The genuine, British style tweed suit is generally worn on rare opportunities in the UK, such as horse race meetings and shooting parties. This is because the suit is normally heavy, rough and stiff, meaning it’s superb at keeping out cold wind, rain, mist or even frost.
On the other hand, the continental tweed suit is much more of the English style, these are commonly softer and smoother with rustic leather patches on elbows. The continental tweed suit also incorporates leather buttons and to keep the wearers legs from contact with the scratchy wool the trousers are sometimes fully lined.
The material of the continental tweed suit is usually green/ brown tweed with a windowpane check. The cut is very different from the British style as it has three buttons, a vent at the back of the jacket, sloping pockets and narrow unlined trousers without pleats.
As these suits are mostly warn outdoors or in cold country houses, they are not suitable for heated rooms. This is because the material hardly lets any wind or damp through. The continental suit is definitely more suited for the English city goes as weekend wear, however for more sophisticated occasions, you should find nothing more suitable than the genuine British style tweed suit.
View our full range of ready-made and bespoke suits – both practical and modern at our Huddersfield store Monday – Saturday, 10am to 5pm.