Herringbone

With winter just around the corner, some clients have been asking me about coats and jackets, as well as the colours they should consider. While it's not necessarily for everyone, I usually suggest something with texture; specifically, Herringbone.

Herringbone (or fish bone) is a V-shaped weave pattern that runs repeatedly in broken zigzags. It closely resembles the skeleton of a herring fish (hence the name). It looks like this: 

Reminds me of Magic Eye...

It's traditionally one of the most popular fabrics among suits and outdoor coats, and the pattern size ranges greatly. Many people might not even know that they own a suit with a Herringbone pattern unless they look closely at the fabric.

But what are they advantages? Well...

Herringbone adds texture.

Solid-coloured fabrics are generally one colour and offer less visual variation, whereas textured fabrics such as Herringbone will offer more. The variation will obviously depend on the size of the pattern, but even small patterns cause more variation than a solid-coloured fabric. The extra texture adds a little 'something' to a suit no matter the colour.

Grey Herringbone, from You Only Live Twice

Herringbone hides imperfections.

Clothes get worn, and (unfortunately) clothes get worn out. It can happen slowly over time, or all of the sudden if you're unlucky. I think everyone's been in a situation where they accidentally got nicked or hooked by something (an all-too-common occurrence when travelling, especially for public transit users). The great thing about Herringbone is that it hides imperfections extremely well.

It`s harder to find imperfections on textured fabrics.

The Herringbone weaves on fabrics aren't always uniform, so the slight variations in the pattern makes the fabric look 'consistently imperfect'; therefore, it has the ability to hide wear and tear over the course of its life. It can't hide everything, but it will do a much better job at hiding than solid-coloured fabrics.

Herringbone hides dirt.

Ever brush your jacket against a dirty car door? Or get salt kicked up on your trousers? Canadian winters, no matter how beautiful, can get pretty dirty at times, and keeping your clothes clean can be a hassle.

That's another great advantage with Herringbone, especially those that are charcoal. When you accidentally brush up against a dirty surface (such as a car door covered in salt from the winter) it usually leaves an opaque mark. A charcoal Herringbone fabric may be able to hide that mark much better than a solid colour. It can even camouflage the dirt mark long enough until you have time to wash it out. That can be a godsend, especially if you're running late and on your way to an important meeting.

Speaking of winter, I've just checked the weather and it looks like Ottawa is due for a big snowfall tomorrow. Good news for some, bad news for others! So, dear readers, dress warm and watch out for those dirty surfaces. And, if you have one in your closet, why not try out that Herringbone jacket?

Or give YourSuit a shout. Always happy to help!

Ready for this?