Madras (cloth)
Encyclopedia
Madras is a lightweight cotton fabric
with typically patterned texture and plaid design, used primarily for summer clothing—pants, shorts, dresses and jackets. The fabric takes its name from the former English name of the city of Chennai
, India
. This cloth also was identified by the colloquial name, "Madrasi checks."
Madras today is available as plaid patterns in regular cotton, seersucker
and as patchwork madras. Patchwork madras is fabric that is derived from cutting several madras plaid fabrics into strips, and sewing them back together as squares of 3 inch sizes, that form a mixed pattern of various plaids criss - crossing. As a fabric, it is notable because the front and back of the fabric are indistinguishable.
One style popular during the 1960s was called bleeding Madras. It used dye
s that were not colorfast in a typically plaid
design, resulting in bleeding and fading colors that yielded a new look to the fabric each time it was laundered.
In contemporary fashion, it is used for men's shirts, women's skirts and pants, golf apparel, children's wear and for accessories. Along with Sperry Top-Sider
s and Lilly Pulitzer
dresses, madras is a mainstay of preppy clothing.
as a favored pattern of shirts and jackets worn by the Socs. The book is set in the early 1960s, a period when Madras was particularly fashionable amongst preps. It is also mentioned several times in the song "M79" by the American band Vampire Weekend
. Its uniqueness was also mentioned and was used in the Bollywood
movie Badmassh Company.
Fabric
A fabric is a textile material, short for "textile fabric".Fabric may also refer to:*Fabric , the spatial and geometric configuration of elements within a rock*Fabric , a nightclub in London, England...
with typically patterned texture and plaid design, used primarily for summer clothing—pants, shorts, dresses and jackets. The fabric takes its name from the former English name of the city of Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. This cloth also was identified by the colloquial name, "Madrasi checks."
Madras today is available as plaid patterns in regular cotton, seersucker
Seersucker
Seersucker is a thin, puckered, all-cotton fabric, commonly striped or checkered, used to make clothing for spring and summer wear. The word came into English from Hindustani , which originates from the Persian words "shir o shekar", meaning "milk and sugar", probably from the resemblance of its...
and as patchwork madras. Patchwork madras is fabric that is derived from cutting several madras plaid fabrics into strips, and sewing them back together as squares of 3 inch sizes, that form a mixed pattern of various plaids criss - crossing. As a fabric, it is notable because the front and back of the fabric are indistinguishable.
One style popular during the 1960s was called bleeding Madras. It used dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
s that were not colorfast in a typically plaid
Tartan
Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
design, resulting in bleeding and fading colors that yielded a new look to the fabric each time it was laundered.
In contemporary fashion, it is used for men's shirts, women's skirts and pants, golf apparel, children's wear and for accessories. Along with Sperry Top-Sider
Sperry Top-Sider
Sperry Top-Sider is the original brand of boat shoe designed in 1935 by Paul Sperry, older brother of author/illustrator Armstrong Sperry. The Top-Siders were the first boat shoes introduced into the boating market.-History:...
s and Lilly Pulitzer
Lilly Pulitzer
Lillian Pulitzer Rousseau , better known as Lilly Pulitzer, is a socialite and prominent fashion designer. She is known for founding Lilly Pulitzer, Inc., which produces clothing and other wares featuring bright, colorful prints...
dresses, madras is a mainstay of preppy clothing.
In popular culture
The fabric is mentioned many times in the S.E. Hinton book The OutsidersThe Outsiders (novel)
The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel based in 1965 by S. E. Hinton, first published in 1967 by Viking Press. Hinton was 15 when she started writing the novel, but did most of the work when she was sixteen and a junior in high school. Hinton was 18 when the book was published...
as a favored pattern of shirts and jackets worn by the Socs. The book is set in the early 1960s, a period when Madras was particularly fashionable amongst preps. It is also mentioned several times in the song "M79" by the American band Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...
. Its uniqueness was also mentioned and was used in the Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
movie Badmassh Company.