French Brocade Zip Jacket

One of one · Early 1900s · France

Provenance

Cut from a 19th century French jacquard curtain, originally used as upholstery and bedding in Northern France. Jacquard-woven furnishing textiles of this period were household objects of considerable value — the complexity of the weave structure made them expensive to produce, and a set of matched curtains represented a meaningful domestic investment.

The Making

The jacquard loom, invented in Lyon in 1804, was one of the most significant technological developments in textile history — it used a system of punched cards to control individual warp threads, allowing weavers to produce intricate figured patterns that would have been impossible by hand. By the mid-19th century, jacquard weaving had spread through the textile regions of Northern France, where workshops produced furnishing fabrics for the growing middle-class interior. The patterns woven into this cloth — likely floral or foliate, in the tradition of French decorative textiles — were designed to endure, both structurally and aesthetically.

The Garment

Vintage-inspired fit with dropped shoulders and a slightly tapered waist. Because this is cut from a single antique textile, there will never be another one exactly like it.

Fit and Measurements

Size Medium has the following measurements.
Chest circumference: 46.5"
Shoulder: 19.25"
Front length: 25"
Sleeve length: 34.5" *Measured from center back of neck.