Winter weddings appear to be incredibly on trend this year

With the wedding season coming to a close, us cutters finally have a chance to catch our breath and once again forget how to cut morning suits until next years Ascot frenzy. Or so we hope!

Winter weddings appear to be incredibly on trend this year, with customers no longer only looking only for the lightest Barathea their tailor will agree to, to keep them cool not clammy as they ‘Vow’ away the rest of their days!

Barathea is the traditional cloth used for dress wear or military uniforms, due to its resilience and ability to hold its shape (useful when being thrown about the Mess by Officers, or bandied over the backs of chairs by rowdy Ushers…). It is, in tailoring, normally a worstead, with silk barathea often used for ties or cravats.

One of its other best qualities is the ability with which it holds dye; we have recently been working on a commission for a client of a ‘Diamond Black’ morning suit, in a 16oz Barathea woven by Dugdales and Sons. The chap in question has reassured me he doesn’t mind being ‘quite warm’ on his big day, however this beautiful cloth will hold its own even if he does wilt!

The Diamond Black cloth in question was woven up in Huddersfield, and dyed by hand using a particularly noxious concoction, which left many of the mill workers with permanently black hands. I’ve been promised that once the cloth is set and finished the dye is not transferrable, but I’ll let you know…!