What's Worsted Wool?

No offense to terrific summer fabrics like lightweight linen or cotton, but wool continues to be the go-to fabric when it comes to business suits. You can chalk up a lot of that success to something called worsted wool.

What’s worsted wool?
Wool is wool, but there’s a great deal of difference between a woolen sweater and a worsted wool suit. The former type of wool is the soft, fuzzy kind that’s woven into your favorite cable knit sweater. The latter is a finer, tighter and more resilient weave more easily cut into a suit.

One of the key differences between a woolen and a worsted wool is that worsted wool undergoes a process called “carding,” which aligns its short and long fibers to achieve a flatter texture and more uniform appearance that makes it a great match for professional suits.

The tighter weave of worsted wool also means that it’s less prone to wrinkling and more likely to rebound under pressure. This makes worsted wool a great option for suits contending with the daily grind of work commutes or business travel.

How do you wear a worsted wool suit?
Worsted wools suits come in a wide variety of colors and styles, but their tighter and slightly shinier weave place them on the more formal end of the spectrum. In short, wear them with whatever other shirts and ties you’d pick out for a professional setting.