Why is sleeve lining striped?

Shaggy dog story or not, the version I heard was that one of the tailoring houses used striped sleeves to identify his own items. After that, other houses began to copy the idea, but varied the colour/pattern of the stripes to create a unique house design specific to their pieces. No idea if this is actually rooted in fact, or which house was first to do it (Poole?) but that's the story I heard.

You will find striped sleeve linings on RTW, MTM, and custom/bespoke. Generally, it is a sign of a traditional, fine coat.

The striped linings came about when suits had a much heavier construction.

Coat linings were originally alpaca. Silk was used in the sleeves for less bulk and to make it easier to slip-in and -out. Eventually, various other materials came into use, such as bemberg. Silk was supplanted in that the other materials are less likely to wear-out.

Custom/bespoke tailors would use a "signature" lining to mark their clothing as well as maintain a uniform look and finish.. E.g., Davies & Sons uses a bengal stripe against wihite in either blue or grey depending upon the suit color. The same stripe is used on the interior of the vest and the trousers waistband. Huntsman uses a purple stripe against a cream background.

Manufacturers of better suits followed. E.g., Brooks has striped linings in its best RTW and MTM. On RTW suits it is a nice touch in view of the history and associations with Savile Row.

Some quality manufacturers do not use striped linings. E.g., Oxxford Clothes. Of course, the manufacturer would turn-out a striped lining for an MTM order. I also recall some Oxxfords with striped sleeves at Bergdorf Goodman, and the store must have requested that.

A possibly accidental factor is that it draws the eye down the inside of the sleeve when the jacket is removed, bringing dimension to the garment's interior and emphasizing its construction.

 

In fact, I'm quite sure it's unintentional, but I have always enjoyed that aspect.

 

-VF

Edited by Von Franz - 12/16/11 at 8:32am

Okay, who's going to write the Sartorial Fairy Tale, about how once upon a time there was a single sleeve lining who never managed to hook up with any of the lady sleeve linings at the suit club, because he was a little overweight. So he decided to paint vertical stripes on himself, in the hope that it would make him look longer and thinner.

It worked! Suddenly, he was getting all the sleeve action he could handle. (Okay, there was one unfortunate incident where he wound up with a bad case of the snags, but a visit to the tailor and a quick session with some needle and thread cleared that problem right up.)

And since all of today's sleeve linings are the descendants of that one pudgy sleeve lining from long ago, they all choose to wear stripes in honor of their pudgy ancestor.

Heck, it doesn't have to be just a fairy tale. Toss in some nonsense about alien sweater vests and golden belt buckles, and we could base an actual religion on it. Include a character called Gaya, the Spirit of Fashion, along with 5 very special young people called the Stitchers, who can combine their alterations talents to call forth Major Wardrobe, and we could get an animated tv series out of it. Or we could work it so that the overweight sleeve's cousin possessed magical powers and lived most of the year in an enormous cedar-lined closet with secret compartments and an evil carpet beetle, and that he had to fight Lord Polyester and his Cashmere Gobblers in order to save the clothing world. Yeah, there are lots of possibilities here.
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Michael

Very interesting. I am impressed with your erudition (really).

As you may know, King Edward VII of England brought in the standard of not buttoning the bottom button of one's suit jacket or waistcoat. He never did his bottom button because he was so large, but soon everyone started doing the same.

A lesser-known aspect of Edward's contributions to fashion is that he also made striped sleeve linings popular. He did not become so large without good reason: he was also well-known for his voracious appetite. When he was served chicken, for instance, he would instantly grab a leg and start digging into it without a care for the mess he made. As he plowed the chicken leg into his mouth, the gravy and juices would run down his raised arms, staining the sleeve linings of his suits. The fluids would make stripes going down the length of the sleeves. So that it would not be an embarrassment for the king, those around him started wearing pre-stained or pre-striped sleeve linings in their suits, and the practice spread as everyone started imitating the fashion.

Next week I'll tell you how Rasputin, always the ladies' man, made paisley ties popular in his day.

me love paisley.