partial jacket lining?

[hobo]

At thrift stores, I have sometimes seen jackets from clothing manufacturers that are considered good, but the jackets are not fully lined. I've always been led to believe that a jacket not being fully lined is a give away sign for bad quality.

Is it just that the jackets I've seen are old and for some reason, clothing makers did not always fully line their jackets, or what?

 

[lakewolf]

Those are summertime jackets... partially lined to have more airflow

 

[chorse123]

Originally Posted by hobo

I've always been led to believe that a jacket not being fully lined is a give away sign for bad quality.

Quite the opposite, in fact. The conventional wisdom is that it takes more labor to finish the interior seams in a way that is pleasing to the eye. A lining saves a lot of time.

 

[Edward Appleby]

Yeah, Oxxford's one of the best made RTW garments out there and they have the signature 1/4 lining.

 

[j]

Quite the opposite - a half-lined (or 1/4 lined, or "3/8" as Oxxford is sometimes called) jacket takes more work to make than a fully-lined jacket. The reason is that all the inside seams must be cleaned up and/or bound to be presentable whereas if you were to look inside the lining of an average fully lined jacket, you'd see all kinds of loose threads and unbound edges. A very high percentage of Oxxford jackets in particular are less than fully lined. There are various ways to bind the visible fabric edges including bias tape, sometimes contrasting or complementary in color, which is a Hong Kong style. Others are much more simply done.

I once had a tailor scoff at my question of whether his shop would make an unlined or half lined jacket. "Why would you want a half lined jacket?!" If a shop refuses, stay away. It's most likely that they wouldn't know how or don't want to go to the trouble. Telling you it's a sign of lower quality is just a way to shirk and avoid the work.

Edit: let's all post at once!

 

[DMully]

Originally Posted by j

a half-lined (or 1/4 lined, or "3/8" as Oxxford is sometimes called) jacket takes more work to make than a fully-lined jacket.

Hi guys,

Is 1/2 lining a synonym for 1/4 or 3/8 lining or are all of these different? Why 1/8's? Is that from an older tradition when a jacket divided up into 1/8's when it's cut or something?

Thanks for your thoughts,

Mully

 

[Ivan Kipling]

I prefer the way a partially lined jacket, wears. It moves well.

 

[Thurston]

I have a Polo Blue Label with a half lining. It seems to have the slightest bit of stretch and wears like a sweater. It is my favorite jacket by far.

 

[Manton]

I'm not sure what the exact fractions refer to. A truly, completely unlined jacket is very rare. The cloth must be both slick and sturdy. Slick to slide on and off without catching, despite the lack of sleeve and shoulder lining; sturdy to withstand the additional wear and stress. A friend had one done in 15 ounce wool/mohair fresco, and it works well with that cloth. I am at a loss as to other cloths that might serve.

Most "unlined" coats are lined in the sleeves and in the shoulders and upper back. The shape of the part on the shoulders/back can vary. Sometimes it runs straight across; sometimes it is "scalloped" and two sort of quarter circle pieces meet and very slightly overlap where the center backseam meets the collar.

Another difference is how the facings are done. One way or another, the canvas and pocket innards have to be covered. On a normal coat, the facings cover about half, and then give way to the lining, which covers the other half and then continues around the sides and through the back of the coat. Some unlined coats are made with wider facings that cover the entire canvas. Others are made with normal facings and a narrow strip of lining just wide enough to cover the remaining exposed canvas. Since lining is lighter than self cloth, this option is said to be cooler.

 

[Ivan Kipling]

Thanks for your expert commentary. I owned a Basile suit, whose jacket was lined only to the shoulder blades. The sleeves were most definitely, lined. Pockets too. The shoulders were sculpted, as well. The finishing on that suit, was exqusite. Not a stray thread, to be seen. Very comfortable to wear. Received many compliments. The fabric was a lightweight, wool stripe. Should never have given that suit away.

Saint Laurent sometimes used partial linings, for women's clothes. A pleated skirt, or one with release pleats, was lined only to the hips. This, for movement and flow.

 

[fredrik80]

Would it be correct to assume that a partially lined suit will wear out sooner than a fully lined? I recently tried on a gorgeous navy suit in 75% wool 25% mohair, and it had that scalloped partial lining Manton described above, lined at the front-sides and extending upwards and back to top of neck. It felt great on for sure.

Would it be a bad option to get this kind of suit as an allseason suit, should i just use it for warmer weather to preserve it?

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by fredrik80

Would it be correct to assume that a partially lined suit will wear out sooner than a fully lined? I recently tried on a gorgeous navy suit in 75% wool 25% mohair, and it had that scalloped partial lining Manton described above, lined at the front-sides and extending upwards and back to top of neck. It felt great on for sure.

Would it be a bad option to get this kind of suit as an allseason suit, should i just use it for warmer weather to preserve it?
That suit will wear out your shirt before you wear it out.

 

[AlanC]

Originally Posted by lakewolf

Those are summertime jackets... partially lined to have more airflow

Not necessarily. I have a lot of heavy tweeds that are only partially lined.

 

[retronotmetro]

Perhaps it is specific to my (SoCal) climate and job, but I wish that more of my suits had unlined coats. I spend a good chunk of the week in court, and an unlined coat is more comfortable in the year-round constant 70 degree "weather" of a climate controlled building. Same works for outdoors--an unlined coat is a no-brainer once the temperature goes over 80, and is more comfortable under an overcoat when it is raining or the below-50 temps that we call "cold."

 

[j]

I don't think an unlined/partlined coat will wear out faster necessarily, but having the body fabric exposed from the inside as well as the outside could make it more vulnerable to damage. It's also important not to catch anything on the edges of the lining as in some points on some jackets it is sewn directly to the body fabric. And you have to be a little more careful putting it on a hanger.