Welcome back to the Gentleman’s Gazette!
Today’s guide is all about Tweed.
We discuss the origins, what it is, how to wear it and anything else you want to know
about this wonderful fabric.
Tweed began as a handwoven fabric which was made on looms.
The cloth was rough and thick and coarse.
And the colors were earthy, because they were inspired by nature.
Today, tweed is pretty much the same thing.
It’s this fabric which is rich in color which is made out of wool and it comes in
may different shapes and forms, all of which we will discuss here.
So how did tweed get it’s name?
Some people claim, it comes from the river tweed. which is in Scotland and supposedly
the cloth was first woven in the Tweed Valley.
Other people claim, tweed is a twist of the Scottish word tweel.
Whatever the origins its a wonderful fabric know as tweed that we use today.
If you want to learn more about the history and the intricacies of tweed, please check
out our full fledged written guide here.
Now, tweed is usually quite heavy and warm.
But believe it or not, it used to be the high performance fabric of its time.
The English gentry was quick to adopt tweed as the preferred fabric for golfing, hunting
or fishing under country estates.
It was quite enjoyable, it was warm and that time houses didn’t have central heating.
So, having layers of warming cloth was actually quite desirable.
The tweed fabric was also used for specific cuts such as plus fours that were full and
used for hunting or golfing or anything else that was outdoor related.
Today, It is rarely used for sport activities anymore because it is quite insulating and
even though wool is quite absorbent when it comes to sweat it is simply to warm for most people.
You only see it on vintage lovers when they go on a golf course or maybe for the tweed
run which is a bike race specifically dedicated to tweed.
Tweed is named after a multitude of things.
It can be a geographical name.
It can be named according to the sheep or it can be named after a certain brand name
such as Supasax.
First, let’s look at the tweed that is named after sheep.
First of all, it is the Cheviot Tweed.
Cheviot is a breed of white faced sheep that were first kept in a cheviot hills in Northumberland
near the Scottish border.
Generally, it is a larger and rougher type of tweed.
It is quite coarse to the touch, such as this one.
Basically, it’s a hard wearing fabric and it not something you touch that is soft as
cashmere.
It is quite the opposite.
Next up we have Shetland Tweed.
Which is the jacket I am wearing here right now.
Shetland Tweed is the opposite of cheviot in the sense that it is much softer, it is
finer and usually have a looser weave.
Now, it is hard for you to see, but if you can actually touch the vest which is made
up of a coarser cheviot tweed.
And, the jacket, is made of soft shetland tweed.
it almost feel like night and day.
People like the coarser stuff because it is harder wearing.
It is usually heavier and it's quite warm.
Whereas the soft shetland tweeds are just comfortable to wear and really great for a sport coat.
So whenever you want something soft, look for shetland tweed from the soft shetland
sheep wool.
Now let’s discuss the geographically named tweeds.
First off all, the Donegal Tweed.
The name of Donegal is derived from the Irish county of Donegal and the characteristic is
a tweed with knobs as you can see here.
Rather than having a plain fabric, you see like orange or red, gray, speckle, sometimes
you have pink or green or something very outlandish but overall it creates a soft look that
is every casual and very elegant from a country point of view.
Personally, I am a huge fan of Donegal tweed, also for overcoats because it is unique especially
when combined with a herringbone pattern.
Next up is Saxony tweed.
In the middle ages, it was forbidden for the Christian areas of Spain to export sheep.
Now in the mid 18th century, that law was relaxed and so sheep was sent to Saxony and eventually
there were over 4 million sheep.
Of course they would make fabric out of that wool and so Saxony tweed became a very popular item.
Today, Saxony tweed is defined by a short pile as you can see here.
It is usually quite soft.
Generally, it is made from a Merino wool today and it is another wonderful sport coat or
a jacket fabric.
Certainly, the most well known tweed today is Harris tweed.
It is another geographically named tweed which comes from the Isle of Harris.
It was first introduced to the English aristocracy in the 1840s by lady Dunmore. It quickly became
very popular in English Society.
So in 1909 The first British mark or trademark of its kind was created.
It is said that only tweed woven in the Outer Hebrides could be called Harris Tweed.
It is still the case today, so whenever you see a Harris tweed label, you know it was
woven in the Outer Hebrides.
A few years ago, Harris tweed was close to extinction but has made a really good comeback.
And, if you want to learn more about this wonderful tweed, please check out our in depth
guider here.
Harris tweed usually has a twill weave and it’s a coarser fabric to touch.
Apart from sheep and geography, you also have tweeds that are named after functionality.
Gamekeeper tweed is a heavier fabric usually starting at 700g, about 24 oz.
It is made for cold weathers, so it is quite insulating and hard wearing.
It really got its name from the people who use it outside all day in cold harsh conditions.
Sporting tweeds or Hunting tweeds were developed specifically for hunting and the idea was
on one hand, that the colors are chosen so you blend in with your environment.
On the other hand, a hunting tweed jacket has a shoulder patch just like this one, so
you could easily hold your rifle and it wouldn’t wear out your shoulder fabric so quickly.
Hunting tweed jackets also have little features like a throat latch that allows you button
up your jacket in case it got really windy or cold and you need to protect yourself.
Another really interesting tweed is the so called, Thornproof tweed which is made of
two ply wool yarns which are supposed to be woven tightly and as a consequence if you
go through a thorn it may poke through, but is then self-repairing.
It’s a wonderful fabric if you are out and hunting or if you have to walk through brush
or maybe thorns.
Because the little punctures won’t hurt the fabric and it will look like new even
after a long day out.
Supasax is a Saxony tweed used to be made by Bladen.
it had been discontinued for a while.
I think it is back now, though I really prefer the old stuff because it has a special color
depth and wonderful patterns.
Next up let’s talk about tweed patterns.
The most basic tweed is a plain twill weave tweed as you can see here.
It has these ridges that are quite wide they can be a little finer, but this is pretty typical
for a plain twill tweed.
Another option is the so called Overcheck twill, which is what I’m wearing here right
now.
It’s still a twill weave but not as pronounced as the one you can see here, but it has this
overcheck.
I really like this tweed because it has this green color and it’s very nature driven
and with a rust, it’s perfect for an autumn jacket.
Tweed jackets are always are always single breasted.
They are never double breasted because they are a sport coat and the double layer would
have been too warm.
One of the most popular and basic tweed patterns is herringbone.
Herringbone is named that way because it’s supposed to resemble fish bones.
Basically, a herringbone is a twill weave, so it’s the same weave you can see
here but the rows are adjusted to go up and down right next to each other giving you this
herringbone pattern.
Apart form a plain herringbone jacket, you can sometimes also find herringbones with
an overplaid or an overcheck.
Adding a check to a herringbone pattern can make the entire look quite different and it’s
usually a jacket that people have once they have 2 or 3 other tweed jackets already in
their wardrobe.
Another popular tweed pattern that’s good for solids or some maybe even Donegal is the
so called Barleycorn.
it’s called that way because upon closer inspection it resembles a kernel of barley.
Striped tweeds incorporate vertical lines to create just different look.
Oftentimes they are in contrasting colors, sometimes also in alternating colors.
Striped tweeds are not overly popular and instead you’ll find a lot more check tweeds.
Check patterns can be manifold.
You can have really like a microcheck as you can see here with very small checks or you
can have something like this jacket with houndstooth and broad bold overcheck like orange and red.
You get a houndstooth in a brown and beige tone with a larger scale.
You can combine it easily with beige tones, browns, stone, greens and any other kind of
casual nature inspired color.
A Houndstooth resembles the back teeth of dogs and hence it got the name.
Hunters also cam to realize that it can be quite effective as a camouflage if the tones
are chosen closely to nature.
So not that you know all the different kinds of tweed.
The question remains, how do you actually wear a tweed?
First of all it’s not just for professors or old stodgy gentlemen.
It can be worn by anybody.
Because of its weight and warmth, its particularly well suited for fall, winter outfits, because
otherwise, you simply overheat.
If you live in a climate that’s about 40 degrees fahrenheit or 80 degrees celsius or
below, the tweed coat is a wonderful addition to your wardrobe.
If you’re not sure about the tweed jacket, you can always go with alternative tweed items.
For example, I am wearing an Irish tweed tie here right now paired with a tweed vest.
It’s a fantastic investment because even if you just invest in one tweed vest, you
can combine it with a multitude of jackets and always put a casual relaxed outfit.
They are also quite warm and can even be worn on their own.
If you are new to tweed and you are not quite sure what to invest in, go with a mid brown
color.
For example, the jacket I am wearing here right now is mid to dark brown.
It has some Donegal flecks and it’s definitely different from any kind of other suit coat
you’ll have that’s made of flannel or worsted.
It pairs well with lots of items including corduroys, chinos or any kinds of slacks and
it gives this casual, relaxed feel.
If you don’t want to go with a solid tone.
You could go with something like this, Microcheck pattern or a small houndstooth.
Of course, herringbone also looks really well as a first one.
For a second jacket, you may want to invest in a blue tweed because it is also versatile.
But personally, I also think you can be a little more daring with colors and go with
greens or burgundies, mustard yellows or different kinds of brown because it’s tweed after
all and it’s meant to be different.
Now that you know the basics of what tweed to wear and what’s out there, it’s important
to know when not to wear a tweed.
If you are in a traditional white collar environment, tweed is not the fabric to wear.
It’s simply too casual and it’s also too warm in a heated office.
Moreover, it’s not suited for any kind of evening event or cocktail party, because its
more of a country fabric and it’s not primarily a city fabric.
Of course today, you can wear tweed in the city, it's no problem.
Especially when it’s cold outside.
But just stay away from formal events, especially evening events.
You might have noticed in all the outfits with the different tweed jackets, I didn’t
change my shirt and that’s because it's kind of creamy, yellow, orange color works with
almost any kind of tweed coat.
You should definitely avoid white shirts because they don’t go well with a casual character.
But this tone is perfect for tweed.
For even more information about tweed please check out our full fledged guide here.
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