why choose canvassed jacket fronts over fused?
Published: Friday, August 17th 2007
Why choose canvassed jacket fronts over fused fronts?
The picture below may give a clue to why canvas is better than fused. It looks in good shape. I am not, and do not write off fusing though. I have made my position clear on fusing on previous articles.
The tweed jacket in the centre of the above picture, is the jacket I made for myself to wear on my first US trip back in October 2006.
I wear this jacket for everything, and do all the things you should not do to a bespoke garment. I certainly do not treat it with kid gloves like most owners of bespoke garments do.
On top of working in this jacket, cycling in this jacket, walking in this jacket, etc, I also fully load the pockets on this jacket on a regular basis, I wear it seated for hours on end, I screw the jacket up into a ball and stuff it into a carrier bag for the duration of Atlantic flights, take it out of the bag at my destination, shake it off, and wear it again!
The jacket has become like an old friend, I love it, it is my favourite jacket, ever!
The making was documented on previous blog pages, but, sufice to say, the fronts were VERY lightly fully canvassed.
There is nothing in the shoulders, when worn the shoulder line is my own actual shoulder.
The pictures below show me wearing the jacket, the pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago after I had returned from the US.
So, back to the question first posed. Well, the answer why canvas is better is simple by looking at the general condition of the above jacket.
While I was in New York with my son Thomas on my most recent US visit, the weather was not the best for several days, but we still had to venture out to see the sights.
The above jacket was absolutely soaked, I mean soaked fully through. If I jumped in a swimming pool, I would not have been wetter.
If the jacket had been fused, it would have been the end of the story, and the jacket to be fair, but no, good old canvas fronts. I simply hung my jacket up back in the Hotel room and let it dry off slowly overnight.
I then wore it the next day, it was right as rain. The only problem I could see was the edges of the jacket fronts/lapel fronts looked a little 'blown'.
This is where the edges look a little thick and clumsy, but is no drama.
Upon my return to England, I thought the time had come for a re-press. Afterall, the jacket is almost one year old and it would be the first re-press it has had in this time after almost a year of constant HARD use.
The results are easy to see in all the pictures, the jacket is as good as new.
So, if the dilemma exists with a choice between canvassed jackets and fused, if the purse will stretch to bespoke canvas, go for it! When correctly made it will never let you down!
You can comment on this entry, or read what others have written (0 Comments).