Gabardine: Spring's Silky Sheen

Spring has sprung, and the first sunny day after any remaining snow has completely melted should find men reaching into their clothes storage bags for the quintessential suit of the season - the tan gabardine, preferably, in this man's opinion, double breasted.

According to cloth merchant Holland & Sherry, gabardine is "a fine steep twill effect (approximately 60 degrees) on account of the predominance of the warp over the weft." The cloth is usually woven in a 12 ounce/370 gram weight (H&S also makes a too light 9 ounce Super 150 version), and it's a tight weave so it wears warm. That means gabardine feels best between 55 and 75 degrees farenheit. Any warmer and I sweat.

Tan gabardine may be the best foil for a black silk grenadine necktie but it's well behaved with just about item of clothing that complements either blue or gray suits. Wear it with shoes in hues of brown as well as brown and white spectators. Men who appreciate gabardine's crisp good looks will often add a second suit in navy, odd trousers in olive and shades of brown, and perhaps one of the belted back odd jackets we mentioned the other day.