80s burberry irish tweed single panel sleeve balmacaan coat

HISTORY

Burberrys is a brand founded in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England in 1856. Founder Thomas Burberry focused on developing practical clothing suitable for the British climate, often experiencing severe weather, and invented the brand's signature fabric, "Burberry gabardine," in the 1890s. This waterproof and durable material, made with a waterproof-treated thread, was also used for officer coats in World War I and later became widely known as the "trench coat." At the time, Burberrys produced numerous coats that combined military functionality with British style, and their classic look became a staple in everyday wear after the war. The Burberry check lining was introduced around the 1950s and became a globally recognized symbol of the brand.

DETAIL

This is a Burberry Irish tweed Balmacaan coat from the 1980s. The thick herringbone is made of different colors of white, black, and gray threads with vermilion windowpane stitching, creating a wonderful texture.

Irish tweed is a tweed material woven from sheep that live in Ireland. While winter temperatures in Ireland are not much different from those in Japan, there are few buildings to block the wind, making it susceptible to the effects of sea breezes. Furthermore, sheep raised in areas of Europe with persistently bad weather have thick wool fibers and a high oil content to adapt to the environment. This makes it a wool that naturally repels rainwater.

And above all, it is a one-sleeve pattern that uses luxurious fabric. In recent years, single-piece sleeves have become extremely rare and valuable, becoming a popular detail that is not just a fad but is building solid value. While vintage lovers are likely already familiar with them, we'll explain their characteristics. Typically, coats are often made with "double-piece sleeves" made by sewing two pieces of fabric together. This is done to make up for the excess fabric waste from rolls of fabric. However, single-piece sleeves require more fabric to be shredded to make each sleeve from a single piece, resulting in a lot of waste. However, single-piece sleeves were historically used for many military coats during wartime, as they required fewer sewing processes and were intended for mass production.

The biggest advantage of single-piece sleeves, which have no seams, is that they fall to fit the shoulders, eliminating stress. Two-piece sleeves are recommended for those whose shoulders fit perfectly, but the seam at the shoulders makes the shoulders pop out. Tweed coats, in particular, are thicker, so two-piece sleeves are more likely to cause shoulders to pop out when sewn together. This coat falls straight down to match the slope of the wearer's shoulders. It also looks great on tall women. From the perspective of modern fashion, it is a well-made coat.

CONDITION

This item has been cleaned after it arrived. There is some pilling typical of tweed, but there is no damage to the fabric and there are no other noticeable damages.

SIZE

• Model: 173cm, 58kg
• Notation size: REG 38
• Width: 68cm
• Length: 107cm
• Sleeve length: 85cm