Dress Like a Man (12 page)

C
HAPTER 20:
S
PECIFIC
C
LOTHS AND
W
EAVES

Talking about fabrics is kind of fun.

The names are often old-fashioned and descriptive: houndstooth, birdseye; barleycorn.

Unfortunately, it's not always clear what those descriptive names
mean
. And the issue becomes even more complex when you talk about words that have changed in meaning over time or that have multiple meanings.

Some cloth names describe a single type of weave. Others refer to both a material and a weave. Still others refer to a visual pattern, which could be produced using a number of different weaves and techniques.

Here we list the most common types of cloth, first for suits (and by extension for jacket and trouser separates as well), then for shirts.

Worsted Wool

The term "worsted" refers to a method of combing and spinning raw wool into thread. The fabrics made from those threads is also called "worsted wool," and can vary in texture considerably depending on how it is woven.

The majority of men's wool clothing uses worsted yarns, as opposed to the looser, airier woolen yarns.

If a garment is simply advertised as "worsted wool," with no other terminology (which is quite common, especially for suits), it generally means a bolt made from worsted threads in a smooth-surfaced, even-textured plain or twill weave.

Wool Flannel

There are several different methods for producing the same basic effect, but wool cloth that has been given a soft, fuzzy surface is called "flannel."

The most common technique is to brush the fabric with a fine-toothed metal comb, pulling loose fine broken fibers that create the fuzzy "nap" of the flannel's surface.

Both worsted and woolen flannels exist. The latter tends to be lighter, fluffier, and less stout than the former. Neither should be confused with cotton flannel (more traditionally called flannelette), a similar cloth made from cotton and typically used in men's work shirts rather than suits and trousers.

Tweed Wool

Tweed is a coarse fabric woven from unfinished woolen yarns. The resulting surface is much "hairier" than worsted or flannel cloth.

Most tweeds are earth tone, often in several mottled colors made from twisting together yarns dyed with different natural vegetable and lichen pigments.

Certain Irish and Scottish cultures have their own trademarked varieties of tweed, including Donegal and Harris Tweed. Tweed clothing tends to be stout, rugged, and water-resistant, with little or no treatment that would remove the natural lanolin oil from the sheep's wool.

Tropical Wool

Very tightly-coiled worsted yarns, often made from the hair of angora goats rather than sheep, are used to make wool cloths that are significantly lighter than traditional suiting fabrics.

These "tropical" wools are used for suits, jackets, and trousers -- pretty much any wool clothing you can imagine, since men in hot, humid climates need them too, and this offers them the most comfortable option.

Twill

A broad family of weaves, twill cloths are characterized by visible diagonal "ribbing" on one or both sides of the cloth. The weave is used for both wool and cotton fabrics -- blue jeans are one of the most recognizable examples, and most khakis and other cotton slacks also use twill weaves.

Herringbone

A modification of the twill weave gives fabrics a repeating, up-and-down pattern of V-shaped chevrons laid out in vertical columns.

When the threads are all the same color, the pattern is noticeable only up close, adding a subtle texture to the cloth. If there is a slight difference in color, the pattern is much more visible, making it both bolder and more casual.

Herringbone is used in shirts, jackets, trousers, and suits alike.

Pick-and-Pick/Sharkskin

A twill weave of worsted yarns, one light and one dark, is traditionally called pick-and-pick. In the United States, the term "sharkskin" is sometimes applied to the cloth, especially when very fine yarns are woven very tightly to create a slick, almost shimmering effect.

Pick-and-pick has long been a business wear staple. It is almost always used for suits, rather than unmatched jackets or trousers. 

Houndstooth

The unevenly-shaped checks of the houndstooth weave are so unique and recognizable that some designers have used the pattern as a print on plain-woven cloth.

In its original form, however, the jagged check pattern is made with a weave of two dark and two light colors, traditionally dark and light gray or black and white. Both woolen and worsted yarns are commonly used, and the finished cloth is used to make suits, jackets, trousers, and overcoats.

Birdseye

A regular pattern of small, round dots makes the birdseye weave a popular choice for less formal business suits. The weave requires four threads, two light and two dark, with the light threads making the round dots.

Birdseye is most commonly seen in worsted wool suits and jackets.

Nailshead

While it is often lumped into the same description as birdseye, nailshead is a different weave. It looks similar to birdseye, with smaller and less regularly-shaped dots. Like birdseye, it is most commonly used for worsted suits and jackets.

Barleycorn

A variation on the twill weave creates the "barleycorn" effect: a repeated pattern of small, three-lobed clusters contrasting with the background color.

Barleycorn is a traditional choice for sports jackets, including those made from luxury wools like merino and cashmere. It can also be used to make suits, but the effect is so casual barleycorn suits work better as social rather than business attire.

Gabardine

Typically made from worsted wool (although cotton and blended versions exist), gabardine is a tight weave with more warp yarns than weft. It forms a very tough surface, and was originally made with waxed or otherwise waterproofed yarns to create a breathable alternative to rubber raincoats.

In modern fashion, gabardine is used to make casual jackets and overcoats, especially the short-waisted "weekender" jackets popular in the 1950s (and on again, off again, ever since).

Faille

One of the only satin weaves used in menswear, faille has a plain matte outer surface and a slick, shiny inner face. Because the inner surface is so smooth, it can be worn comfortably against bare skin without a lining. It is a popular suiting material in the Middle East, where the same fabric is also used for many non-Western garments.

Sunshot

This unusual weave creates alternating columns of short, diagonal lines, with the diagonals of one set steeper than the diagonals of the other.

The effect is a subtle, shimmering surface. Brown, yellow, and orange are the most commonly used yarn colors, giving the cloth a somewhat flame-like appearance from which it takes its poetic name.

Sunshot garments are not common. When they appear, it is usually as a sports jacket or a pair of unmatched trousers.

Bedford Cord

A special weave -- called the Bedford weave -- using worsted yarn produces a tight, tough fabric with a faintly gridded texture.

Most commonly associated with horseback riding clothes, Bedford cord is occasionally used to make sports jackets, odd trousers, and overcoats. It is a traditional fabric for the British gentry and nobility in their leisure wear.

Seersucker

Bridging the gap between suit fabrics and shirt fabrics we have seersucker: a dimpled, lightweight cotton weave used for both.

Seersucker is light, breezy, and casual. It is woven using a special kind of loom, which creates a fabric that bunches tighter in some places than in others. The surface of seersucker cloth is covered in bumpy waves.

Seersucker suits are a summer tradition, especially in the American South, where they are still accepted as both work and social wear. Seersucker pants and shirts are common casual summertime options all over the world.

Oxford

One of the most common types of shirting, oxford is made of bundles of thread crossing at right angles (called a "basketweave"). It is simple, sturdy, and slightly bumpy due to the bundles of threads.

Shirt makers will sometimes specify "pinpoint Oxford" to denote the use of particularly fine threads, while "royal Oxford" is finer still. Since the standards are neither specific nor monitored, those descriptions should be taken with a grain of salt, but ideally a royal oxford shirt will feel completely smooth, while a pinpoint shirt will be smooth but still retain the faint bumpiness of regular oxford cloth.

Poplin

The plain weave used to create poplin is one of the simplest out there. Traditionally, poplin shirts used threads of two different materials to create a slightly dimpled, irregular texture.

These days, most poplin shirts are 100% cotton. Some use threads of different thickness to retain the dimpled texture, while others are smooth-surfaced. The latter is more common in dress shirts, while the former is sometimes used in polo and tennis shirts.

Broadcloth

Broadcloth is a very tight weave with a smooth, almost shiny surface.

"End on end" broadcloth uses two different colors of thread, typically white and a dyed color. Because the weave is so tight, the colors blend, creating what appears to be a single solid color with a faint shimmer to it. This is one of the more expensive shirt cloths.

Gauze

The loose plain weave that gave medical gauze its name can also be used to make shirts. It is particularly common in safari shirts and button-fronted silk shirts designed for tropical climates.

Madras

Most famous in its dyed plaid version, madras is a unique fabric woven by hand, often on makeshift "looms" stretched between two trees or poles. Like gauze, it is a wide, loose weave with visible gaps in the structure.

"Patchwork madras" refers to bolts made by stitching together many smaller swatches of madras cloth end-to-end. Since the hand-weaving method can only produce short lengths, this is often necessary for the construction of large clothing items.

Piqué

Piqué is a knitted cloth, rather than a woven one. It is commonly used in polo shirts, and is also used for the stiff front bib of formal shirts.

Jersey Knit/Jersey Stitch

Most men aren't familiar with the name, but the jersey knit gives us the basic knit cotton cloth used for T-shirts, underwear, and dozens of other lightweight cotton garments. It is smooth, soft, and quite stretchy.

All the weaves and knits listed above are only the most common in menswear -- there are hundreds more beyond these, all with specific names, histories, and purposes.

What does a man actually need to know? The two dozen or so listed here are a good starting place, particularly the first handful of suit and shirting options.

If you can tell a worsted wool from a twill, recognize the soft nap of flannel, and differentiate between knit cotton and woven cotton, take heart -- you're already ahead of most men.

C
HAPTER 21:
U
NDERSTANDING
C
OLOR

Colors, complexions, matching -- how does it all work?

It's easy to get overwhelmed by the theories of color, if you look at it in strict, scientific terms. Happily, you can dress well with just an understanding of the basics: your complexion, a few color-matching strategies, and a well-balanced wardrobe.

It may seem trivial, but don't underestimate the importance of color choice. Most viewers won't consciously recognize a bad pairing as "clashing" (unless it's truly egregious), but their brains will still be subtly off-put by the bad visual signals.

An ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure, it's worth your while to build a wardrobe that color-balances naturally. You'll save yourself worry (and potential embarrassment) in the long run.

Understanding Complexions and Contrast

The most important color-related issue for a man to understand doesn't actually have anything to do with specific colors.

Rather, the key concern is the level of
contrast
between colors in his complexion.

As a general rule of thumb, a man's outfit should ideally have about the same amount of inherent contrast as his complexion.

That means that if you've got a very muted, low-contrast complexion, you don't want very vivid, stark contrasts between bright and dark colors all through your outfit. If, on the other hand, you have a substantial amount of contrast in your complexion, you don't want a subdued, monochrome outfit.

Here's what "contrast" looks like, in terms of men's complexions:

• High-contrast men
  have significant differences between the colors of their hair, skin, and eyes. A light-skinned man with black or dark brown hair is high contrast; so is a dark-skinned man whose hair has gone gray or white with age. Eyes can contribute here too -- a ruddy-skinned redhead with brown eyes has less natural contrast than one with bright blue eyes.
  
• Low-contrast men
  have similar colors throughout their complexion. Dark-skinned men with black hair and brown eyes are low contrast. So are light-skinned men with pale blonde hair and light blue or green eyes.
  
• Medium-contrast men
  fall between the two: they have some variation, but the divisions aren't stark. Many lighter-skinned black men are medium-contrast, as are men with tanned skin and dark hair whose eyes are relatively light-colored.