly fuller legs.
It's something that stood out during our recent trip to Pitti Uomo in Florence, and it's a direction I think works particularly well in Sydney. A fuller trouser hangs and breaks beautifully, but it's also comfortable and practical in a warmer climate. It needn't be reserved for casual tailoring either. It can work equally well as part of a business suit.
Double-breasted tailoring is also receiving plenty of attention, while clients are becoming more adventurous with colour for casual suits, Friday dressing and destination weddings.
Rather than bold patterns, however, texture continues to dominate much of the warmer-weather tailoring we're making.
A recent example was a softly structured suit we made in a burnt-red Fox Brothers high-twist wool for a European destination wedding. With patch pockets, high-waisted pleated trousers and a more relaxed construction, it had plenty of character without relying on pattern.
Tailoring for the Warmer Months
For us, spring tailoring isn't about following a completely new set of rules each year.
It's about responding to the season while retaining the things that make a well-tailored garment work: proportion, balance, the right cloth and a cut suited to the person wearing it.
The warmer months simply allow us to approach those elements a little differently, with lighter cloths, softer construction, more texture and colour, and a slightly more relaxed silhouette.
Perhaps most importantly, it's tailoring that feels just as appropriate for a weekend lunch as it does for a day in the city.