Amount of Fabric Needed for Suit and Pants - Page 3

The whole nine yards, often said as "The full nine yards" is thought to be taken from the making of a man's kilt.  Army kilts are made from nine yards of a heavier, more durable and more expensive cloth than that normally used for civilian wear, and military suppliers were frequently known to use shorter lengths of tartan, and with shallower pleats, in order to increase profits. 

It is very difficult to see the difference between, say, a five-yard kilt and a nine-yard kilt at a glance, and so the ruse often paid off.  Thus, to have a kilt of the full nine yards is to have a garment of the proper quality - hence the expression being used to reflect that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandyman 

The whole nine yards, often said as "The full nine yards" is thought to be taken from the making of a man's kilt.  Army kilts are made from nine yards of a heavier, more durable and more expensive cloth than that normally used for civilian wear, and military suppliers were frequently known to use shorter lengths of tartan, and with shallower pleats, in order to increase profits. 

 

It is very difficult to see the difference between, say, a five-yard kilt and a nine-yard kilt at a glance, and so the ruse often paid off.  Thus, to have a kilt of the full nine yards is to have a garment of the proper quality - hence the expression being used to reflect that.

interesting...

but it takes nine yards to make a man's kilt when it only takes 5-6 for suits?

2.2 metres of fabric should be enough to get a two-piece suit mde up.

I bought an end-of-roll remnant of the same length, of an all-wool herring-bone tweed with a four-inch repeat over-check, with the intention of having it made up unto a jacket.  The Yorkshire-based bespoke tailor (who did the bespoke work for a well-known London West End outfitters) I used advised that the length of material was sufficient for a suit as long as turn-up cuffs were not required on the trousers.

The finished suit is a three-button single-breasted with a 32inch jacket length.  The trousers have a single pleat and 33inch inside-seam and tunnel-and-tab side adjustment on the waist.

In case it is of interest, the cost of the cloth was £25.00 (about $38.00 US) from a fabric whole-sale merchant, and the make-up of the suit (including three fittings, working buttons at jacket cuff, and half-lined trousers) came to £198.00 ($297.00 US) in 2001.   I have not bought off-the-peg since!