A guide to men's wardrobe fabrics

A guide to men's wardrobe fabrics - Mens suits and clothes De Fursac

Houndstooth pattern

Originating in 19th-century in Scotland, this black-and-white woven wool pattern was traditionally used to make warm garments, most often worn by shepherds. Historically known as “houndstooth,” the name refers to the jagged, tooth-like shapes of the pattern. It may originally derive from a plant called Cynodon, a type of weed also known in French as "chiendent pied de poule", literally “chicken-foot couch grass”, due to the hen-foot shape of its ends.

Edward VIII, famously known for his strong sense of style, is believed to have played a key role in popularizing the pattern in the 1930s. It was later adopted by many of the great names in fashion.

Closely related patterns include pied-de-coq (rooster’s foot), which is a larger-scale version of houndstooth, and pied-de-puce (flea’s foot), which is a smaller one—their sizes corresponding to the animals they’re named after.

Wool

Virgin wool
This refers to a fiber from the first shearing of a sheep or lamb, which has not been previously spun, felted, or incorporated into a finished product, and contains no more than 0.3% impurities.

Super 100, Super 110, Super 120...
This indicates the fineness of the wool fiber used to weave the fabric. It is one of the elements that helps define a fabric's quality. It's not the only one, though: the actual quality of the wool itself is also crucial. This grading system was established by the IWTO (International Wool Textile Organisation). The higher the number, the finer the wool fiber, allowing for the spinning of finer yarns. The finer the yarn, the rarer and more refined it is, enabling extremely fine patterns.

The flannel

Flannel is a wool fabric (though it can also be made from cashmere or cotton), featuring a soft, fluffy nap created by brushing both sides of the cloth. It is a warm and comfortable fabric, also valued for its breathability (it allows air to pass through).

It first appeared alongside the early mechanical looms in the 18th century, in Flanders and Great Britain. Originally, flannel was always speckled in color, as it was made using strands of undyed natural wool. Today, it is common to dye flannel after weaving to achieve a solid color. It can also show subtle color variations if woven with dyed yarns.
Regardless of its final color, flannel is always washed at the end of the production process to achieve its signature slightly fuzzy texture.

The fineness of the wool fiber in flannel is generally not specified.

Prince of Wales pattern

While the future Edward VII was the first Prince of Wales to wear this noble fabric in the 19th century, it owes its name, and part of its reputation, to his successor.

Quickly adopted by the British and Americans, especially after it adorned the royal shoulders of Edward VII during a visit to New York, this subtly checkered pattern evolved over the 20th century from a countryside essential to a timeless symbol of urban masculine elegance.

Fine-wale corduroy

Corduroy is a fine ribbed velvet that holds its shape while remaining supple. It has very fine and closely spaced ribs (about 600 to 800 wales per meter despite its name).

Made primarily of cotton, it is perfectly suited for making trousers, jackets, and collars. Matte and smooth on one side, soft and silky on the other, this fabric, originally from the East and imported to Europe by the Italians in the 14th century, was initially made of silk and remained essentially a luxury product until the end of the 19th century.

Used to make ribbed work trousers, the former fabric of kings became democratized and thus earned its status as both a popular and prestigious material.

The tweed

Tweed is a fabric made from carded wool in two or more colors and can feature various weaves (plain weave, twill, broken twill, herringbone, or fancy patterns).

Originally, the word “tweed” referred only to carded wool fabrics, dyed and handwoven on the Harris Isles in Scotland. In the Middle Ages, Scottish weavers washed the wool in the Tweed, a clear-water river that separates Scotland from royal England. At that time, tweed was simply a gray and black fabric made from irregular wool, renowned for its durability and flexibility. Later, the “tweed” quality extended to other types of fabric.

The end-on-end fabric

End-on-end is a type of poplin, characterized by the use of differently colored threads for the warp and the weft. This weaving technique is used to produce solid-colored fabrics and gives them their distinctive heathered or mottled appearance.

The wool serge

Serge is one of the three main weaving structures. It is a weaving technique where the threads are crossed in a way that creates diagonal ribs on the front side and a smooth, even back. This gives the fabric a nice drape and flexibility.

Serge weaving also ensures good strength and durability.

The twill

Twill is the English name for the sergé weave. It is easily recognized by the diagonal lines formed in the weave.

These diagonals are created by the warp thread alternately passing under one weft thread and then over two weft threads. Twill shirts are resistant to wrinkling and easy to iron. They are also more flexible and often less crisp than poplin shirts.

The cashmere

This wool is produced by a very special Pashmina cashmere goat that lives in the Kashmir region, located in the high mountains between China, Pakistan, and India.

Cashmere is known for its soft touch and excellent thermal insulation. It is especially appreciated for its hygroscopic qualities and insulating properties. In fact, cashmere adapts to the humidity in the air, which explains why it is much warmer than regular wool while being lighter in weight.

The mohair

Mohair wool comes from a small Angora goat that lives in Asia Minor, particularly on the high plateaus around Ankara, formerly known as Angora.

Winters there are so harsh that the goat produces a very fine and dense down to withstand the freezing climate. This down, as soft as silk, is gently combed from the goats, and the fibers are then spun so they can be knitted.

The fleece of the Angora goat tends to be curly, which gives mohair garments a pleasant, fluffy volume. This fiber does not itch and can be worn comfortably against the skin, unlike some more traditional wools that may cause irritation.

The silk

Silk is a natural textile fiber of animal origin. It comes from the cocoon spun by the larva of the Bombyx mori, also known as the silkworm.

Silk thread is continuous (unlike cotton, which produces short, broken fibers) and remarkably strong, its tensile strength is comparable to that of a steel thread of the same diameter.

Rare, sumptuous, and remarkable for its technical qualities, silk has long fascinated people and symbolizes luxury and refinement. A little anecdote: it is said that a Chinese princess discovered silk around 2700 BC, when a silkworm cocoon fell from a mulberry tree into her cup of tea. As she tried to retrieve it, a long thread began to unravel...

The Solaro

Solaro was originally a technical fabric designed to protect its wearer from ultraviolet rays. It was invented in 1907 by Louis Westenra Sambon, a cancer specialist and expert in tropical diseases.

The fabric was quickly adopted by British troops stationed in tropical colonies. Soldiers used it to make their uniforms: the red side was used to cover helmets, and the beige side for garments.

Solaro is woven using red and olive/khaki wool threads. The warp thread, red, was intended (according to its inventor) to reflect UV rays. The weft thread, in varying shades of khaki, creates a contrast that gives the fabric a vibrant, light-reactive appearance. The result is an iridescent effect, shifting between green, beige, and red, especially striking when woven in wide herringbone patterns.

In the 1930s, Solaro entered civilian wardrobes. Though ultimately not very effective at blocking UV rays, it became widely worn, and production of the fabric continued. Sold under the name "tropical fabric," it soon became known simply as Solaro. After World War II, due to shortages of raw materials, Italian tailors repurposed military surplus stock, helping to spread the fabric beyond the British Empire. In the 1950s and 60s, Solaro, breathable and wrinkle-resistant, became the fabric of choice for businessmen frequently traveling to warm climates.