Chosen for
Weight and weave
Tropical range
220–250 g
Overcoat range
400–550 g
Ask for
Grams, not Super
Super 120s Wool Suit: super 120s describes wool spun from fibres of roughly 17.5 microns. It sits at the balance point of the Super scale: noticeably finer and softer than 100s, while still robust enough for regular wear. For most people ordering one good suit, it is the most defensible choice on the fabric wall.
Super 120s Wool Suit: the balance point
If the Super scale has a sweet spot, this is it.
At roughly 17.5 microns, Super 120s is meaningfully finer than Super 100s. You can feel the difference: the cloth is smoother to the hand, drapes with slightly more fluidity, and carries a subtle lustre that reads as expensive without looking shiny.
What it has not yet given up is durability. The fibre is still strong enough to take regular wear, and a Super 120s suit rotated properly will serve for years without the premature shine that finer cloths develop.
Above this point the trade begins to turn. Each further step buys a little more softness for a meaningful loss of resilience.
Who it is for
Someone ordering one very good suit. If this is your main suit and it needs to look excellent while being worn regularly, 120s is the answer.
Someone who already owns a working suit in 100s or 110s and wants the next one to feel more refined.
Anyone buying for a warm climate who wants refinement without fragility. A Super 120s in a lightweight open weave is close to ideal here.
Who it is not for: someone buying a suit that will be worn four or five days a week under real punishment. That suit should be 100s or 110s.
Weight is still the separate question
This bears repeating because the Super number gets so much attention that people forget it.
Fineness and warmth are unrelated. A Super 120s at 320 grams is a winter cloth. A Super 120s at 240 grams in an open weave is a tropical cloth. Same yarn, entirely different garments.
For Chiang Mai, ask for 230 to 260 grams and an open weave, and then let the Super number be a secondary consideration.
Making it last
The two things that matter most cost nothing.
Rotate. Wool recovers from creasing and compression when rested. Two suits alternated will each outlast one suit worn twice as often, and this effect is stronger the finer the cloth.
Steam, do not press hard. A hot dry iron flattens fibres, and flattened fibres are what shine looks like. Steam relaxes creases without crushing the surface.
Brush after wearing, dry clean rarely, and hang on a wide hanger. See Super 130s for the next half micron, and Super 150s for what happens at the top of the scale.
Next step
Walk in, or send your dates and we will tell you honestly what fits in the time you have.
Specification
Super 120s at a glance
Weight and construction decide whether you wear it. Everything else is refinement.
| What the number measures | Wool fibre diameter, and nothing else |
|---|---|
| Approximate fineness | 17.5 microns |
| Durability | The balance point. Refined and still durable enough for regular wear |
| Warmth | Unrelated to the Super number. Warmth comes from weight and weave |
| Ask instead for | Weight in grams, the weave, the ply, and the jacket construction |
Explore
Related
Choosing cloth
How to choose suit fabric: fibre, weight in grams, weave and the Super numbers. Which cloths work in a hot climate and which do not.
Super 100s
What Super 100s actually means, why it is the sensible default for a suit worn regularly, and why higher numbers are not better.
Super 150s
Super 150s wool is finer, softer and shinier than lower numbers, and considerably more fragile. When it is the right choice and when it is not.
Common questions
Is Super 120s a good choice for a suit?
For most people it is the best single choice. It is fine enough to feel and look distinctly refined, and durable enough to be worn weekly without shining prematurely. It sits at the point where the curve of diminishing returns begins to bend.
What is the difference between Super 100s and Super 120s?
About one micron of fibre diameter, 18.5 against 17.5. In practice the 120s feels slightly smoother, has a marginally softer drape and a little more sheen. It is also slightly less resistant to abrasion. The difference is real but subtle.
Is Super 120s suitable for a hot climate?
Yes, provided the cloth weight is right. Fineness and warmth are independent: ask for a Super 120s in the 230 to 260 gram range with an open weave and you have an excellent tropical suiting cloth.
Will a Super 120s suit shine at the elbows?
Eventually, like any wool suit, but slower than a finer cloth would. Shine is caused by fibres being flattened and broken through abrasion. Rotating between two suits and pressing with steam rather than a hot dry iron both delay it considerably.
Next step
Book a fitting
Walk in, or tell us when you are in Chiang Mai and we will hold a slot. First fittings take about 45 minutes.