The Herringbone Tweed: a piece of history

Herringbone tweed, also called herringbone, is a variation of twill or twill fabric (diagonally striped fabric). This feature is due to the twill weave; in this case, the loom for weaving is prepared by diagonally weaving the threads.

Everything is done in such a way as to make the wires change direction, so as to make them reverse at regular intervals in sequence.

In this way a sort of "chevron" is created which composes a classic V-shaped pattern. In England, this process takes the name of Herringbone, due to its particularity of being zigzag.

As mentioned, it resembles the herringbone, a type of fish from the Northern seas.

This plot has very ancient historical roots.

Four centuries before Christ, pieces of herringbone cloth were found in the ancient salt mines of Hallstatt, near what is now Vienna.

Other herringbone fabrics, with a horsehair base, were discovered in Ireland, around 600 BC, before the arrival of the Celtic people on the island.

In the East, fabrics with the characteristic of this herringbone twill have been found together with mummies discovered in the Tarim basin, in present-day Xinjiang in China: it is assumed that they date back to at least 200 BC.

The earliest examples, however, come from Northern Italy, where a six-foot (182cm to be exact) piece of linen canvas was found, worked in twill with a herringbone pattern. This piece is presumed to have been found in the third millennium BC.

In the British Museum in London and in the Bolton Museum in Lancashire other pieces of Herringbone in cotton are exhibited: in particular there are some fragments of sheets, clothing, and the casing of the mummy of Ramesses II, the pharaoh of the Exodus of the Israelites from 'Egypt.

In addition, some ancient scriptures tell us that Aaron, the high priest, wore a tunic of linen and linen twill armed with a herringbone weave. We can reasonably assume that the garments and linen sewn with this particular weave were produced in the weaving centers of Alexandria, Antioch, Damascus.

The most famous herringbone in the world is the cloth of the Holy Shroud.

The fabric has a herringbone weft with a ratio of 80 warp threads and 4 weft threads. Each strip of the plug has 41 warp threads in one direction and 39 in the other.

Some defects in the weft are visible in the fabric: in some cases the warp has a few more threads, in other cases it has a few fewer threads than normal. The sheet, on the other hand, presents a symmetry in the herringbone weave.

This particular arrangement of the threads dates back to the Ice Age, therefore it cannot be traced back to the actual appearance of this particular fabric.

The weft and warp threads are single irregular yarns. Some of these, in particular, are thicker and more irregularly spun. This means that the sheet was woven by hand. The warp threads are on average 38 cm long, those of the weft 26 cm.

Today this herringbone pattern is found in every type of garment: above all we can have it in an infinite variety of sizes, scales, textures, weights, and colors.

The texture is eclectic for any type of fabric or garment. I recommend having at least one of these garments in your wardrobe with this simple process.

Above all, I recommend having a herringbone-patterned item of clothing, the tie, as a useful and widely used item of clothing. Obviously you should opt for the Neapolitan seven pie? Ghe, also called “folded silk tie”, of great value with its fabric folded to form a casket to be opened and admired in all its beauty.

This is handmade, while the yarn-dyed silk is jacquard, that is with a sartorial motif inspired by the herringbone, with an 8 cm blade.

"Tie your knot" would say Arnaldo Amato, Brand Manager of "Eleganza Napoletana", one of the leading experts of the famous Neapolitan tailoring productions.

For the colder season, I recommend a semi-lined brown Herringbone Tweed Blazer: opt for one that has a slim fit, two button-ups and peak lapels, a structured shoulder with a slightly shortened length and patch pockets for a casual touch.

This very simple process is basic and is a passepartout for many occasions. For this reason, it must absolutely be present in the wardrobe with at least one garment or accessory per season.

This pattern, in our wardrobe, adds a touch of style, good taste and of course a piece of costume history.