Gabardine
Gabardine is a tough, tightly woven
fabric used to make
suits,
overcoats and
trousers, or a garment made from the material. The fibre used to make the fabric is traditionally
worsted (a
woolen yarn), but may also be
cotton, synthetic or mixed. The fabric is smooth on one side and has a diagonally ribbed surface on the other. Gabardine is a form of
twill weave.
The material was invented in the late
19th century by Thomas Burberry, founder of the
Burberry fashion house in
Basingstoke. The fabric takes its name from the
gaberdine (with an 'e') which is a long, loose overgarment tied at the waist. This was commonly worn in
Europe in the
Middle Ages by pilgrims, beggars and almsmen, and for some time later by many
European
Jews.
A jacket made of this material was worn by
George Mallory on his ill-fated summit attempt of
Mount Everest in
1924.
Depending on the type, gabardine either needs to be dry cleaned, as most other wools, or is machine washable and dryable on a low cycle. A warm iron should be used for pressing; ironing it at a higher temperature would mark the fabric.
*
Replica clothes pass Everest test— from
BBC News Online
