Information About Gabardine Fabric

Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the South Pole, wore woolen jackets made of gabardine.

If wearing stylish clothes are your forte, then fabric is definitely on your priority list. Different fabrics encompass cotton, nylon, rayon, polyester, etc. Fabrics define the comfort factor and feel of the clothing. Given a choice, why not select the best, and in fact go in for a blend of the best fabrics.

Gabardine is a worsted fabric, mostly made from wool, but blended with cotton, silk, nylon, or rayon. In the following sections, we shall tell you facts about gabardine fabric which makes it unique, and the reason it's preferred by a lot of people.

The word 'gabardine' was inspired by gaberdine, a clothing worn by men of the Middle Ages. It was also worn by shepherds and farmers to keep cool in the summers and warm in the winters. The same clothing was referenced by William Shakespeare as the formal dress worn by the Jews in The Merchant of Venice.

The name was adopted by Thomas Burberry in 1879 for the brand new material used in his clothes, and patented in 1888. Though the original fabric was made from cotton, today, it is made from a cotton or polyester blend used both, in men and women clothing.

The term was later applied to raincoats and smocks too. It was used in the '50s to make jackets for men, as well as used as a overcoat to protect against the harsher elements of nature. It was so popular that it was worn by actor Roger Moore in all James Bond movies.

▶Gabardine is a tightly-woven fabric that relies on worsted wool. The weave is smooth on one side, and has a rib-like appearance on the other, with distinctive diagonal ridges.

▶Gabardine retains its shape and doesn't wrinkle easily, and is noted for its durability.

▶It is also waterproof and used in making raincoats.

▶Cotton gabardine is used for making pocket linings in business suits.

▶It is fiber-dyed for heather fabrics or yarn-dyed for stripe or plaid fabrics.

▶Gabardine is considered a tropical clothing, and can be used in all seasons.

▶It is used in a variety of clothing, such as smock frocks, twill suits, trousers, raincoats, trench coats, and pinafores.

▶Lightweight gabardine is used for dresses and sportswear, while heavy gabardine is used for suits and slacks.

▶Due to its compact structure and hard finish, it works best with tailored designs that have clean and simple lines.

▶Gabardine fabric develops a shine after usage of long periods of time, so it's better to hand-wash it.

▶The dyes used in making these fabrics can only handle dry-cleaning, which can be difficult to maintain.

▶Some gabardines do not resist dust and lint very well.

Thus, gabardine clothes provide comfort as well as style, and is a natural fabric to choose if you wish to stand out from the crowd.