Barathea, sometimes spelled barrathea,
is a soft
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...
, with a broken
twill
Twill is a type of textile
Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and d ...
weft
In the manufacture of cloth, warp and weft are the two basic components in weaving to transform thread (yarn), thread and yarn into textile fabrics. The vertical ''warp'' yarns are held stationary in tension on a loom (frame) while the horizo ...
rib, giving a surface that is lightly pebbled or ribbed, with the effect of a twill running both left and right. Originally developed as a cloth for
mourning
Mourning is the emotional expression in response to a major life event causing grief, especially loss. It typically occurs as a result of someone's death, especially a loved one.
The word is used to describe a complex of behaviors in which t ...
clothes in the 1840s, it took several decades to become popular for other purposes, due to its association with bereavement.
The yarns used are various combinations of
wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...
,
silk
Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
and
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
.
Worsted barathea (made with a smooth wool yarn) is often used for evening
coat
A coat is typically an outer garment for the upper body, worn by any gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners (AKA velcro), ...
s,
such as
dress coat
A tailcoat is a knee-length coat characterised by a rear section of the skirt (known as the ''tails''), with the front of the skirt cut away.
The tailcoat shares its historical origins in clothes cut for convenient horse-riding in the Early M ...
s,
dinner jackets, and
military uniform
A military uniform is a standardised clothing, dress worn by members of the armed forces and Paramilitary, paramilitaries of various nations.
Military dress and styles have gone through significant changes over the centuries, from colourful ...
s,
in black and midnight blue. Silk barathea, either all silk, or using cotton
weft
In the manufacture of cloth, warp and weft are the two basic components in weaving to transform thread (yarn), thread and yarn into textile fabrics. The vertical ''warp'' yarns are held stationary in tension on a loom (frame) while the horizo ...
and silken
warp, is widely used in the
necktie
A necktie, long tie, or simply a tie, is a cloth article of formal neckwear or office attire worn for decorative or symbolic purposes, resting under a folded shirt collar or knotted at the throat, and usually draped down the chest. On rare o ...
industry.
References
Woven fabrics
1840s introductions
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