After a fairly exhaustive review we have chosen the fabric for the project; a Prince of Wales plaid.
The Prince of Wales fabric - selected from the book at Copperfield tailors
The Prince of Wale (also known as a Glen plaid or Glenurquhart check) has a long history.
“Glenurquhart check is a woollen fabric with a woven twill design of small and large checks.[1] It is usually made of black/grey and white, or with more muted colours, particularly with two dark and two light stripes alternate with four dark and four light stripes which creates a crossing pattern of irregular checks
The name is taken from the valley of Glenurquhart in Inverness-shire, Scotland, where the checked wool was first used in the 19th century by the New Zealand-born countess of Seafield[3] to outfit her gamekeepers,[1] though the name glen plaid does not appear before 1926.[4] Glen plaid is sometimes nicknamed the Prince of Wales check, as it was popularized by the Duke of Windsor when Prince of Wales.[1]”
The fabric has a beautiful blue and red stripe. Chris tells me that such a plaid can only be a Prince of Wales when it has this red stripe. I cannot find reference to this rule anywhere else but Chris is not to be questioned. As Phillip from Crescent Trading Company - the only fabric wholesaler left in London told me, "Chris knows his cloth".
Ideally the fabric will wear well, hide dirt and allow me to keep warm. My only concern is how conservative the fabric will look when writ-large in a 3-piece suit. The suit will be done just before Christmas and we shall see.