For me, my love of style and of clothes is a bit like my love for baseball. I love baseball not just for the grandness of the game and for the idea that it represents, but also for the history behind it, the stats that form it, the background of the players – all of the intimate details that have contributed to making the game what it has become over the past 150 years.
When thinking about clothes, I also love the history behind certain pieces (such as how many items in a typical wardrobe are a product of military), how it is made, what goes into developing and creating a garment, and also what its place is in a bigger style picture.
To know these things, one must appreciate how and with what their clothes are made. This is where fabrics are important. A study of what type of clothing is appropriate in what weather, how heavy or light something is or what effort is made to create a certain piece can not be complete without understanding the paint chosen by the artist, the type of bat chosen by the slugger – for our purposes, the type of fabric chosen by the designer/tailor.
What follows is a list of the nine essential fabrics a man must understand, where they come from, how they are used, and how they can be incorporated into a wardrobe flawlessly.
Cotton
Easily the most common, inexpensive and versatile of all materials and textiles we will consider. Cotton is used for so many things, it would take pages just to list them all. Right now, in fact, my dress shirt, pants and socks are all some form of cotton.
And although we are all familiar with where cotton comes from and how it is “ginned” in preparation for use, the various synthetic derivatives of cotton are typically less familiar to the average consumer. These include various forms such as flannel, gingham (your standard checkered dress shirt), mercerized, pique cotton, poplin, and terrycloth.
Cotton, and frankly all of the subgroups listed above, are best-known for use in warm weather. It is a lightweight, durable material fabric that sits or drapes easily on the body, not causing too much restriction or discomfort.
Care of cotton is quite simple, it can usually always be washed in cold and hot water as well as laundered, but as advertised, is always in danger of shrinking and having the dye fade.
Linen
Another extremely light fabric, linen is the standard for summer/beach/warm-weather wear worldwide. This is primarily due to the fact that, beyond being light, it quickly absorbs moisture and also rapidly dries. The proves invaluable in warm, humid climates.
While linen easily resists stains, it is also a fabric that can be washed with little problem. Like cotton, however, it does tend to shrink significantly. And another problem with linen, as we all know, is that it wrinkles drastically, even those that have been treated with a non-wrinkle solution. It is inevitable, but continued wear with help reduce the wrinkles from the wash.
These days, anything can be found in linen: pants, long-and short-sleeve shirts, jackets, shorts. Living in Texas, I own a couple of linen shirts, a sport coat, shorts and one pair of pants – and they are lifesavers when it is 100 in both degrees and humidity outdoors.
Seersucker
Not really its own fabric, but another relative in the cotton family tree – I just feel this is one a man should know well. Not much more can be said about seersucker that has not already been said in my previous post…
Cashmere
Certainly the most expensive of all the fabrics we will dissect in this piece, cashmere also is the most desirable and, truthfully, the most comfortable. True cashmere is only made from the quasi-rare underbelly hair of the Cashmere goat, traditionally found in Asia (particularly China) and Australia. Plenty of cashmere blends are available for sale, but don’t be fooled by tricky advertising when searching for cashmere – always check the tag to make sure it is 100% pure.
While cashmere usually is thought of as a cold-weather material because it can be so warm, a light enough weave and the right climate (think San Francisco) can allow for cashmere to be worn in the evenings or early mornings when one is fighting off the cool night air.
Beyond the traditional cashmere sweater, items easily found in this material include, sport coats, gloves, socks, scarves and hats. Since you will undoubtedly spend a bit more money on this item than many others, it would be best to stick with something classic that will last forever like a gray v-neck or black or navy crew collar sweater.
And always hand-wash your cashmere.
Denim
Jeans, dungarees, blues – whatever you want to call them. These have become an American staple in the past 125 years. But while traditionally associated with American ruggedness and hard work, denim, according to Wikipedia, actually has its background from Nimes, France. They were originally said to be from Nimes or de Nimes, which became denim.
As we all know, jeans are so inherently perfect for all climates, for all circumstances. They can be dressed up, they can be dressed down. You have jeans that you wear everyday, jeans you wear for nicer occasions, jeans you paint in – they truly are the perfect pair of pants.
My favorite pair are a GAP 1969 piece that probably go about 20 wears between washes – and I’m not ashamed to admit it. My jeans play a major part in much of my style. One of my preferred looks of the moment are my favorite jeans with a nice fitting khaki sport coat/jacket and solid t-shirt underneath with a casual loafer or brown shoe.
Care for your jeans can take many different forms. I have no problem throwing mine in the washer as well as the dryer, but I know some people like to not dry theirs. There is a danger of shrinkage, especially in pairs that are not pre-shrunk, so watch for that. I do not, however, recommend the laundering and then starching a large crease in each leg look. Please, no.
Like with many other things, shopping for jeans is going to take a lot of work and patience. You may literally try on 50 pair or more before you find your favorite, but then one of my favorite mantras applies again: stock up – they are not going out of style.
Wool
A winter staple, wool is a fiber made from the coats of sheep, lambs or various types of goats. Famous for being a preferred fabric during the coldest of days, there is no limit to the garments that can be made from the various types and weaves of wool. Sweaters, coats, pants, blazers, socks, gloves, scarves and hats are all wool staples for the winter, with some lighter weights even being appropriate for warmer weather.
There are a number different types of wool. Some are fine wools such as merino, while other range to very coarse, much like karakul. The difference is essentially how much crimping there is in the fiber and also how thick the wool fibers are.
When searching for wool to buy, use caution as there are many items out there with poor quality; they could be moth-eaten, poorly woven, or have a propensity for pilling.
And most importantly, always read the instructions for how to care for the specific item you desire to clean. Each wool piece will be unique.
Tweed
From the wool family comes tweed; a rougher, closely-woven wool that is traditionally known for a pattern of two or three strands of the wool woven together to create the tweed effect.
Tweed has been around for about 200 years and has become a staple in cooler weather, especially in damp weather because of its attribute of being able to easily resist moisture.
And yes, tweed has come upon a reputation as a favorite of college professors, hunters and the homeless, but it truly is a versatile fabric for a jacket that can be paired with jeans, dress pants, khakis, etc.
I don’t know many other garments that tweed would be used for beyond a jacket or sport coat, but am open to suggestions. That being said, there is not much to know about care for tweed other than to practice caution. Don’t throw it in the washer and dryer, and if you are concerned about how to care for a particular jacket, ask your dry-cleaner. It’s their job to know.
Leather
Leather is the one animal-derived fabric worth noting. But just leaving it at being a animal hide does not really do it justice in the slightest. You, of course, have your cattle hide leather, which is the most popular. But you also can find products made from sheep, snakes, crocodiles, bison, kangaroo, deer, and the most rare (and therefore most expensive) – ostrich leather.
Leather, of course, has a long and storied history ranging back many years, primarily through cattle. The hide of the animal was a byproduct of killing it for meat, but it was soon noted that the hide could serve many purposes, so it was eventually retained, ways were developed to tan and split the hide, and everything from shoes to bags to saddles were sewn from this tough animal skin.
Over time, that process has been refined and reformed to what it is today – a means by which not only articles of clothing are produced such as jackets, skirts, pants, etc., but, more commonly, accessories. Belts, wallets, shoes, bags, portfolios, purses, furniture and countless other cheap to high-end products are now widely mass-produced.
And while you will find that certain types of animal leather will be more or less expensive, i.e. cow will be less expensive than crocodile, which will be less expensive than ostrich, there are also subtleties to notice within each animal family. Take men’s shoes for example. You can go find a pair of leather shoes for men anywhere and at any price. But your more expensive shoes on the market like your Ferragamos and your Church’s and your Tod’s have two distinct characteristics that add to the price.
First is that they are shaped and sewn by hand instead of by machine. This allows tailors to create an individual shape with more care than a pre-press can from a machine or factory. Also, these high-end shops will only buy the highest quality leather that have few or no blemishes. And it shows. Check your leather shoes that you own (not patent leather; leather). Unless they were unbearably expensive, they will have spots or small lines or other marks on the leather that mean they are less pure. Just something to know…
On the clothing front, men can certainly get by with their leather shoes and a leather jacket or two, but I would not recommend venturing too far from the comfort zone of those two items when browsing leather clothing options.
Silk
Ties only. Ties only. Ties only. Ties only….
