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For such a lightweight cloth, madras is weighed down with cultural associations. Most famously, it’s the summertime fabric of choice for the summer-on-the-Cape set, who prize it for its bold colors and checked patterns (and even more so when they purposefully clash in kaleidoscopic patchwork patterns).
However, madras was being spun and worn long before the first Kennedy took to Hyannis. It’s a product of India’s long and storied history of small-scale textile production. It derives its name from the city of Madras (now Chennai), which was established as a trading post by the East India Company.
From there, the fabric—which was traditionally loomed by hand, giving it its “perfectly imperfect” charm—was exported around the world, notably to parts of Africa and the Caribbean, where it is still worn as traditional dress. In time, American preppies vacationing in Bermuda got hip to its charms and brought it stateside to be championed by the likes of Brooks Brothers, J. Press, and Ralph Lauren.
Today the fabric’s story has come full circle, as makers like the Original Madras Trading Co. seek to return the fabric to its roots while pushing forward the design of the garments it is used to make. At the same time, the current vogue for all things “old money style” means there’s no shortage of patchwork madras shorts or soft-shouldered sport coats. Get your madras fix below.
Beams Plus Buttoned Collar Short Sleeve Madras Cotton Shirt
Image Credit: No Man Walks Alone Broadly speaking, madras patterns can be divided into two camps: “bright” and “earthy.” This button-down from Beams Plus, rendered in faded hues of brown, olive and pink, belongs to the latter camp.
Polo Ralph Lauren Cevio Crest Madras Espadrille
Image Credit: Ralph Lauren Patchwork madras flies far from its preppy purview in the case of this PRL espadrille. The jute-wrapped, pool friendly style also features an embroidered logo crest at the upper—because at this point, why not?
J. Press Blackwatch Madras Sport Coat
Image Credit: J. Press There’s a clever bit of trickery afoot with this blackwatch tartan sport coat from J. Press. What surely looks like wool at first sight is really a lightweight cotton madras loomed in India.
Gitman Vintage Archive Madras Shirt in Blue
Image Credit: Huckberry Gitman hit the archives to produce this American-made madras shirt, whose wide-scale checks are borrowed from a 1980s pattern. Accessorize with a can of New Coke and a Walkman accordingly.
Nicholas Daley Madras Plaid Linen Kilt
Image Credit: Nordstrom Thanks to its typical checked pattern, madras is often compared to tartan—which might be why UK designer Nicholas Daley decided to make it into a kilt. The linen leg covering is secured by two wide buckle closures and features a handy cargo pocket.
Sid Mashburn Cotton Bow Tie Navy/Gold Madras
Image Credit: Sid Mashburn When you hear the (admittedly specific) phrase “Southern haberdasher,” the first thing you may imagine is a madras bow tie. Your instinct is rewarded in the form of this Sid Mashburn neckwear, whose navy and gold checks will sit nicely against a pink shirt and a seersucker suit.
Brooks Brothers 9″ Cotton Madras Chambray Patchwork Shorts
Image Credit: Brooks Brothers How does one make patchwork madras more… patchy? By adding another fabric style into the mix, like these patchwork Brooks Brothers shorts that also feature chambray.
Alex Mill Camp Shirt in Madras
Image Credit: Alex Mill Patchwork madras made up like a button-down shirt is to be expected. But patchwork madras cut as a camp shirt, as Alex Mill has done here? A nice little summer surprise.
Boglioli K Madras Plaid Linen Sport Coat
Image Credit: Nordstrom Boglioli has broken with two of the fabric’s calling cards to make this unstructured sport coat. Firstly, it is made with linen rather than cotton; and secondly, its checks appear muted and washed-out in contrast with the usual technicolor palette.
Original Madras Trading Co. Men’s No. 114 Lax Sport Shirt
Image Credit: Original Madras Trading Co. While the Original Madras Trading Co. makes its fabric the old-fashioned way—on handlooms, in the Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras)—it’s not afraid to experiment. Take the example of this sport shirt, whose unorthodox pattern features wide vertical stripes and ombre fades.
The Armoury by Ring Jacket Cotton Madras Model 11 Sport Coat
Image Credit: The Armoury The madras sport jacket has a special place in the Ivy style canon, and The Armoury checked all the boxes with the make of its Model 11 sport coat. Featuring a front with no darts, triple-patch pockets, and a 3-roll-2 button stance, it’s a bonafide vintage grail—but brand new.
SMR Days Bakoven Camp-Collar Logo-Embroidered Checked Cotton-Madras Shirt
Image Credit: Mr Porter True to tradition, this SMR Days madras shirt features checks—but on such a small scale that they bleed together. The result is a breezy camp collar shirt in every conceivable shade between orange and purple.
Morris & King Navy Patch Madras Canvas Tote Bag
Image Credit: Morris & King The L.L. Bean Boat and Tote once acted as a preppy I.D. badge. But with the style’s present-day ubiquity, true preps may want to reach for something more distinct—like this American-made patchwork madras tote from Charleston’s Morris & King.
Drake’s Navy Madras ‘D’ Appliqué Cotton Twill Baseball Cap
Image Credit: Drake’s Madras is so distinct that you don’t always need the whole megillah —sometimes just a touch will suffice. That’s the case with this otherwise solid-blue Drake’s cap appliquéd with a bright madras “D.”
John Simons Thelonious Madras Camp Collar Shirt
Image Credit: John Simons Chiltern Street retailer John Simons champions a unique aesthetic influenced by American Ivy style, UK mod culture and classic jazz. All three are present in the design of this madras camp shirt named for the improvisational great Thelonious Monk.
Authors
Eric Twardzik
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