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Guaranteed To Satisfy Your Need For Tweed
Introducing our dark brown Donegal tweed suit to the HSS Shop today is extremely exciting for me because of a personal connection I have to this particular garment and fabric. A brown Donegal tweed suit was actually the very first suit that I had made and, as such, you could say it was the suit that helped launch He Spoke Style over a decade ago.
Longtime fans will recall, however, that my original Donegal tweed suit was a touch lighter than the version we’re introducing today. Unfortunately, as often happens, beautiful fabrics will go out of stock and that was the case with the cloth from my original suit. All good things must come to an end, I suppose.
Reimagining and offering this suit in a darker brown Donegal tweed is equal parts homage and update. While the lighter brown of my original suit was indeed striking, it did have some drawbacks. First, as a full suit it was quite particular and finicky to style and I found the lighter color to sort of pigeonhole it into a narrow range of occasions that I could wear it, which is not a great thing when you’re thinking about investing in a versatile wardrobe.
Second, although the lighter brown Donegal tweed suit jacket easily doubled as an essential fall and winter sport coat, the same could not be said for the trousers as a separate. To be honest, I found them almost impossible to style as a standalone piece. In a darker brown tweed, not only does the jacket still make an excellent sport coat, but now the pants can be much more easily styled as a separate.
If I’ve gotten you sufficiently excited about the versatility of this suit by now, be sure to check back later this week when I’ll be featuring it in our popular 1 Piece, 5 Ways series, but today we’re going to focus on introducing you to the suit as a whole, including a quick history of donegal tweed, some specific benefits of a Donegal tweed suit, and of course, a small dose of styling inspiration.
Let’s get started.
What Is Donegal Tweed?
Donegal tweed is a type of tweed fabric that comes from County Donegal in Ireland. It is known for its unique and distinctive appearance, particularly characterized by its colorful specks or “neps” that are woven into the fabric. These neps are created by using differently colored yarns, giving Donegal tweed its characteristic flecks of color.
The fabric is traditionally made from 100-percent wool, making it warm, durable, and perfect for cold weather. Donegal tweed is highly regarded for its craftsmanship and is often used in the production of sport coats and suits.
5 Benefits Of A Donegal Tweed Suit
There are many advantages to adding a Donegal tweed suit to your fall and winter wardrobe, including its durability, warmth, unique appearance, versatility, and tradition. Let’s take a look at each on of those benefits in a little greater detail.
Durability
Up first is an important consideration when building a wardrobe that’s meant to last — durability. Donegal Tweed is renowned for its durability and long-lasting quality. It’s a very robust fabric that can resist a high level of wear and tear, making it super resilient and long-lasting. When you invest in a Donegal tweed suit (or sport coat or trousers), you can be sure that you’re getting a garment that will retain its unique combination of style and longevity.
Warmth
Next up, the practical — Donegal tweed is warm and well-insulated. Whether you live in a colder climate or are just looking for a suit that’s comfortable and warm during the colder months, a Donegal tweed suit will certainly have you covered. When we took the photos for this post, it was in the low 50s and I felt super comfortable wearing this suit and not cold at all — no bulky outerwear needed.
Unique Appearance
Moving from the practical to the aesthetic, Donegal tweed has an extremely unique appearance due to the neps, or multicolored flecks peppered throughout the fabric. In addition to its distinctive look, what this also means is that no two pieces of Donegal tweed are exactly alike, making each garment truly unique while also adding depth and personality to the fabric.
Versatility
As I alluded to not so subtly above, Donegal tweed suits are incredibly versatile. They can be dressed up, as you see in this post, or dressed down to be worn more casually. In addition to its adaptability as a full suit, where a dark brown Donegal tweed suit really shines is that you’re able to break it up into separates. So not only do you have a versatile fall and winter suit, but you’ve also got an essential sport coat and great all-around pair of trousers.
Tradition
Finally, is the heritage factor associated with Donegal tweed. When you wear a Donegal tweed suit, you are connecting yourself to a centuries-old Irish tradition of weaving. It’s a fabric that carries with it a robust sense of heritage and history, which is a testament to the skills of the weavers who have been producing it for generations. What’s cooler than that?
Garment & Outfit Styling
As I am wont to do, I’ve chosen to style this suit extremely classically with an eye towards versatility. The suit jacket is two-button, notch lapel, flap pockets, double vent, and fully lined. Absolutely nothing earth-shattering, but I would like to drill down into my choice of flap pockets.
As a full suit, I think that flap pockets are the right option here especially due to the darker brown fabric, which makes it more formal and more conservative. If you were going to only purchase this as a sport coat instead of opting for the full suit, my advice would be the same — go with flap pockets. That may sound a little strange if you know me because most of my sport coats, especially those in flannel, I like to style with patch pockets. But, again, the darker more formal color I do think looks best with flap pockets.
The trousers. Here too, I’ve styled them pretty much to my usual specifications. Side adjusters instead of belt loops. A two-inch cuff, which I believe is non-negotiable when it comes to heavier fabrics, like flannel and tweed. But instead of my usual single reverse pleat, I’ve gone flat front here just to make it a bit more modern.
In terms of the outfit styling here, I’ve gone with something with that I’d call “perfectly classic.” Very simple and easy with a baby blue poplin shirt, navy blue grenadine tie, crisp white cotton pocket square, and brown pebble grain wingtip brogues, which play into the ruggedness and country heritage of the Donegal tweed fabric.
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking to deepen your fall and winter wardrobe bench, there is no better choice than a dark brown Donegal tweed suit. Its durability makes it a sound investment that you’ll be able to enjoy for years and years to come. Its warmth makes it an incredibly practical choice for the colder months. The fabric’s unique appearance makes each and every suit a one-of-a-kind garment. It’s exceptionally versatile — you’ve got a full suit, sport coat, and trousers. And you have a connection to hundreds of years of heritage, history, and craftsmanship.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
