Waxed Jackets and Country Clothing

FASHION · GLOBAL

Waxed Jackets and Country Clothing

How wax cotton works, rewaxing, tweed and buying for actual use

Waxed cotton and tweed were designed for standing in a wet field for hours, and they behave accordingly in a way modern technical fabrics do not.

How waxed cotton works

Tightly woven cotton impregnated with a wax that blocks water while allowing some air movement. It is water resistant rather than waterproof, it is heavy, and it gets better looking with wear.

It is not breathable in the way a membrane is, so it suits standing and walking slowly rather than exertion.

Rewaxing

When water stops beading and the fabric looks dry and pale at the creases, usually every year or two with regular use. Clean with cold water and a brush only — never detergent, never a machine, never dry cleaning, all of which strip the wax.

Warm the jacket, apply wax thinly with a cloth, work it into the seams, and warm it again to let it soak in. Hang it somewhere warm overnight.

Living with it

Wax transfers onto car seats and pale upholstery, particularly when warm. Store hanging on a broad hanger in a cool place rather than folded, and never in a plastic cover.

Tweed

Wool woven densely enough to shed light rain and windproof by nature. Brush after wearing, air rather than washing, and have it dry cleaned rarely.

Layering underneath

A waxed jacket blocks wind and rain and provides little warmth, so the layers underneath do that work. A wool jumper or a quilted liner, and a base layer that is not cotton.

Check the jacket fits over those layers rather than over a shirt.

Boots and accessories

Leather boots treated regularly, wool socks and a flat cap or a brimmed hat. Everything in this category is designed to be maintained rather than replaced.

Buying secondhand

Waxed jackets and tweed outlast several owners and the used market is excellent. Check the zip, the pockets and the lining rather than the wax, since rewaxing is straightforward and a broken zip is not.

Vintage sizing differs considerably, so work from measurements laid flat.

Country clothing generally

Moleskin, corduroy and heavy cotton all wear in rather than out, and most of the category is designed around layering and pockets rather than fashion. Buy for the weather you actually stand about in.

Check whether a garment is machine washable, since many are not.

Buying for actual use

Check the fit over a jumper, the pocket arrangement, whether the collar has a storm fastening, and whether the jacket can be repaired — most good makers offer a repair and rewaxing service.

A jacket repaired for decades is the point of buying one.

WHERE TO BUY

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