Scabal "Colibri" cloth Review
The Colibri fabric collection by Scabal is true to its avian namesake—alive with color and energy. The award-winning collection includes 18 articles that each experiment with color, weave, or sheen. Gun club checks, jacquard patterns, and checks are just some of the designs available, with others so innovative they have not yet been named. These luxury bespoke cloths are perfect for the fashion-forward man who enjoys style experimentation.
Well… let’s dive in, shall we?
This is an interesting book that unfortunately does not photograph well on my iPhone—there’s too much color variation going on, and this is both a strength and a weakness of this rather flamboyant and whimsical collection. It looks amazing, but ironically, it may not translate well on camera.
After showing this new book to a few clients, their initial reactions were a little negative, perhaps when looked at in a purely modern commercial context. However, when you frame these as rather fun and retro cloths—perhaps something Johnny Carson or a 60s or 70s playboy might wear—people start to see the appeal.
These innovative fabric patterns would be great for the host of a party or someone looking to wear something bold at a fancy cocktail bar. To many, this may seem like a frivolous use for bespoke tailoring, but I always believe that style is all about who you are, your lifestyle, and your choices.
I have seen (and encouraged) a real trend to not just confine bespoke tailoring to work or important meetings and events in recent years. Usually, this has meant dressing down bespoke with the utility of tweeds, moleskins, and corduroys, but maybe the next frontier is bringing fine(er) cloths into our leisure time? Perhaps it’s about what we wear on a Friday or Saturday night—refinement, sophistication, fun, and of course, confidence.
My only real criticism of this book, outside of its rather niche context, is that it sometimes doesn’t go far enough. We have quite a few repeat patterns here in different colorways, and at 18 cloths, the book is not quite the bold offering it could be. However, I can understand why.
Colibri is not for everyone—its rather advanced aesthetic will probably appeal to the client of considerable means who already has his “basic” bespoke wardrobe covered. There’s nothing wrong with that, though. I think it’s great that cloth houses are taking risks with collections like this rather than going for the safe route of the mythical all-year-round, fits-all-needs “commercial cloth” with colors and patterns like we see everywhere else.
Colibri is 100% wool, made in England, and weighs in at 250 grams or 8.8 oz.
My personal rating is a solid 3 out of 5 stars. This is brought down from 4 because of the limited nature of the collection, but also because there are a couple of weak patterns here, design-wise, which bring down the overall rating. These stand out especially in such a small offering. Still, it remains a very interesting collection and worth a look for those interested in flamboyant bespoke tailoring.
