The Numbers Game - What Does Super Wool Mean?

Why the numerical designations-Super 100s, Super 120s, Super 180s-for
ultra-lightweight wools don't mean what you think they do.

The thread of this story is the numbering system used to describe the new breed of super-lightweight, high-twist wools. Pioneered by Italian mills about ten years ago, these fabrics are made using high-tech machines that spin wool lighter and finer than it's ever been spun before. The various grades of cloth are referred to as Super 100s, Super 120s, Super 150s and so on, up to Super 200s, which Oxxford Clothes started using last year for a line of suits. (As far as I know, this is the top of the super-lightweight wool pyramid right now.)

The problem is the impression left by the numbering system. Set up as a shorthand for describing the fineness of wool fibers, it has, in the process of trickling out into the marketplace, come to be taken as a quality ranking. It's easy to assume a Super 120s wool must be better than a Super 100s wool and not as good as a Super 150s wool-in short, the higher the S-number, the better the fabric.

That's simply not true, and no less an authority than Paolo Zegna, the textiles division president of Ermenegildo Zegna, describes the S-system, as it's known in the trade, as "a very big confusion." Zegna doesn't use S-numbers at all, preferring to describe its lightweight wools as High Performance or 15 Milmil 15, for example. Still, the S-numbers persist, a lingua franca that's irresistible because it reduces a complex subject to a sort of yardstick.

The S-system dates back to the 18th century (also known at the time as the worsted count system), and then as now it denoted the fineness of a given bale of wool. In those days finished yarn was coiled into 560-yard-long loops called hanks. The S-number indicated how many hanks could be gotten out of a pound of wool. The finer the wool yarn, the farther it would go. The S-scale ran from 30s to 100s, then the finest wool available. (Today 100s wool is practically the bottom rung of the S-scale.)

The S-scale remains even though hanks are long gone. Now the number refers to the fineness of the wool as measured in microns (one-millionth of a meter). Does that mean finer is better? Not necessarily. As Paolo Zegna explains, "You can have a good 15-micron wool or a bad 15-micron wool." (Finer does mean more expensive: Oxxford's suits made from Super 200s wool retail for $14,000.)

Fineness is just one quality component: Length, strength, color, and crimp are also important, with the first two particularly so. Length is critical because the longer the fiber, the stronger the yarn that can be spun from it. Strength is critical because the yarn must be twisted very tightly (hence the name high-twist fabric) to achieve a fine weave. The way in which the fabric is finished also plays an enormous role in the feel and look. At Dormeuil, I have seen Super 100s wool that felt as sumptuous as Super 120s or 140s because of the finishing.


But there's a mania among consumers and manufacturers for fineness and lightness. "There's been a revolution in the making of a garment," says Zegna. "The heaviest fabric used today is lighter than the lightest fabric used ten years ago. Ten years ago '13-micron wool' would have meant nothing." Pier Luigi Guerci, president of Loro Piana, adds,"Fifteen years ago there was no production under 17 microns. Now, thousands of bales are produced."

To get such fine wool, sheep flocks have to be specially bred and managed so they grow the requisite fleece. ("Hothouse sheep," quips Ashley Dormeuil, director of Dormeuil.) The quest has even spawned a face-off between New Zealand and Australia, the world's largest producers of fine wool, to see which can produce the finest bale of yarn. In 1998 Australia took the crown with a 13.3-micron bale; last year New Zealand bested that by 0.2 microns. How thin is that? Well, one human hair is 40-120 microns thick.

The irony of this micron mania is that the finest wools (Super 150s and above) don't necessarily make the best garments. For one thing, these fabrics are hard to tailor because the material shifts so easily when it is sewn. (Italian tailors say that the wool is "nervous.") Such wools also wrinkle almost as easily as linen. They are delicate-Paolo Zegna says a Super 180s is like a Ferrari-and not as durable as a less-fine wool. And suits made from them have to be dry-cleaned sparingly. "It's a
high-maintenance garment," says Gianni Campagna, the Milan custom tailor who made the suits, all Super 150s, that Pierce Brosnan wore in The Thomas Crown Affair. "If you stain it, you can only spot-clean it. Or buy a new suit," he adds jokingly.

So what should you do? Make Super 100s and Super 120s the mainstay of your wardrobe. They are durable, resilient, and today's fabrics are superb. Treat the Super 150s and Super 180s as caviar (wonderful, but not to be eaten every day). For these really are connoisseurs' suits. "The pleasure of the weave is something special," concedes Paolo Zegna. Says Pier Luigi Guerci, "The difference to the touch between 17.5 microns and 13.4 microns is enormous. The latter is smoother, creamier. Yet both are fine fabrics." And that's the thing: Ultimately it is the look and tailoring of the fabric that matter most. Everything else is just a number.


We remain with best regards,
E-tailor at www.mycustomtailor.com

How Dressing Your Age Can Make You Look Younger

Lifestyle - Older, Wiser And Trendier - How Dressing Your Age Can Make You Look Younger

January 16th, 2006




A friend of mine who can’t reconcile himself to having recently turned 60 years old showed up at his birthday bash in a tie-dyed T-shirt he’d worn to rock ‘n’ roll concerts 35 years ago and a black leather jacket with lots of silver studs. He tried to conceal his bald spot by combing it over with the hair he still has left. He looked ridiculous and older than he is.
With the first baby boomers the generation born soon after World War II-now turning 60, a once-hip generation of men has a problem: looking younger and with-it, but not foolish, as they begin to use senior discounts. The women in their lives cover gray hair with dye and wrinkles with makeup, but those tactics are too girly for most guys.
What they need to do is change their eyeglasses to a smaller style and get a pair of brown leather shoes that go with almost everything. Wearing slimmer, less boxy suits also helps, as does a splash of color.
What today’s men have going for them is that many are fitter and more youthful-looking than their fathers were at their age, thanks to hours of working out or doing active sports from mountain biking to scuba diving. Even with toned muscles, however, they know they will look silly in fashions aimed at college kids and aren’t sure how to update their wardrobes. Heavier men have even more of a problem.
Not surprisingly, fashion designers and retailers are beginning to cater to middle-aged men’s desire for clothing that is hip and sophisticated. Paul Stuart (www.paulstuart.com), a New York retailer with stores in Japan and South Korea, recently began selling a side-vented jacket with a gently sloped shoulder that isn’t tight but has a stylish, lean look that can be worn by men who have assed some extra pounds. And Under Armour, a U.S. maker of stretchy exercise clothes, is doing a brisk business with boomer men, shorts as girdles under trousers.
Even conservative Brooks Brothers sees a market in slimmer, more colorful styles for older guys. It now sells a line of $800-to-$1,000 suits that are cut narrower than its traditional roomy style. The pinstripes on some of its navy-blue suits are light blue, lavender and other colors instead of white. Its shirt come in two fits: standard and a slimmer model. And last spring, it sold polo shirts in 30 new colors, including light orange and apple green.
Boomers “want their clothes to have an attitude and we want to address what’s been a very untapped market,” says Lou Mandela, marching guy might look awful on another. Here’s a look at few of the pitfalls and how to avoid them:


FIT
Shirt that are one or two sizes too big can have so much extra material around the waistline that they bunch up over your belt and ass weight to your middle. The same goes for oversize jackets and trousers. Comfortable but makes you look heavier.

Better way: Shirt that fit trimly across your chest and back but can be easily buttoned be worn with jackets that narrow at the waist rather than looking boxy. You’ll look taller and more youthful than in a roomier style. Similarly, flat-front trousers with straight legs are more slimming and flattering on most men than pleated pants.


FABRIC
Leather pants may work for Mick Jagger and other aging rock stars, but they’re too young for most boomer men and show every bulge you have. Leave them on the rack for 20-somethings.
Better way: Leather jackets add pizzazz to an older man’s wardrobe, especially if they’re tailored and cut like blazers instead of motorcycle jackets. They can be worn over jeans or trousers.


EYEGLASSES
Large lenses (24or 26 millimeter size) were in vogue several years age, but these cover most of your face and create a droopy appearance. That’s the lat thing any one with a sagging jaw line needs.
Better way: Smaller, 18 millimeter lenses can instantly erase 10 years from your face. And thanks to new technology, smaller frames now can be fitted with bifocals. You should try rimless styles or light-weight frames in thin titanium or even a modish color such as red. “you don’t want anything too wide, which can accentuate your nose, or too narrow, which doesn’t cover your eyes,” says Jeff Press, operations manager of Morgenthal Frederics, a New York eyeglass retailer.


SHOES
Penny loafers or oxfords with tassels on the ties can date you. “After people look at your eyes, they look at your feet, and if you’re wearing the same style shoes that you’ve worn for 10 years, you’re out of it,” says Drew Sisselman, an Atlanta image and style consultant.
Better way: A slip-on or tie style that is contemporary can “freshen everything else you’re wearing ,” says Mr. Sisselman. And Kenneth Cole and Nike’s Cole Haan nuit have trendy styles with comfortable, cushioned heels. Boomer men also can wear low-heeled leather boots or Western boots with jeans. A pair of black leather shoes, with leather soles instead of rubber ones, is essential, but so is a pair in brown, which can be worn with navy, gray and khaki.


COLOR
Black sweaters are hip whatever your age, but black suits can look funereal on anyone over 35.
Better way: Navy and charcoal your are more flattering on most men, but rather than sticking to the same tried and true solid color, experiment with textured fabrics and unusual color combinations gray with a subtle stripe, paired with a maroon, dark blue green or lavender shirt.


HAIR
If you’ve got a full head of hair feel free to flaunt it. But if you’re going bald, don’t try combing over your bald sport.
Better way: The thinner your hair gets, the shorter it should be. Short hair accentuates your features.

We remain with best regards,
E-tailor at www.mycustomtailor.com