WOAD
Woad, Isatis tinctoria, is a member of the brassica family, which also includes cabbages, and is native to Europe, where it is has been cultivated since the Stone Age. Similar to vegetable indigo, but less easy to process, and more delicate in colour, woad must be oxidised, turning the dye from a yellowish-green to blue.
The French Revolution (1789-99) caused the fall of many previously royal or bourgeois industries, but when Napoleon declared himself Emperor in 1804, he took to wearing blue (woad dyed) silk as the Imperial colour, very much as the aristocracy had done before the revolution. Over time indigo was imported with cotton, first into the port of Nîmes, and as cheaper blue fabric became available commoners started to adopt indigo dyed cotton garments, imitating the woad dyed silk of the ruling classes. Serge de Nîmes gradually became the staple that it is today, and the much more expensive and complex art of woad dyeing died out.
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TYPE 900 JACKET
The first Tender jacket, cut with yokes grown on to the back panel, so that the shoulder is seamless and cut on the bias, for a particularly comfortable fit over time.
TYPE 467 BOUND EDGE FLIPPED COLLAR SHIRT
The Bound Edge Flipped Collar Shirt was and experimental tangent on the way to developing the 468 Flipped Collar Shirt. The entire edge of the shirt, including the entire collar, is bound in a continuous sweep of ecru cotton bias binding.
TYPE 468 FLIPPED COLLAR SHIRT
The collar panel of the Flipped Collar Shirt, once cut, is flipped upside down and the long side, not the short side, is sewn into the neck of the shirt.
TYPE 980 DART SHOULDER JACKET
To shape and stiffen the shoulders, the fronts and backs of the Dart Shoulder Jacket are cut in a single, straight, piece, which is darted at an angle where a shoulder seam normally would be.
TYPE 469 SHORT SLEEVE FLIPPED COLLAR SHIRT
The collar panel of the Short Sleeve Flipped Collar Shirt, once cut, is flipped upside down and the long side, not the short side, is sewn into the neck of the shirt.
TYPE 462 MILLWHEEL SHIRT
The Millwheel Shirt is formed around the idea of rotational symmetry. The front chest pocket is tucked into the outward-facing button placket and the back pleat is taken out in one direction only.
TYPE 942 LOBSTER TAIL JACKET
The panels for Lobster Tail Jackets are all individually lined and bias-bound, before assembling with flat lapped seams.
TYPE 461 BASTE POCKET SHIRT
The Baste Pocket Shirt is named after a tailor's baste- the first rough fitting for a bespoke garment. The shirt is cut with long straight front panels, which are folded up to form a pocket, and back at the fronts to form a cut-away, like the basted front of a bespoke waistcoat.
TYPE 430 LONG SLEEVE BUTTERFLY SHIRT
Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? The Butterfly Shirt came about from working through the changes needed to be made for the Type 420 Tail Shirt to have no side seams.
TYPE 493 SHORT SLEEVE BENCH SHIRT
The short sleeved Bench shirt is an edited interpretation of a draught-maker’s shirt, with a single breast pocket and open short sleeves.
WEAVER'S STOCK TYPE WS450 LONG SLEEVED HIGH BACK SHIRT
The Weaver's Stock Long Sleeved High Back Shirt is a simplified version of the type 450 High Back Shirt, cut with longer front tails swooping up to a slightly raised back panel, keeping the seat free of unnecessary fabric.
WEAVER'S STOCK TYPE WS428 SHORT SLEEVED TAIL SHIRT
The Weaver's Stock Short Sleeved Tail Shirt is a simplified version of the type 428 Tail Shirt, cut with curved front and back tails, and straight hemmed sleeves.
