Spier & Mackay Suit Pilling - Warranty?

[elpenguinoloco]

For as long as I've been a Dappered reader, Spier and Mackay has enjoyed glowing praise both here and on the main site. I lusted over their suits for a long time, and when a spate of interviews came up last winter, I pulled the trigger on a textured mid-blue suit that I loved.

I pulled it out for a wedding last week and realized I had somehow missed some considerable pilling/fraying of the fabric in the seat area. Pics of the damage:

https://imgur.com/Cqqge9t

https://imgur.com/WLIDyJc

I have worn this suit exactly 9 times (7 interviews, 2 weddings). On none of these occasions have I sat in or on anything abrasive or damaging, nor have I walked excessive distances or otherwise done anything that I can imagine would cause this. When not worn, the trousers were always hung up on the hanger in the garment bag. May be tough to tell from the pictures, but this seems like more than typical wear and tear.

I think I would be annoyed to see this out of a department store suit, or even JC/BR stuff. With the quality of fabric and construction S&M is known for, I am especially bummed. I rarely have reason to wear a suit, so I expected this would be an investment piece I'd have and use for years.

Am I crazy to be annoyed by this? If not, do I have any recourse with S&M?

[BuddingPT47]

Well it certainly looks like you sat on something at least a little abrasive. You'd be amazed at the wear that some things cause on clothes, for me it's backpack straps but I'm suspecting cloth seats are having a bit of an impact on my pants. And the weave of that suit also looks more prone to pilling than the suits that I have from S&M. Shooting an email to their customer service about it might not be a bad idea but I don't know what they'll say.

[Galcobar]

Wow, I've almost never seen that kind of damage before on woven wool. That's not simple pilling caused by the fabric catching either, those rolls require some significant abrasion.

If I'm interpreting the picture correctly, the damage looks to be right on the middle seam, below the tailbone. Were you somehow creating that much friction between your cheeks while walking you'd inevitably see similar wear at the crotch and inner thighs. That suggests to me this was caused while sitting.

As BuddingPT47 mentioned cloth seats can be harsher than we realize, particularly commercial waiting room seats where fabric comfort is less important than wear resistance. Some of those chairs are like sandpaper -- which was my immediate reaction to those images, that it looked like someone had take 60 grit to the fabric.

[JBarwick]

[MENTION=12087]SpierMackay[/MENTION] - I feel like you have covered this somewhere but I cannot recall where exactly.

[batkins9]

I think that's due to how the pants are fitting you. The fabric is rubbing against itself. I've had this happen with some slimmer fitting pants from various companies, so I wouldn't blame them specifically

[JBarwick]

I think that's due to how the pants are fitting you. The fabric is rubbing against itself. I've had this happen with some slimmer fitting pants from various companies, so I wouldn't blame them specifically

I wanted to say this was the cause but was not certain. Usually it is how the owner walks.

[elpenguinoloco]

I wanted to say this was the cause but was not certain. Usually it is how the owner walks.

Hmm. I have not noticed this anywhere else (crotch, thighs), so I am a bit puzzled. They are contemporary fit so were never crazy slim (though the waist was a bit tight before I dropped a few pounds).

Sounds like the consensus is that this is on me, and likely not worth an email to S&M? Who knows, I may give it a shot anyway and see what they say.

[batkins9]

Hmm. I have not noticed this anywhere else (crotch, thighs), so I am a bit puzzled. They are contemporary fit so were never crazy slim (though the waist was a bit tight before I dropped a few pounds).

Sounds like the consensus is that this is on me, and likely not worth an email to S&M? Who knows, I may give it a shot anyway and see what they say.

Whether they are slim or contemporary isn't the issue. If your inner thighs rub against each other as you walk, that pilling is going to occur regardless of which cut you got. It sounds like it's a little more in the butt region than the crotch/thigh, but the cause is likely the same. The fabric is rubbing against itself most likely due to how the pants fit your body and how your body moves.

I'm not intending to ascribe or deflect blame, just saying that there's probably a fit issue where maybe Spier Mackay isn't the vendor for you. All the same, reach out, maybe they have advice that will work out well.