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Finding fabric for trench coat project

the cappuccino kid

New in Town
Messages
11
Location
Sweden
I´m working on a trench coat muslin and need your help to find the perfect fabric for the final garment to get a classic, and classy, look. First of all, what type of fabric? A cotton gabardine or mix? I would like a "twill" weave surface but it´s not a must.
Second, where do I order from?
Money is no object!
/ The Kid, Sweden
 

Fastuni

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,277
Location
Germany
I don't know a source, but classic trencoats are made either from cotton twill gabardine or smooth popeline.
Go for pure cotton (with waterproof finish) only IMO.
 

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,562
Location
Australia
If you are on this site because of its focus - to honour early and mid 20th century designs and materials - you will want to avoid synthetics.
 

Doctor Damage

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,318
Location
Ontario
If you are on this site because of its focus - to honour early and mid 20th century designs and materials - you will want to avoid synthetics.
Good luck finding 100% cotton in the weight and tight weave he will need. Blends are nothing new and often work better. I have three trenchcoats from the late 80s early 90s which are made from a West German blended cotton fabric which looks quality, is water resistant without treatment, and refuses to wear out. Cotton only would not have performed as well over so long a period.
 

Lean'n'mean

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,085
Location
Cloud-cuckoo-land
Since money is no object (shipping fees to Sweden) you could try eBay UK, in my experience they have a wider choice of fabrics than other countries. You may have to use a lot of word combinations in the search but I'm pretty sure you will find what you're looking for.
 

wgnovak

Familiar Face
Messages
56
Location
USA,Thailand,The Netherlands
It would be easier and less expensive to buy a new one. I will not advertise but just mention a well known men’s clothing store in Buffalo,NY USA has made in England Burberry trench coats and even an Aquascutum. Having a bespoke one made by the tailor of your choice is another way to go.
 

Lean'n'mean

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,085
Location
Cloud-cuckoo-land
Thank you for your help!
I know this ad doesn´t look too exciting but would this be a good choice?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PLAIN-100...689805&hash=item4ac4a5adb1:g:SvAAAOSwKfVXEWnP

Not sure. That's more of a potato sack material,:D it would be OK for a normal jacket but for a Trench you'd want a smoother textured fabric which could be given reasonable water repellency with something like Scotchguard. either 100% cotton or a cotton/polyester blend but it really depends on what you're trying to achieve, just a coat in the style of or something fonctional.
This looks more promising, there may be other colors; http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Cotto...834537?hash=item465c744569:g:zVoAAOSw2xRYfk-z
 

l0fielectronic

Practically Family
Messages
666
Location
UK
As mentioned in the post above if you wanted usefull advice then it would probably be helpfull if you posted more about what you are tring to acheive, the look, drape, warmth, style and so on.

You presumably have something specific and slightly unusual in mind hence you taking this route.

The cotton twill you posted a link to is normally used in budget work shirts and uniform clothing from what I've seen. I imagine if you had a trench coat in this material that got wet it would be very heavy and take a long time to dry out.
 

the cappuccino kid

New in Town
Messages
11
Location
Sweden
Thank you so much for your effort and help.
I agree, the fabric in my link does seem a little rough and lack the elegance of a mens coat.
I follow a pattern in the somewhat famous coat pattern book by Ryuichiro Shimazaki.
I would like my fabric to look as close as the one on the pictures.
trenchcover.jpg
 

l0fielectronic

Practically Family
Messages
666
Location
UK
This website looks to have a good range of options - http://www.therainshed.com/fabrics.htm Perhaps emailing them to see what they would advise to match that coat would be an option.

(I found that from a disscussion here) I would say the heavy drill mentioned above would probably be a little thick and not drape like the coat you've posted.
 

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