The Other Kind of Drape

One of the ways we can tell that Bertie Wooster of the British television series Jeeves and Wooster is wearing clothing that was made in modern times is that, though authentic in cut and color, it does not drape as well as clothing from the period. And by this we are not referring to the drape cut that we discussed yesterday, but the hang of one's clothing.

You see, in a perfect world, we want our clothing to hang straight to the ground, showing only those disturbances that the tailor intended. But notice how Bertie's trousers are flapping in the photo? That is the antithesis of proper drape. Men wore much heavier cloth than Bertie's in the past, cloth that did not move unless the wearer was in a full gale, and then only reluctantly.

Of course, buildings lacked central heat then. Few of us could wear the 18 ounce/54 gram worsteds of the 1930s without heat stroke in a heated building, as that weight is roughly twice as heavy as what is typically sold as year-round tailored clothing these days. But the principal of better drape from heavier cloth still applies.

For example, fifteen ounce/450 gram cloth makes a wearable winter suit and it drapes. Thirteen ounce/390 gram cloth is not quite as good but it doesn't blow around like Wooster's trousers either. And men who wear odd jackets can take advantage of the fact that trousers don't wear as warm as jackets. That means a jacket of any seasonal weight can usually be paired with heavier, better draping, trousers without breaking anyone into a sweat. So, for example, wear 14 ounce/420 gram Shetland odd jackets with 15 ounce/450 gram worsted or 17 ounce/51 gram flannel trousers and find that they hang straighter and resist wrinkles.

Wear clothing that pays homage to the other kind of drape and look better.