Gabardine puzzle

[Merc]

i keep reading and hearing conflicting things about gabardine:
First that it is good for warm weather - RTW catalogs, discussions here, all seem to indicate that people wear them in warm weather -although i never have

But -2nd- my understanding of the fabric is that it has a fairly tight weave and is not all that conducive to airflow

Question: can someone reconcile?

[Gruto]

i keep reading and hearing conflicting things about gabardine:
First that it is good for warm weather - RTW catalogs, discussions here, all seem to indicate that people wear them in warm weather -although i never have

But -2nd- my understanding of the fabric is that it has a fairly tight weave and is not all that conducive to airflow

Question: can someone reconcile?

Apparel Arts have illustrations with spring/summer gabardine suits and jackets, and I guess it can be interesting to make a suit in that cloth, if your already have plenty of traditional worsteds, tropicals, frecos and mohairs in your wardrobe. That said, gabardine is a hard tight weave cloth, I think it is more suited for sturdy trousers, rain macs and trench coats.

[Merc]

this is what i have always felt as well
but i see a lot of reference to gabardine for summer and it doesnt quite add up to me

[carl browne]

A light colored gab will reflect away heat, is smooth and cool to the touch, is disinclined to stick to you, and thin for its weight, so it won't provide much insulation. I suspect it would be fine for warm weather but not nearly as comfortable as linen or fresco.

[couch]

Not to mention that a good gabardine drapes beautifully and tends to hold that drape in the heat. Some of the other warm-weather cloths other than frescos--linens, plain-weave tropical worsteds--are more vulnerable to sags and rumples in equivalent conditions. I suspect that's one reason we see so many summer gabs in AA and the literature of mid-century: while you may not feel any cooler in them, you may look cooler.

[Gruto]

I should be carefull making Wikipedia an authority in these matters but it explains part of the feeling that gabardine is for trousers, rainmacs and trenchcoats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabardine

My experience with gabardine comes from working as a waiter. We were instructed to wear gabardine trousers because they shun dirt well. That might also explains why I have difficulties seing gabardine used for a fine suit

[Will]

13 ounce gabardine suits in the same lighter than navy blue, tan and tobacco that one sees in linen are just right for not too warm sunny days. The weight means the cloth drapes well and the tight weave does not trap air next to the skin so it wears roughly like the temperature around it.

[yachtie]

It's more a Spring cloth. Like Will says , cool sunny days. It's too tightly woven to wear on really hot days (outside) unless in very light weights (and then you lose most of the advantages to it). As it's pretty much surface-interest-free, I've never seen the attraction of it for suits. Knockabout trousers? Sure.

[tteplitzmd]

The correct answer to this quiz is: all of the above.

It depends upon the weight of the gabardine. 8-9 ounce gabardine makes excellent odd trousers, especially for travel, for all the reasons mentioned above.
Heavier weights, say 13 or 14 ounce work very well for odd trousers. At around 12 ounces and above, gabardine starts to have competition from covert cloth and cavalry twills for odd trousers.
Same goes for whipcord. In my view, heavier gabardines are not a lot different than covert cloth, whipcord, or cavalry twills. The color ranges are similar and they wear similarly.

I have one 13 ounce suit in a pale green (I think, since I have some red/green color blindness) covert cloth. It is hard wearing, indestructible, repels moisture and dirt, keeps me warm, etc.
In heavier weights, there is a reason covert cloth has stood the test of time for topcoats and overcoats.

Finally, Scottish and Italian mills put out some terrific 8 ounce gabardines, in a wide range of coloring. Scabal has a 9 ounce cloth in an apricot which is stunning.

[uppercase]

Gabardine is an absolutely wonderful cloth.

I have never found a cloth that drapes, moves and holds its line as well as gabardine.

I do find that it wears a bit warm but its natural movement and flow in a full-cut Summer trouser
transports you to 1930s elegance.

[JCH]

Favorite gabardine wool source? (I'm aware Hardy has 12oz, but don't know it.)

[alden]

I am going to do a little work on some gabardine sources for the CC.

Michael

[Jordan Marc]

Navy blue and dark tan wool gabardine are essential colors for suits in moderately warm seasons. Ideally you need two suits in each color for your wardrobe, a two-piece double-breasted rig and a two- or three-piece single-breasted rig. The tricks to keeping the suits in topnotch shape are to order an extra pair of trousers for each rig (to avoid a shiny bottom) and to never wear the same gab suit more than once a week. Rotation is key to preserving every suit in your wardrobe, regardless of your choice of fabric. The same goes for shoes.

JMB