As with anything in the prep wardrobe, it’s crucial to know
the difference between the real deal and a cheap knockoff - or what I like to call, plaidras. Madras cotton is a staple in any prep closet
but not just any madras fabric. Authentic madras has certain telling
features you’ll want to know so you aren’t caught at the club wearing some
dreaded blend from China:
Madras is always cotton and never (gasp!) a blend of
polyester or other fabric
Real madras has small flaws because it’s hand woven. These flaws are one of the best ways to tell
if your garment has high quality real madras
Madras has the same pattern on the front and back of the
cloth
Madras suffers from severe shrinkage so it is always
pre-washed before being made into a garment.
You can generally tell if it’s been pre-washed by a certain softness to
the color and puckering of the fabric
Madras has a plaid component to the fabric
If you really want to be authentic, then you should consider
Indian madras. Believe it or not,
imitation madras has become so popular in recent years that the Federal Trade
Commission has now imposed specific standards before someone can call their
fabric Indian madras. Indian madras may
only be a fine, hand-loomed cotton imported from Madras, India and dyes must be
vegetable based and thus, they will bleed when washed. I can say with certainty that neither the FTC
nor the prep police will be checking your laundry to see if your shorts bled,
so if you’re into convenience then regular madras is your best bet. As for me, my favorite madras was a pair of ungainly
but ridiculously comfortable Bermuda shorts I used to steal from my college
boyfriend that used to belong to his Dad (a Dartmouth alum, natch).
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| Rodney Is Wearing Regular Plaid, Which Is Not The Same As Plaidras |
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| Our Friend At the Polo Match Is Wearing A Perfect Example of Plaidras |
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| Probably Not Indian Madras, But Certainly Not Plaidras |
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| Someone May Have Eaten Too Many Triscuits To Fit Into His Authentic Madras Jacket |
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| Hard To Tell If This One is Authentic Madras, So He Threw In An Anchor Tie Just In Case |
Correct..Madras would have some flaws such as slubs (thread clusters) in the weave, and for it to be Madras, it would need to be made in Madras India, or else it would be just a plaid, and not really the real deal. Eitherways, madras is an outstanding fabric. I actually got some online from https://fabriconlinestore.com, and had shirts made from them. Need I say more...Fabulous.
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