Cloth Review - Drago "Skyfall" Corduroy Bespoke Suit
Cotton and Wool Drago Corduroy
Corduroy Bespoke Suit Styling and Cloth Review
Drago have been introducing some new and interesting collections recently. Previously their collections have centred on suiting cloth but lately we are starting to see more variance. We featured some of their new collections in this post here.
I’ve hoped they branched out into different mixes and blends as Drago have always been a solid, reliable and very friendly cloth merchant. Having solid partners makes life much easier.
Recently they launched a new collection of wool and cotton corduroys called “Skyfall” and our team in Portugal put a couple of lengths into the winter seasonal collections. Buying cloth in bulk does offer a decent cost-benefit whilst the quality of the cloth remains high.
It’s worth noting the use of the word cloth over fabric. One well-esteemed merchant told me fabric is for curtains, cloth is for tailoring. It made me chuckle.
I’ve threatened to make a corduroy suit for a while now but have held back as I haven’t found the right colour. But it’s been a cloth that’s been on my radar for a while.
And I suppose its school teacher association has given me some hesitation, even though I can’t ever remember a teacher at my school wearing corduroy.
Somehow corduroy feels familiar yet new, and both at the same time. I have used cotton corduroy for CityChore jackets, chino’s and 5 pocket trousers before so it shouldn’t really feel foreign. But somehow a suit in corduroy feels like a new and exciting venture, even for me.
Making the shade just the right side of modern, for me, crucial to making the suit feel relevant yet retaining its timeless charm. I used this cool-green shade which struck me by its uniqueness yet familiarity.. I like the dark, yet cool tone of the colourway and the way its nap plays with the light.
I ordered this at the tail end of summer so it would arrive perfectly for those first chilly autumn days. For a summer green jacket check out our blog post on Di Pray here.
Bespoke Jacket Style
In essence, this 2-piece suit is a sports jacket and a pair of chinos that also doubles as a suit. It’s a subtle yet highly effective tweak that increases the garment’s usability. My last green suit (click here for blog post) was designed aa a full suit only, and I was keen try to break this one up.
The jacket was constructed with a light touch internally. Shoulder pads have been removed and only a thin layer of canvas remains. This makes the cloth react in a consistent way across the garment and provides a balanced look.
The sleeve head is made up in the “spalla camicia” (shirt sleeve) Neapolitan style.
The “doppio impuntura” double edge stitching frames the lapels and sleeve heads. The cloth has such depth that it tends to swallow other stitching types so it felt important to make it somewhat prominent.
The trousers are pretty much the same as our regular chinos in construction and feel. Its important to us that garments have consistency throughout, and the same light touch applied to the jacket was followed through into the trouser with the knee lining being removed.
The waistband construction is unlined and made from cloth alone. Normally I would choose a belt to offset the lack of structure but went for side adjusters this time due to prior experience with corduroy chinos. The friction created by the belts movement can “smooth out” the nap of the cloth and leave a slight shine. Most people wouldn’t notice it but its something I was keen to avoid.
This could be driven by my regular choice of belt being made from slightly rough suede too. I suppose that’s one to test out long-term and revisit.
You can opt for no belt loops or a slightly simpler side adjuster too. Both would have worked.
The suit turned out lighter than I thought, in a good way. It still feels like you are wearing something with body and substance but without feeling overly bulky. Pretty perfect for autumn. Weighing 340 grams / 12oz its firmly placed in the mid-weight category but it feels like an 8-9 month-a-year garment.
Looking over the pictures it does photograph darker than the cloth really is. But that could also be due to the angle of the camera picking up the nap of the cloth in a different way. The cloth looks cooler in shade and visibly lighter to my eye.
Initially I’ve worn it as a full suit, with a brushed cotton shirt and grenadine tie. But long term I feel it will transition into a jacket and be worn with chino’s and flannels. Maybe it’ll need another photo shoot down the line once I’ve lived in it some more.
I can also see the jacket being worn with buttons down oxford shirts. This feels like a natural partner for corduroy due to its matt and slightly rougher texture. Chambray would be another good choice too.
A downside of wearing it more as a jacket could be uneven wear. Albeit that can also be offset by wearing the chinos as odd trousers themselves. As always, time will help here.
The cloth is in our seasonal bunch at the moment with around 25 metres in stock. When it has sold out it likely won’t be replaced but we will still have access to Drago’s Skyfall bunch. Albeit the construction and colourways are slightly different.
Alternative bunches to use are Dugdale Brothers “West Riding” and Cacciopoli’s “Cotton and Velvet II”. Both are a touch heavier and with somewhat autumnal colourways.
From a style point of view the jackets pretty much where I want it to be. You could always change the pockets to patch pockets and possibly tweak the stitching, but these choices are somewhat personal.
On the trousers I used a silver side adjuster buckle but in hindsight I would have preferred a darker black/smoke. It’s a simple enough change to make which I may look to do at some point.
The overall style of the trousers is solid and something I’m utterly proud of. Our trousers and chinos are great, they really are. Yet the often don’t get the same fan fare the jackets do. They deserve more praise, and I’ll start that here.
Prices as of Oct 2024
2pc suit - £1149.99
Jacket - £849.99
Trouser/Chino - £449.99
Other garments photographed
Tie – Shibumi Firenze Navy Grenadine
Shoes - Berwick 1707 Suede loafer
Shirt – Winter Seasonal by Somelos ref SM050/6
Watch - Vintage Omega
Our price list can be found here
Feel free to ask any questions in the comments
Scott
Colmore Tailors
Birmingham’s Best Bespoke Tailors
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Colmore Tailors are specialists in soft tailoring and men’s bespoke suits and shirts.
