A Wool Suit or a Polyester Suit?

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It’s a common question and no answer is wrong because you can never fail with a suit that fits well.

Below is a comparison listing the advantages and disadvantages of wool and polyester suits.

Wool Suit Advantages

  1. It is definitely higher in quality and in looks than polyester
  2. Wicks moisture and water resistant to a certain level
  3. It is breathable and it keeps the user warm
  4. Doesn’t wrinkle easily
  5. Drapes well to the body
  6. It is very durable
  7. Fire resistant
  8. Resistant to static electricity

Wool Suit Disadvantages

  1. Expensive
  2. Attract insects that will eat up the fabric
  3. needs extra care to maintain quality
  4. Fragile compared to polyester suits
Plastic button on Polyester suit.

Polyester Suit Advantages

  1. Cheap
  2. More durable than wool and can last a long time!
  3. Machine Washable (applies to 100% polyester suits)
  4. Dries faster than cotton and wool when wet.
  5. Doesn’t attract insects.

Polyester Suit Disadvantages

  1. Looks cheap.
  2. Not in favor for professional use.
  3. Doesn’t breathe well as wool.
  4. Wrinkles easily compared to wool
  5. Flammable!
  6. Prone to static electricity

Both wool and polyester materials can have their advantages, but the bottom line on what to choose depends what a person plans to do with it on a daily basis.

Polyester material isn’t bad at all!

For example; if you wear a backpack to work or school every single day, a polyester suit or a wool-polyester blend suit will work. The reason for that is because polyester will last longer while the wool offer some. Polyester is a tough material that can take the daily abuse of the wearer.

The only downside of a polyester suit to my opinion is that it obviously looks cheap so I do not recommend executives and business people to wear one formal occasions but this is not always true.

NOTE: If you have a pure wool suit, you should not wear your wool suit two days in a row. You should alternate it with a different suit because wearing a wool suit for two consecutive days will shorten its life span.

I will acknowledge that people can notice some differences between a wool suit and polyester suit, the difference is small. What is most important is the fit of the suit is what makes any kind of suit look bespoke.

It’s 90% fit and 10% material. My advice: get a good tailor!