summer Fabrics pt. 4

This is the last article in the Summer Fabrics series. Personally, experiencing some of these fabrics in jackets, trousers and suits have been such an extraordinary revelation. Just some years ago, I never could have imagined I would be wearing a suit or a jacket mid summer in Japan.

That’s not to say it’s always a painless endeavour, but still surprisingly easy in comparison to prior experience.

I have already been through quite a few of the mixed fabrics in Part 2 and Part 3, but seeing as those fabrics are not normally seen or recommended in a full suit the obvious solution for this part and as such the fabrics I have opted for myself for suits, are high-twists. 

I will limit this to the qualities I personally have experience with, so even though these are widely known and well representative of what’s available, that’s not to say there aren’t other great options.

Once more I want to add that these are thoughts based on my experience and as such anecdotal. I do not wish to anger the Fresco-mob (hint) and whatever conclusion I might come to is just my personal opinion as to what meets my needs. 

Fresco lite by Huddersfield Fine Worsteds

Available from Hardy Minnis, Fresco, the name often synonymous with high-twist, is easily what one could call the gold standard of high-twists. The Fresco patent reaching all the way back to the turn of the 19th century, has since seen adaptations to cater to the demands of modern day sartorialists. The original Fresco has quite the following of aficionados around the world and although the fabric has some extraordinary properties, it’s a little, or quite, too heavy for my liking. 

Fresco comes in a range of weights, but the 430 gram quality, which purists would say is the real Fresco, I find is not suitable for me during the Japanese summer. 

This is where Fresco Lite comes in. 

I must admit, I’m not completely sure whether this quality is 2-ply seeing as it doesn’t explicitly say, but looking at the fabric in comparison to other high-twists that are 2-Ply it’s similar enough to assume so. 

Even though It’s significantly lighter at 280g, it still has the same amazing properties in terms of breathability, wrinkle resistance and keeps the drape nicely despite the lower weight. 

I will however point out that personally I find Fresco Lite to be the least wrinkle resistant of all the qualities in this article, although, not by a lot. The most obvious place to check for this is the back of the knees and compared to the rest, there is significantly more wrinkles. 

That being said, I added “not by a lot” because, although there is quite a bit of wrinkling, I acknowledge the fact that the humid weather when the Fresco Lite was mostly worn would have had quite an impact. I’ve worn all more or less the same amount, but during different periods of summer.

I wore Fresco Lite trousers quite often throughout the rainy season, which is when humidity is at its highest, moreover, constantly so. 

It’s not like wearing Fresco Lite on a hot and humid day suddenly makes life a walk on roses, but surprisingly I found that even when sweating the fabric doesn’t stick to the skin or absorb the moisture to become heavy. To put this into perspective, with some of the tropicals I swear to, you will see the moisture (a nicer way of saying sweat) trickle through the fabric and create a layer on the outside. The Fresco Lite however wears nice and airy and I’ve never experienced anything similar.

As for the feel of the cloth, Fresco Lite is not as coarse as the heavier Fresco qualities, but it’s definitely still quite coarse. Not what you would make your baby blanket out of, for sure. 

For trousers this isn’t a huge problem in my opinion, but I would still definitely opt for Crispaire as they are significantly softer.

Fox Air by Fox Brothers

Fox Air is another 2-Ply high-twist alternative, in the same weight range as Fresco Lite. 

As much as Huddersfield is more or less synonymous with its Fresco qualities, Fox Brothers on the other hand is a merchant almost synonymous with patterns. Connoisseurs in Japan and Hong Kong are obsessed with the qualities provided in the different bunches from Fox Brothers, regardless of season. 

I am also one of them. I am amazed by the variety of patterns and colours Fox Brothers offers, and they are experts in creating somewhat unusual colour and pattern variations while keeping the tones sophistically muted . 

Also their solids encompasses beautifully nuanced colours with hints of different tones based around the main colour of the cloth.

The first time I wore this cloth, when doing the fitting for my custom Ring Jacket suit, I immediately noticed how much lighter it felt than Fresco Lite and Crispaire. The weight of the three would suggest Fox Air would feel at least similar to the other two, if not heavier. 

Quite the contrary.

Additionally, it was also noticeably thinner and airy. 

Interestingly, when worn throughout the day I do not find this to be noticeable at all in terms of how warm one gets and overall breathability. As in, Fox Air, Fresco Lite and Crispaire are all seemingly equally breathable and amazingly so.

Fox Air does not really reach the top tier spot in terms of wrinkle resistance. It’s a little better than Fresco Lite, but not as good as Crispaire. 

I recon the reason I seem so surprised about the properties of Fox Air is that I initially didn’t view it as being in the same league as the other high-twists like Fresco, Finmeresco and Crispaire. I had this impression that the advantage of the typical properties associated with high-twists were somehow secondary in the case of Fox Air. I couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Fox Air is definitely to be equally considered if one is out to acquire anything made from a high-twist cloth.

As with Fresco Lite, Fox Air is quite coarse. There is a difference however in how coarse it feels when you touch the fabric as opposed to wearing it. Because Fresco Lite wears heavier than Fox Air (in my opinion), the coarseness is a little more prevalent in the former than the latter. 

Balloon Fresco by Ring Jacket

Yet another quality where I’m not completely certain about the details. As with Fresco Lite, I recon this is a 2-Ply, most likely around 280g. This preliminary conclusion is based on the fact that Balloon Fresco and Fresco Lite looks and feels more or less the same apart from some aspects.

One which is that Balloon Fresco is quite a lot softer than Fresco Lite. 

As with any of these high-twists, Balloon Fresco is also incredibly breathable. I only have this quality in a navy sports coat, as such this particular jacket can still get pretty hot on sunny days. But the properties of the cloth itself is undeniably great.

I’ll also add that Balloon Fresco is a little more wrinkle resistant than both Fox Air and Fresco Lite, so you have to give it to Ring Jacket for coming up with this high-twist version when we all thought the invention game was over. 

Crispaire by Holland & Sherry

It might not come as a surprise that Crispaire is my favourite among all of the qualities presented here. It amazes me how much variety there is between all the high-twist options and even though Crispaire is the one that does it for me, I completely understand why some might opt for Fresco. 

What you’ll usually see sited by aficionados of either is that Fresco has a little more rustic, robust, and textured look, also adding that it is a lot more coarse than Crispaire. These are all properties that can be either good or bad depending on which side you are on. And believe me, there are sides. 

Crispaire is a 2-Ply worsted wool and a little heavier at 310g. Looking at all four qualities presented here, Crispaire, in addition to Fresco Lite, also feels quite heavy when worn. 

That being said, also similar to the others, It is extraordinarily breathable. It’s to the extent that you completely forget about the heaviness because you feel so comfortable and cool throughout the day. In my opinion Crispaire is the most breathable of all of these, if only by a slight margin.

Additionally, it’s by far the softest. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the texture I would assume it was a completely different category than the rest. 

You’ll see the merchants promote high-twists as perfect for travel. This of course is mostly due to it’s wrinkle resistance and breathability. 

But adding the softness of this quality, Crispaire, in my opinion is a level above. 

Crispaire also comes in a variety of colours and patterns which are a little more interesting than that of Fresco. That being said a lot more conservative than Fox Air. 

But just looking at the amount and range, here you have a lot to pick from. 

Conclusion

Off the bat, I can say that Crispaire is my favourite by a long shot in terms of properties. If you are satisfied with the colours and patterns they provide this is my recommendation.

It is remarkably breathable but the only quality on this list I would call soft. 

I would say that Fox Air comes in at second place. Even though it’s coarse, it’s not as coarse compared to Fresco. Secondly, although the Fox Air Bunch book might not be as bountiful as others, the colours and patterns they do provide is really something completely different. 

As for Fresco Lite and Balloon Fresco, I have nothing bad to say, it’s simply that I find Crispaire (and Fox Air) to be better options based on my preferences. 

All of them are breathable, wrinkle resistant and perfectly good options for summer (or travel).

Final Rating

Crispaire

Breathability 10/10

Softness 6/10

Wrinkle resistance 8/10

Selection 9/10

Price: Higher end

Fox Air

Breathability 10/10

Softness 4/10

Wrinkle resistance 7/10

Selection 8/10

Price: Mid range

Fresco Lite

Breathability 10/10

Softness 3/10

Wrinkle resistance 6/10

Selection 7/10

Price: Mid range

Balloon Fresco

Breathability 10/10

Softness 4/10

Wrinkle resistance 8/10

Selection 4/10

Price: Lower to mid