Mystery cloth outerwear

[Pssst]

Dear Loungers, can anyone tell me what kind of cloth these coats are made of?

[old henry]

The first two are Vicuna. I am quite sure.

[Bwooster]

I believe the cloth in these photos is Casentino, a durable cloth that traditionally is worn in Florence, and would be orange and made into a coat with a wolf collar. There are now many more colors, and I agree that the brown looks great. This site is a good resource: http://tacs.it/colori.php

[Costi]

What a beautiful lapel / collar on the last Raglan!
It could work in camel hair, too, I think. Or our double-sided cashmere...

[alden]

Costi

It is a DB coat with a Raglan sleeve. It was a popular look in the 30s. Windsor had a great one in a large houndstooth tweed.

The cloth looks like Vicuna. But heavy Cashmere would work too

Cheers

[alden]

Casentino has a very spongy look to it. The second picture at Pitti might be Casentino.

The other pictures show a fabric with a decided nap to it. That would exclude Casentino. It is the kind of nap one sees in Vicuna or in a rich Austrian loden.

Cheers

[Costi]

Michael, I know you're not a fan of DB Raglans (or didn't use to be...), but if made very soft, like the one pictured above, I think it has a lot of charm...
And that's a reversible collar, isn't it? Very generously shaped.

I don't know Windsor's, is it something like this?:


However, the collar / lapel / notch position on the brown one is different and peculiar.

[Pssst]

(...)

I think this is a close up of the same coat. But I could be wrong.

[SMCK]

I too am intrigued by this cloth.
I envisage myself enveloped in the luxuriant folds of this magnificent overcoat, which Michael Alden says must be a double breasted.
Old Henry suggested that he was sure it was Vicuna, which I am sure I would love but fancy I cannot afford; and had dismissed on this account.
However on Googling ( Is there such a word) the third picture down which (I don't know how to isolate it for you) ; I have discovered that this coat is part of the Laura Biagiotti winter 1992 collection, as you can read on the photo.
The model is someone called Maasova who probably makes the coat handsomer than I ever could which may be a problem in achieving the look.The Photo was taken at the Milton Academy in Boston by Luciano Pergreffi.
More importantly the photo is clearly inscribed Cappotto -Lana , which I having no Italian take to be woolen coat! so not Vicuna. There is now some hope of recreating this magnificent overcoat if someone can locate/identify fabric.
Hoping that this will inspire some clever person to work it out. Perhaps another project for the Lounge....Can't wait.

[Pssst]

(...)
More importantly the photo is clearly inscribed Cappotto -Lana , which I having no Italian take to be woolen coat! so not Vicuna. There is now some hope of recreating this magnificent overcoat if someone can locate/identify fabric.
Hoping that this will inspire some clever person to work it out. Perhaps another project for the Lounge....Can't wait.

Let's hope so. Here are higher resolution versions of the last two pictures, maybe makes things a little easier.
http://milstil.tumblr.com/post/32705352 ... ll-me-what
http://milstil.tumblr.com/post/32705128 ... vogue-1987

[alden]

I am pretty convnced the cloth is Austrian Loden. Italians love Loden and Loden style raglan coats. You will see many on the streets in Milan and Turin.

The color is lovely a kind of rich chestnut brown. I am a great fan of Loden myself and will see if this could be made. However, i think this color would look best in a heavy cheviot herringbone tweed.

Cheers

[T.K.]

I recently bought a cap at Bates made from dark brown Tyrolean Loden. The cloth has a smooth finish, in no way like the cloth in the close up. But something in the way the fibres lie in a certain direction does seem similar.

The cloth in the fourth picture looks like fur to me.

[Slewfoot]

However, i think this color would look best in a heavy cheviot herringbone tweed.Cheers

I concur! Something like a Cheviot version of the original Etna is what I'm imagining.

[davidhuh]

I am pretty convnced the cloth is Austrian Loden. Italians love Loden and Loden style raglan coats. You will see many on the streets in Milan and Turin.

Dear Michael,

with all respect - I don't think this is Loden. Loden looks very similar to flannel, also the feel and texture is similar. Flannel drapes better, as the weave is more loose. The cloth we see here drapes extremely well.

I remember an overcoat I bought in the mid eighties from an expensive Italian maker (forgot the name). The surface and texture looked similar. All it said was "pura lana".

cheers, David

[alden]

Here is a pic of real Tyrolean Loden with Alpaca.





Looks pretty similar to this (to my eye.)





with Russian blue accent..

In any case, I am going to do a test of this shade of brown in a Cheviot herringbone.

Cheers