Scabal’s A/W 09-10 winter collection is all about men at work. Or rather, a surreal version of the office: the dandy at his desk, who phones and communicates, a man who likes to gather information, who thinks things over. A man who appreciates luxurious and comfortable suits, with a relaxed feel to them. The cloths emphasize natural softness and lightness. This season, the suits once again have a lean fit, and are combined with overcoats, that are preferably made to measure.

The cloths

Hundreds of constantly evolving luxurious qualities, patterns and colours

The suits for the 2009-2010 winter season will be more colourful than for winter 08/09. All the same, the look is largely discreet, especially as far as patterns are concerned. The basic colour palette ranges from classic dark hues to middle grey, brown and blue. Purple, lilac and various shades of red are used to accentuate the basic colours. As far as patterns are concerned, this season features both narrow and broad stripes, next to checks, which are still very en vogue. Both timeless and hip, they come in a variety of colour combinations.

As was the case in the 2009 summer collection, wool and silk are staples of the winter collection, lending the fabrics a soft, natural sheen. Satin cloths are another perfect ingredient for next winter’s look. Natural and light are the key words for this season’s jackets. The emphasis is on soft, sporty but luxurious jackets with a classic check, specifically a variety of Scotch checks and black and white checks.

Rougher textures are also well-represented during this season, using super-fine wool qualities, in compositions with cashmere or in high-quality cotton fabrics. Super-fine cotton with a wool look will be the talk of the town next winter.

Michael Day, the cloth designer at Scabal, has chosen six new lines and explains their relevance in Scabal’s new A/W 2009/2010 collection:

“Mandarin is a soft, luxurious, winter suit cloth, made of wool and silk. This light composition is usually a summer favourite, but in view of the milder winters and due to general demand, Scabal has chosen to make this cloth available for the winter season too.”

“Loch Tay is a great new collection of beautiful, soft Super 150’s for blazers. With the exception of cashmere, you will not be able to find a finer wool than this one. This is all about sheer luxury.”

“A new top quality Super 150’s wool is Toison d’Or. We have developed a number of patterns that look quite bold close up, but which manage to retain a discreet feel from afar. Top-notch quality with a subtle design: a line which bears testimony to luxurious and good taste.”

“Next winter, Scabal will once again be proposing overcoats in a new line of Super 100’s and cashmere. We have noticed the strong comeback of made-to-measure overcoats. The leaner fit of suits has led to men wearing overcoats again and abandoning anoraks.”

“We also have a line of pure cotton trouser cloths, which we have decided to name Ascona. This is a heavy winter cotton, with a rather casual feel to it. The line has 33 articles, most of which are plains. We have added a number of bold colours to this line, such as orange and purple. Trousers made using these cloths are relaxed and comfortable, and are often combined with a sweater.”

“Triple A is an old Scabal favourite, which we have chosen to include in our new collection. It is a semi-classic Super 120’s wool. A long time ago, when the Super concept had not yet been invented, wool cloths were subdivided into A, AA, or AAA class. This cloth is made of the best quality wool and is AAA class.

Cotton or wool double face A novelty for this season are the “double face” cloths in pure wool or pure cotton. The final choice about which side is used for the outside or inside of the jacket rests with the customer. And at the end of the day it does not really matter, as both sides of the cloth come with an equally beautiful finish. An ideal way of playing with accents, such as the bottom of a collar or elbow patches using the “inside” cloth. These cloths come in a 380 gram version, ideal for blazers, and in a 460 gram version, for coats.

Suits: the new dandy’s world

In previous seasons, there was a marked trend towards more filled suits. Scabal has chosen to continue this trend for winter. The line continues to be lean, the suit fits the body snugly and the sleeves are narrow with a deeply-set arm hole. The jackets are still short and have one or two vents. The lapels are narrow. The leaner silhouettes also impact the trousers, which come with narrower legs and a low waistband. The result is a young, modern style.

A Scabal suit typically has a perfect fit, is made with only the best materials and is carefully finished in accordance with the client’s wishes. Men who prefer a softer line can choose from the less structured versions of the traditional finish, such as half-lined soft jackets. The main difference resides in the use of other materials for the interior finish and in different production processes. Luxury with a high feel-good factor, or the difference between the simple life and the good life.