The Journal — Authority Launch

Canvas construction is one of the most important and least visible decisions in a suit. The interlining inside a jacket — whether it's a full canvas, a half canvas, or a fused lining — determines how the jacket drapes, how it ages, and ultimately whether it still looks good in year ten or is visibly deteriorating by year three. Most people who own suits have never thought about this. Most tailors think about it constantly.

If you've ever worn a suit from a serious tailor — on Savile Row, in New York, in Milan — there is a reasonable chance the fabric came from Holland & Sherry.

Most people buying a suit focus on two variables: fabric and fit. Both matter enormously. But there is a third variable — construction — that is invisible in the finished garment and determines more about how the suit looks and lasts than almost anything else. A full canvas suit is the construction standard that the tailoring industry considers correct, and understanding why requires understanding what goes on inside a jacket.

The process of making a custom suit involves more distinct stages than most people who wear them realize. Understanding what happens between the consultation and the finished piece — which craftspeople are involved, what decisions are made at each stage, and why the process takes the time it does — changes how the final garment feels. When you know what went into it, you understand what you're holding.