Tweed (fabric): composition, price, reviews

As evidenced by the memories of contemporaries, the famous English writer Arthur Conan Doyle was very fond of Tweed. Fabric, traditionally produced in Scotland, so pleased him that he cap "made" this material to his character - Sherlock Holmes. There are only a few references to this in the book, but today no one can imagine a great detective dressed in clothes from another fabric. Book illustrators and costume filmmakers represent an English detective in a coat and a tweed cap. This is exactly how the Soviet Sherlock Holmes is dressed - Livanov, as well as his foreign colleagues, performed by Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch.

What is this fabric?

Modern tweed - a woolen fabric, woven from colored in different colors of threads, forming a relief surface. The subject of the national pride of the Scots, along with the traditional kilt (male plaid skirt) and whiskey, is tweed. Today, this traditional Scottish material is presented in a variety of colors and several density options. It is worth mentioning the fact that this is the only material in the world, produced from local raw materials on the basis of genuine national technology on a commercial scale. The most recognizable patterns decorating this material are the Christmas tree, the fly and the cage.

In addition, tweed - the fabric is strong, very soft and warm, and moreover, practically does not crumple. Initially, men's warm jackets were sewn from a tweed for hunting, and then in classical fashion it was used for sewing men's and women's suits, coats and hats. Modern designers have found many other options for its application and make bags, shoes and even handkerchiefs from this fabric.

Tweed Fabric: description and characteristics

As already mentioned, this material is made from a processed and painted in a special way untwisted thick yarn, obtained from high-quality sheep's wool. In the process of making woolen fibers intertwine diagonally, forming a twill fabric structure. The color of the tweed is quite variegated and is obtained as a result of mixing colored strings dyed in discreet natural colors. Tweed is a fabric, in the manufacture of which the maximum number of yarn colors used can be up to six.

Who invented it?

At the beginning of the XIX century in the Scottish town of Harris, which is on the island of Lewis, for the first time began to do tweed. At that time it was a heavy and dense, thick and coarse material, from which we made clothes suitable to British weather conditions, which reliably protected from wind, cold and rain. To color the yarn natural natural dyes of soft colors were used. In those days tweed was used to tailor men's suits and hunting jackets.

The fabric, the reviews of the time so evidenced, was so coarse and prickly that for trousers a special lining made of another material was specially cut out, so as not to irritate the skin. Over time, the technology of production was improved, and the tweed became more and more thin, elastic and soft material.

Why is it called that?

Modern researchers talk about two possible options for the emergence of the name of this Scottish fabric of wool. According to one version, the material received its name in honor of the Tweed River flowing along the border between Scotland and England. According to the second version, the illegible and poorly read handwriting of one of the Scottish vendors contributed to what the London merchant read instead of "tweel" - "tweed" and sent a batch of fabrics with this name on sale. Quite interestingly, both tweed, fabric expressing status, and individual style, and ubiquitous jeans - a phenomenon of mass culture, belong to the class of twill - materials with a diagonal interlacing of fibers.

Basic views

Trying to adapt to the demands of constantly changing fashion, the tweed has changed significantly and has become very diverse:

• The thickest, warmest and most expensive kind is Harris. It is also called English tweed. The fabric, whose composition and methods of production remained unchanged from the XIX century. As at that time, the yarn for it is painted only with natural dyes, it is made by hand in Scotland on old machines.

• It is the sheviott that is considered to be the best material for sewing a coat. They are made from sheep's wool of breed called "Sheviot" and receive a dense and coarse tweed fabric. The price for it is quite high, but, according to experts, such a coat will last for several decades without losing its appearance and qualities.

• A very warm and heavy bedford cord with a wavy pattern is used in the manufacture of winter hunting suits and jackets.

• For sewing jackets and hunting suits, as well as everyday vests use medium density material - Donegal.

• More dense sports suits and coats are sewn from thick and heavy fabric - the so-called koverkotovogo tweed, painted in a brownish-olive shade.

• Pepita, or shepherd's cage, is the kind of tweed fabric used when sewing jackets in an informal style.

• It is hardly possible to call a more recognizable tweed pattern than a Christmas tree. In classical form it is performed on medium-density fabric in brown-yellow colors. In the modern interpretation of this drawing, other color combinations are used.

«Men's» fabric

In his autobiographical book Remembering Windsor, former King Edward VII (Duke of Windsor) says that tweed fabric is loved by British rulers like Edward VII and George V.

The first popular item of the men's wardrobe from this material was the Norfolk jacket intended for hunting. Paul Poiret introduced the European fashion (in particular, the French) men's fashion of tweed jackets . English classic tweed jacket for daily use was created much later and sewed it from a brownish-green fabric. Over time, costumes from this material became popular among the creative and scientific intelligentsia, youth and students.

Tweed and women's fashion

Thanks to the inimitable Coco Chanel tweed fabric and costumes from her got into the feminine fashion. It was she who slightly changed the composition of the fabric, adding cotton to it, and also developed a model of a fitted jacket without a collar. European women of fashion did not immediately take on a new kind of costume, but over the ocean, in the United States of America, they cheered. Working and busy American fell in love with a simple and elegant suit. Many famous and popular ladies of different times, such as Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy, Kate Moss and Lady Gaga, are happy to go in tweed suits. Peak of its first wave of popularity Tweed reached in 1966, and in 1980 went out of fashion and was almost forgotten until 2007. Since the fashionable autumn-winter shows 2013-2014, different types of clothing from tweed fabrics are present in most collections.

Price of issue

Today it's quite easy to buy a tweed fabric, the description and characteristics of which were given above. One should only remember that the price of this material depends on the quality of the wool itself, the technology of its processing and, of course, the manufacturer.

We will not dwell on 100% synthetic Chinese tissue called "tweed", since it has nothing to do with the real twist. Quality material is produced only from natural components: wool with a small amount of silk or cotton in the composition.

Thin tweed fabric for tailoring dresses and costumes can be bought in Moscow at a price of 500-600 rubles per square meter. More thick and dense costume material will cost from 1300-1400, for a coat - from 2000 rubles and above.

Customer Reviews

If you are thinking about buying or sewing yourself a costume from such expensive fabrics as tweed, you can probably make the right decision, perhaps, from the comments of those who already wear tweed clothes. Most buyers note the main, in their opinion, a drawback - a high price for both tweed fabric and products made from it. In addition, there are some features in the care of tweed things, somewhat complicating life to their owners.

First of all, it is allowed only hand washing in special detergents intended for wool, as well as drying washed items of the wardrobe in a horizontal position. However, the advantages of tweed suits, dresses and jackets were significantly greater than the disadvantages. Here are some of them:

• Things practically do not crumple;
• Tactile very pleasant and wear them comfortably;
• Even with a constant toe, the clothes do not look shabby or worn.

Many of the owners of tweed wardrobe items think about buying some more stuff from this natural and beautiful material.