‘Lange’ charcoal herringbone viscose-linen fabric

There’s something about a herringbone fabric that will have us in a swoon every time. Partly it’s the colour contrasts inherent in the weave; an opportunity to combine light and dark while bringing texture to a fabric. It’s also the sense of movement brought by the directional weave. This charcoal herringbone viscose-linen fabric is a classic cross-season cloth; an alternate colourway to our ‘Keaton’ bitter chocolate version. It has some substance and formality, but isn’t overly weighty and has a fabulous movement with a superb finish.

What kind of fabric is this?

Our charcoal herringbone viscose-linen fabric is a 60%-40% blend of linen and viscose. It’s closely woven with weft (width-wise) yarns of silver-grey and black. The warp is a rich, true black. Each angled stripe is about 9mm in width. We’d describe it as a medium-to-heavy weight dress fabric or a medium weight suiting.

Don’t forget that there’s no ease in linen-rich fabrics so you’ll need to factor that into your garment choice and sizing. You’ll also need to pre-wash your linen to ensure that any initial shrinkage is removed prior to cutting. We usually anticipate up to 5% shrinkage. We have pre-washed a piece here in a 30º ‘delicates’ cycle and can confirm it washes well.

PLEASE NOTE: Unusually for a herringbone cloth, the stripes in this fabric run horizontally. You’ll need to place pattern pieces across the width of the fabric in order for them to run vertically up and down your garment. At a width of 142cm, you won’t have a problem cutting trousers or even coat pieces this way, but you will need to adjust your pattern piece layout.

What does this fabric feel like?

This is a draping fabric but one with enough structure to hold a soft shape. It feels cool and very smooth to the touch. The composition means that it’s breathable, and will be beautifully comfortable to wear next to the skin. As is usual with linen fabrics, it will soften up with washing and wear but given its weave structure and weight, it will retain some structure too.

How does this fabric move?

This is a fabric which moves with exquisite elegance. You can see how it moves in this video; bear in mind though that our sample here has not been washed and so will appear to have a little more structure than it will after being laundered and worn.

NOTE: Our videos are intended to show the movement of a fabric. For accurate colour and pattern detail, please refer to our still images.

Will I need to line this fabric?

Whether or not you decide to line this fabric depends on what you’re making. The right and wrong sides are nearly indistinguishable, meaning that unlined summer jackets or trench-style coats are definitely an option, although seams will need finishing.  A more fitted dress or jacket however, would need a lining to help provide the structure and to aid taking it on and off. Trousers need not be lined – there’s no risk of a VPL with this fabric, although you would probably want to line a skirt or add a half-slip in order to help with structure and movement over hosiery.

What can I make with this fabric?

There’s no hiding it – we absolutely adore this charcoal herringbone viscose-linen fabric as much as its bitter chocolate sibling. It’s got real class and as a summer suit or cross-season coat it would endure as a classic. Tailored trousers – either with a tidy pleat and cropped at the ankle or with wider legs, would also be winners. Wider-legged trousers are very much the emerging trouser trend and this is a fabric that would elevate your Annie Hall. The ‘Peaches’ Trousers from Fibre Mood are tried-and-tested here at ClothSpot ; other candidates include the ‘Hollywood Pants’ from the Sewing Workshop shown below. This fabric frays relatively easily; we recommend overlocking the raw edges of your fabric before pre-washing and also finishing the raw edges of your cut pattern pieces as quickly as possible.

Sustainability

Linen is woven from flax which can be easily grown with fewer chemicals required to aid growth and process the fibres.  It is generally considered to be one of the most sustainable types of fabric. Viscose fibres are produced using cellulose which has been extracted from wood. As such it is a plant-based fabric, however unless stated otherwise, chemicals will have been used to produce the viscose yarns used in textile production.

Deadstock? ✅

Organic? ❎

OEKO-TEX standard? ❎

Fabric width

142cm

Fabric composition

60% linen, 40% viscose.

Fabric preparation

Machine wash separately at 30 to 40 degrees using a ‘delicates’ cycle. We recommend overlocking or zig-zagging the edges to prevent fraying.

Fabric care

Machine wash at 30 to 40 degrees using a ‘delicates’ cycle. We recommend spot- or dry-cleaning if you line your garment. Find out more on our About our fabric pages.