Chosen for
Weight and weave
Tropical range
220–250 g
Overcoat range
400–550 g
Ask for
Grams, not Super
Super 150s Wool Suit: super 150s describes wool spun from fibres of roughly 16.0 microns, which produces a very soft cloth with pronounced sheen and beautiful drape. It is also markedly more fragile than lower Super numbers, so it belongs in an occasional garment rather than a suit worn weekly.
Super 150s Wool Suit: what you actually get
At roughly 16.0 microns, Super 150s is genuinely lovely cloth, and it is worth saying so plainly before the caveats.
It is soft in a way lower numbers are not. It drapes with a fluidity that makes a jacket hang beautifully from the shoulder. It has a low, liquid sheen that photographs well and reads as expensive across a room. Held in the hand, the difference against a Super 110s is immediate.
None of that is marketing. It is a real difference and there are occasions where it is exactly what you want.
What it costs you
Fine fibres are weak fibres.
Wool wears out through abrasion: the surface fibres are rubbed, flattened and eventually broken, and broken flattened fibres reflect light differently from intact ones. That is what shine is, and it appears at the seat, the elbows and the cuff edges.
The finer the yarn, the sooner it happens. A Super 150s suit worn twice a week will develop shine noticeably earlier than a Super 110s in the same rotation. It also creases a little more readily and is less tolerant of hard pressing.
This is not a defect. It is the direct consequence of the property you paid for.
When it is the right choice
A suit for occasions. A wedding, an important event, something worn a handful of times a year. Here the durability question barely arises and the drape and sheen earn their place.
A third or fourth suit. Once you own robust working suits in 100s or 120s, a finer one adds something genuinely different.
Someone who will rotate and care for it properly. Rested between wears, steamed rather than pressed, brushed after wearing, a Super 150s suit lasts considerably longer than one that is not.
When it is not
A first suit. Buy 100s or 120s and spend the difference on construction. Half canvas in a Super 110s beats fused in a Super 150s by a wide margin, and it is not close.
A daily working suit. You will be disappointed within two years.
A travel suit. Fine cloth suffers in a suitcase.
The honest summary
The Super number is the most heavily marketed figure on a fabric wall, and it is one of the least useful for deciding whether you will be happy with a suit.
Ask instead about weight, weave, ply, and what the jacket is built with. Those determine whether the suit works. Super 130s is the step below this one and the last point on the scale most people should stop at. See the fabric guide for the properties that actually matter.
Next step
Walk in, or send your dates and we will tell you honestly what fits in the time you have.
Specification
Super 150s 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 | 16.0 microns |
| Durability | Delicate. Shines at elbows and seat sooner. Best as an occasional suit |
| 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 120s
Super 120s wool: the balance point between refinement and durability, and the most versatile choice for a suit worn regularly in a warm climate.
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.
Common questions
Is Super 150s worth it?
For an occasional suit worn to important events, yes. It is genuinely beautiful cloth with a drape and softness lower numbers cannot match. For a suit worn weekly it is a poor investment, because it will shine at the elbows and seat far sooner than a Super 110s or 120s.
Why does Super 150s wear out faster?
Finer fibres are individually weaker and break more easily under abrasion. When surface fibres break and flatten, they reflect light differently, which is what shine is. The finer the yarn, the sooner that happens at friction points.
Is a higher Super number always better?
No. The Super number measures fibre fineness only, not quality, durability or how well the cloth was woven and finished. A well-woven Super 110s from a good mill will outperform a poorly finished Super 150s on every practical measure.
What about Super 180s and above?
These exist and are extremely fine, extremely soft and extremely delicate. They are effectively display cloths. A suit in Super 180s needs to be treated as a fragile object, and for most people the money is better spent on better construction in a more robust cloth.
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.