Your Favorite Materials

[Real Real]

I have this Ys crewneck sweater with rolled hems (the neck, bottom, and sleeves fold up at the hem) that's made out of 85% silk/15% cashmere knit. The silk/cashmere mix is as soft as almost any of the good cashmere sweaters I own, but it's not fuzzy like pure cashmere, so it also has a sort of crisp feeling to it. The knit has a weird elasticity/sponginess, so the sweater keeps its shape well, even without ribbed cuffs. It's thick enough that it hangs well, but the sweater is cool enough to feel comfortable up into the high 60s.

What are your favorite materials of those used in the pieces that you own?

[Faust]

Great thread, real_real. Should I preempt all "object dyed poell" posts, lol? I kid, I kid.

As of late, some of Ann Demeulemeester's jacquard cottons she uses for suit jackets and pants are insane.

I also love worsted wool - there is something incredibly luxurious about it.

Boiled wool used by Comme des Garcons and Junya Watanabe.

Yohji Yamamoto's linen (where does he got such good stuff?).

Ramie mixed with wool or cotton.

And of course, metal mixed in with cotton or wool for that crinkly effect.

I'm sure there is more that I haven't thought of.

[Real Real]

I'll give another one - the cotton that Bottega Veneta uses to line pockets. If I had to guess, it's probably ~160s broadcloth - just has an incredibly smooth feel. I notice it any time I put my hands in the pockets of the trench coat or pair of gray flannel pants that I have.

[Heirloom]

GREAT thread.

I love the fabrics I got at Premiere Vision in Paris this year. A super sheer 55% silk 30% cashmere 15% viscose blend. It's elastic, drapes delicately, is shiny enough to not cling to other fabrics and fall freely, but isn't synthetically shiny, and is just incredibly soft.

I also really really love those smooth thick cashmere wool blends jil sander put in their coats and jackets. it's almost like clay in the surface.

I also found a deep grey silk organza which looks like carbon fibre. bouncy, light and smooth.

[AKA*NYC]

Not to be totally predictable here but for me it's a two-way tie between CCP FW 07 calfskin (fencing jacket and overlock) and M.A+ wallet and/or FW 08 leather shirt calfskin. If sniffing the stuff gets you high you know it's good.

[random]

what i can think of now that i really like

1. the classic poly/cotton wrinkled fabric used in many cdg outwear.

2. the waterproof gauge cotton used in classic harnden raincoats

3. the silk/metal/wool mixed material used in some pieces from julius ss07

4. hairy fur. not that i own any fur coats (plus i am kinda allergic to such things) but i just like to touch it. feels great.

5. the not very thin vintage leather used by rick owens in his classic moto jackets

there should be more.

[airboyair]

Boiled wool used by Comme des Garcons and Junya Watanabe.

wearing Junya boiled wool pants today.



leather from carpe diem and ann dem
cotton from rick owens and helmut lang
balenciaga hemp
45rpm fabrics

[Chinorlz]

Carol leather is a given hehehe

I really like the rough grain cotton that Carol uses for suits and many pants... never come across anything quite like it before.

As for other folks, the blistered leather that Rick uses. No idea how it's done at all.

[noerml]

If it comes to knitts i love alpaca more than everything.
to be more precise baby alpaca and finer qualties. Though that is nothing you would ever find in any non-handknit products, sad as it is. But no designer i know and like really has acess and/or is willing to produce in premium wool-qualties.
Now as a few posts here already indicated some do work with cashmer ( which i don't like all that much) or alpaca, but the industrial process and the margins most likely does't allow for the "gud stuff".

What i like about the finer alpaca grades is that, while they are just as soft as cashmer, they do felt better (i love it when cloths have a story to tell and a history) and there is a more hm.. metalic feel to the fibers, cleaner in a way.

vicuna is this side of heaven, and i happen to own a (rather ugly) scarf, but it's inaffordable so i won't speak of it here. lol


I dunno if the question does include metals, but i love silver. Not the polished silver, i actually think that looks cheap, but the worn in, half oxidized silver. It looks so natural while still being special...

[ddohnggo]

Not to be totally predictable here but for me it's a two-way tie between CCP FW 07 calfskin (fencing jacket and overlock) and M.A+ wallet and/or FW 08 leather shirt calfskin. If sniffing the stuff gets you high you know it's good.

ditto on this and 45 rpm denim. as well as:

ccp heavy wool coat. the wool is so dense/thick and doesn't pill. seriously amazing.

rick owens cotton tees. very fine and extremely soft.

lanvin trousers. i can't even remember what they're made of but it's so luxurious.

[maldoror]

c.diem boiled linen. not the softest stuff going, but an endlessly fascinating texture and a great way to take the edge off a too black or hard edged minimalist look. will rusticate your futurism with flash.

[Jorge Hache]

Ann Demeulemeester: Wool/ramie, wool/cotton and cotton/metal
CCP: Object dyed leathers and "raw" wool (have a blazer in this material, it's beautiful, but a little bit itchy)
Carpe Diem: Treated cottons and linen
Raf Simons: If you like synthetic fabrics this is the guy, run away from Miuccia
Helmut Lang: Egyptian cotton and Moleskin

[theetruscan]

Wool/Linen and Wool/Cotton blends. Wool manages to magically give things more comfort, better cold weather wearability, and not lose the warm weather usefulness.

[jumpoff]

If it comes to knitts i love alpaca more than everything.

Gotta agree about the alpaca. I have a neckwarmer made of baby alpaca and it is amazingly soft.

[Heirloom]

I ove alpaca, but it sheds on everything!!!