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The controversy over super wool: better sheep-breeding techniques and advances in loom technology have made the cloth that goes into men's suits finer and softer. But, Nicholas Antongiavanni asks, are the suits really better?

Article Excerpt
IN THE FITTING room of a Manhattan department store, a partner in an expensive New York law firm looks uneasily in the mirror. His new made-to-measure suit does not seem to fit quite correctly. He has brought along a younger associate to render an opinion. The boss may be richer and a more experienced litigator, but his confidence fails him when he confronts the mysteries of tailoring. The associate, by contrast, is an established client of Henry Poole, Savile Row, London, the world's second-oldest tailoring establishment. He may be less confident in court, but he got over his fear of haberdashery long ago.

"What do you think?" the partner asks.

"Well, the collar is standing off your neck by a good half inch, the shoulders look about a half inch too wide on each side, and the back is a mess."

This is too much for the salesman, who interjects, "But ... this suit is completely handmade!"

"I can see that, and the stitching is very good-beautiful," says the associate. "But the jacket doesn't fit. I'm not sure alterations will be enough to make it fit."

This back and forth goes on for a while, neither side giving any ground, until at last, exasperated, the salesman grabs his customer's arm, lifts it into the air, and strokes the jacket's sleeve. "Feel that," he exclaims triumphantly. "That's Super one-fifties!"

Yes! The trump card! Super 150s! What more do you need to know?

A lot. Successful marketing has convinced too many men that the Super number is a measure not only of great wool but also of great tailoring. Both of these conclusions are untrue. In addition, the Supers fixation may have served to undermine the very industry it was hyped to support. There are signs--small signs--that the clothing industry may be waking up to the danger posed by the Super monster it has created. But other signs suggest it may be too late.

Meanwhile, retailers continue to report that while in the age of "business casual" they sell fewer suits than they used to, what suits they do sell are more expensive, high-end brands priced well into four figures. For many men, the suit has gone from being a daily uniform to a luxury item. Naturally then, buyers have high expectations about the raw materials that go into it. Thus, the Supers phenomenon.

NEARLY EVERY SUIT sold today--certainly those at the middle through the top of the market--is made from wool shorn from sheep descended from just two rams and four ewes. In 1789, King Charles IV of Spain gave those six animals to one Colonel Gordon of the Dutch East India Company, who brought them to South Africa, where they thrived. Six years later, an enterprising British immigrant to Australia named John Macarthur bought 26 sheep from the colonel's widow and transported them to Botany Bay. These 26 became the founding...