Nîmes Jacket - M

One of one · c. 1800–1900 · Nîmes, France

Provenance

Cut from a 19th century mattress cover woven in Toile de Nîmes — the durable twill cloth that gave denim its name. Made to contain a feather mattress: sealed under a sleeping body night after night, year after year. It was workwear fabric repurposed for the bedroom, chosen for the same reason it was chosen for the fields — it held up. The cloth was never meant to be anything other than functional. That it reads as beautiful now is entirely beside the point.

The Making

Toile de Nîmes was woven in a tight twill from cotton and wool, its diagonal weave structure giving it a strength and flexibility that plain weaves couldn't match. As mattress ticking it had to be dense enough to contain feathers without bleed-through, heavy enough to withstand decades of compressed weight. The stripe — woven in, not printed — was a regional signature, as much a mark of origin as the weave itself. The softness it has now was not there at the beginning. It was earned, slowly, under the full weight of daily life.

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
Chest circumference: 46.5"
Shoulder: 19.25"
Front length: 23"
Sleeve length: 34.5" *Measured from center back of neck.