alpaca linings

[globetrotter]

ok, anybody really know about alpaca linings? alpaca is really warm, doesn't it make the suit really hot? can you put alpaca on a 11 oz and get the warmth of a much heavier fabric? what is the idea? anybody really have one of these?

 

[Manton]

Seen this in overcoats and trench coats and such but never in suits that I can recall. Sounds daft.

 

[Mark Seitelman]

Alpaca was once used in coat linings. It was not the same type of alpaca pile or fleece that is used for winter coats.

Richard Anderson in his book mentions that alpaca was used for the coat's lining. Striped silk lining was used in the sleeves to ease slipping on and off. Also, silk (and later Bemberg, rayon, etc.) was less bulky than alpaca.

This dates back to pre-centrallly heated England when a heavy suit was prized. It is likely that the other components (canvas, horsehair, etc.) were heavier than those used now.

I know of no one who works with alpaca linings, and I do not know if they are even available. I would think that it would make the coat warmer but also bulkier.

Perhaps a call to Richard Anderson or another tailor on Savile Row?

Good luck.

 

[mr monty]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

ok, anybody really know about alpaca linings? alpaca is really warm, doesn't it make the suit really hot? can you put alpaca on a 11 oz and get the warmth of a much heavier fabric? what is the idea? anybody really have one of these?

Are Chicago winters that bad?

 

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Mark Seitelman

I know of no one who works with alpaca linings, and I do not know if they are even available. I would think that it would make the coat warmer but also bulkier.

Good luck.

The only companies working with it are all based in Spain. Maybe there's a local market for them in cities close to the Andes, but all the fashion companies source theirs from Spain.

 

[Petrus1]

Globe- alpaca like wool can be made in all different weights. Just as there are tropical weight wools there are tropical weight alpaca suits.

 

[summej2]

Originally Posted by Mark Seitelman

Alpaca was once used in coat linings. It was not the same type of alpaca pile or fleece that is used for winter coats. Richard Anderson in his book mentions that alpaca was used for the coat's lining. Striped silk lining was used in the sleeves to ease slipping on and off. Also, silk (and later Bemberg, rayon, etc.) was less bulky than alpaca. This dates back to pre-centrallly heated England when a heavy suit was prized. It is likely that the other components (canvas, horsehair, etc.) were heavier than those used now. I know of no one who works with alpaca linings, and I do not know if they are even available. I would think that it would make the coat warmer but also bulkier. Perhaps a call to Richard Anderson or another tailor on Savile Row? Good luck.
I had Will Field alter an old hand-me-down Davies suit to fit and he commented on the Alpaca lining and how it was once standard but no longer used due to cost. As I understand it, it's not actually alpaca wool in my thirty-year-old example, but rather a coarsely woven open-weave rayon. Perhaps it was alpaca at one time. In my example it is used only in the body while the sleeves have a conventional lining, as Mark notes was the norm. Though the suit is an old English flannel of at least 12 oz, I find it comfortable to wear indoors.

 

[Cary Grant]

Originally Posted by mr monty

Are Chicago winters that bad?

Not unless you spend all day out doors... with no overcoat...