Courtesy of Original Madras Trading Co./Drake’s/Beams Plus
Only one fabric can claim to have appeared on the cover of The Official Preppy Handbook, and that fabric is madras. And while it was given the honor because of its frequent sightings on preppy summer colonies from Bar Harbor to Bermuda, its place of origin is an entire hemisphere away.
The cloth takes its name from the Indian city of Madras—now Chennai—which became a major exporter of fabric during the British colonial period. That fabric, still known by the city’s old name, is a lightweight cotton made on handlooms that allow for a greater variety of colored yarns to be used, forming the complex, kaleidoscopic checks that have earned it the nickname “summer plaid.” Madras’ hand-loomed quality also allows for small, slubby imperfections in the cloth, which its admirers appreciate as a signifier of true quality.
Madras has taken on many forms over the centuries, from traditional Indian sarongs to patchwork jackets and even a fragrance. In the interests of keeping cool (and colorful), we’ve rounded up some of the choicest examples below.
Original Madras Trading Co. No. 140 Stout Shirt Jacket
Image Credit: Courtesy of Original Madras Trading Co. The Original Madras Trading Co. can rightly claim to be the fabric’s OG, as the Chennai-based firm has for decades supplied its hand-loomed cloth to blue chip brands like Brooks Brothers, J. Press, and Ralph Lauren. Today, OMTC doesn’t just make cloth, but also produces its own line of clothing, which takes madras away from its preppy cubbyhole and into a more contemporary and interesting direction. A prime example of this approach is its No. 140 shirt jacket, made from a heavyweight “stout weave” madras in a bold beach blanket-stripe.
J. Press Tan/Navy Patchwork Madras Sport Coat
Image Credit: Courtesy of J. Press The patchwork madras sport coat may be the loudest item in the preppy canon—no small achievement for an aesthetic that also celebrates critter pants and Nantucket Reds. If your granddaddy had one, there’s a good chance that it came from J. Press, which has been outfitting the Ivy league look since its founding in 1902. Today the firm continues to proffer the maximalist style with a patchwork madras sport coat that hits all the other Ivy style sweet spots, including an undarted front, a natured shoulder, and a hooked center vent.
Brooks Brothers 7″ Cotton Madras Shorts
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brooks Brothers Brooks Brothers, too, has been trading in madras since time immemorial, and claims credit for having imported the style in the early 20th century. Its madras inventory today includes these seven-inch shorts in a slightly more subdued and earthy pattern and color.
Polo Ralph Lauren Patchwork Madras Western Shirt
Image Credit: Courtesy of Ralph Lauren Madras is a constant in most every Polo Ralph Lauren summer collection. But to our knowledge, spring/summer 2025 is the first time that the brand decided to blend it with two other Polo specialties—patchwork patterning and Western styling—to produce this Indian madras shirt that is so very, very Ralph.
Sid Mashburn Field Pant
Image Credit: Courtesy of Sid Mashburn Madras is very much on the menu at Sid Mashburn, whose seven stores serve up its eponymous founder’s vision of colorful Southern prep. For this season, Sid put an iteration of its workwear-inspired field pant in a madras check that layers DayGlo orange against a more neutral background.
St. John’s Madras Fragrance
Image Credit: Courtesy of St. John’s Contrary to conventional wisdom, not all madras exists in solid form. Old-school soap and scent maker St. John’s has managed to bottle it in the form of this fragrance, which has a spiced but cooling nose characterized by orange, lemon, basil, and black pepper top notes and a base of amber, cedar, and patchouli.
J. Crew Indian Madras Shirt in Patchwork Plaid
Image Credit: Courtesy of J. Crew J. Crew has functioned as a gateway drug to madras for untold numbers of American men. Lately, it has reinterpreted the meaning of “patchwork madras” by offering this shirt made not from small, square patches, but rather entire panels of differently colored (and marvelously clashing) Indian madras.
Drake’s Waxed Madras Cotton Surf Cagoule
Image Credit: Courtesy of Drake’s At once classical and radical, Drake’s has earned a reputation for taking long-established fabrics and fashioning them into entirely new configurations (a feat it’s pulled off repeatedly with Casentino). In this case, the brand has commissioned a waxed, waterproof madras from Scotland and used it to construct this sporty cagoule (a.k.a. anorak) that calls back to the golden age of preppy rain gear.
John Simons Rollins Madras Shirt
Image Credit: Courtesy of John Simons John Simons’s reputation in British Ivy is second-to-none, as the London retailer has been offering its own version of the soft-shoulder look since 1955, often with a healthy dollop of inspiration from jazz greats. Its madras shirt named in honor of saxophonist Sonny Rollins has the measurements and specs of a button-down from the look’s 1960s heyday, with a breezy fit, a seven-button front, and an unlined collar whose 3.5-inch points will form that perfect roll.
The Armoury by Ring Jacket Cotton Madras Model 11 Sport Coat
Image Credit: Courtesy of The Armoury Made from an orange, red, and navy cloth sourced from the Original Madras Trading Co., the Armoury’s take on the madras sport coat comes in its Ivy-inspired Model 11. With an undarted front, triple patch pockets, and an unpadded shoulder, it’s a fitting design for what would undoubtedly be the most laidback piece of summer tailoring in your rotation.
Beams Plus Button-Down Collar Checked Cotton-Madras Shirt
Image Credit: Courtesy of Mr Porter Ametora, or the Japanese interpretation of classical American style, is the focus of Beams Plus, which was established in 1999. Madras is undoubtedly a part of that remit and comes here in the form of a classically styled button-down with a loose fit appropriate to its casual appeal.
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