Tweed Guide – The Curiously Compelling Story of Tweed It is commonly thought that tweed emerged in Scotland and Ireland as a way for the farmers there to battle the chilly, damp climate that characterizes those parts. Tweed began as a hand-woven fabric. The cloth was rough, thick, and felted and the colors were muted and earthy. It was truly a working man’s cloth. Whatever the origin, tweed is a rugged fabric, resistant to wind and water with excellent insulating properties. The wearing of tweed entered a new phase when in the first half of the nineteenth century many estates in Scotland were acquired by English noblemen wishing to expand their life of leisure. In 1848, Prince Albert ignited a rush on Scottish estates when he purchased Balmoral. Although the foundation of the castle wasn’t laid until September 28, 1853, he designed The Balmoral Tweed earlier. Blue with white sprinkles and crimson in color, it was no coincidence that it looks gray from afar resembling the granite mountains of Aberdeenshire around Balmoral because it was designed for deer stalking in the area. As such, one of the first Estate Tweeds was born, and subsequently it became all the rage among estate owners to commission their special tweeds. Although tweed does evoke stereotypes such as the Country Gentleman, The College Professor, and East Coat Intellectual, the cloth has experienced a renaissance in recent times and now carries with it a certain sophistication. A long line of subculture movements such as the British Indie, hipster, Sloane Rangers, and preppies has enthusiastically adopted tweed as a part of their wardrobe repertoire. This periodic “return to tweed” not only helps keep the tradition of tweed alive, but also serves to inject new life and energy into this iconic cloth. Although tweed may still be the exclusive uniform for windswept Scottish estates, nowadays a thoughtful, well-tailored tweed jacket or… http://bit.ly/2glgX7H
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