What is Gabardine?

If your pattern calls for "gabardine" fabric, what is it, exactly, that you need?  When we talk about fabrics, we usually describe them by fiber, fabrication (weave, knit, felt?), and finish.  We don't always use these in a predictable order, though.  For example:

sueded silk charmeuse (FINISH/FIBER/WEAVE)
wool flannel (FIBER/FINISH)
cotton twill (FIBER/WEAVE)
cotton/spandex jersey (FIBER/FIBER/KNIT)
polyester crinkle chiffon (FIBER/FINISH/WEAVE)

The term "gabardine" is a little slippery, though, since it can encompass both fiber and fabrication. 

THE WORD

The word "gabardine", as near as etymologists can tell, started in Middle High German as "wallevart", meaning "pilgrimage".  Pilgrims often wore long, shapeless overcoats, which were practical in that they concealed purses and weapons, and served as blankets, but "wallevart" may not have meant the garment at first.  The sounds morphed as the word "wallevert" was taken into Middle French as "galverdine" and into Spanish as "gabardina", and it's here that it got its sense of an overcoat, probably influenced by the pre-existing Spanish words "tabardina" and "gabán", meaning overgarments or cloaks. 

Various spellings are attested in different languages at times: in English, gaberdine/gabardine/gawbardyne/gawberdyne/gabarden/gaberdin/gabberdine; in French, gaban/gauvardine/galvardine/gallevardine; in Spanish gabardina. 

THE HISTORICAL GARMENT

Pearson Scott Foresman [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The English word "gaberdine" (note the spelling) always refers to an overcoat, whether the kind worn by pilgrims, whether fashionable or coarse, for adults or children.  It was long and had loose sleeves.  In the Merchant of Venice, when Antonio asks Shylock for a loan, Shylock answers that "You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine"... which raises the question (for fashion historians, anyway) of whether there was a difference between the cloak of a Jew and the cloak of a Christian in that time.  Alas, all the papers in JSTOR amount only to speculation on this point!  (I am being hyperbolic; who has time to read all the papers in JSTOR?  Suffice to say that I have not found anything distinctively Jewish or Christian about a gaberdine, and I think Shylock was just pointing out that his innocent gaberdine suffered abuse because it was owned by a Jew.)     

BURBERRY'S TWILL

In 1879, Thomas Burberry invented a worsted wool or wool/cotton twill, waterproofed with lanolin, which he called "gabardine" in reference to the overcoats.  It was also, in some sources, called "Burberry's Twill".  He used the fabric in 1912 for his patented coat design the "tielocken", which was adapted for use by the army in WWI.  With the addition of epaulettes, gunflap, storm shield, and D-rings, the trench coat was born in 1914 (Great British Brands 2018). 

The word gabardine now could be used for the old fashioned cloak, the modern coat, or the fabric it was made of. 

Burberry advertisement, 1908, via Wikimedia Commons

THE CLOTH TODAY

Vintage Sewing Reference Library, Inc.

So what does the fabric look like, and how does it differ from other twill weaves?  The biggest characteristic is that its diagonal ridges are on the face side, but it has a smooth back.  It has more warp threads than weft threads.  It is tough and therefore popular for utilitarian suits, overcoats, and military uniforms.  It can be made of various fibers: wool or polyester gabardines for outerwear, for instance, but cotton gabardine for men's suit pockets.  It's the weave that makes it a gabardine. 

But just to confuse the matter, some manufacturers put out plainweaves or satin weaves of the same weight wool as their gabardine, and call them "plain gabardine" or "satin gabardine".  At this point, it seems to be the weight and durability of the fabric, not the weave, that matters.  But only for wool, as far as I know: I've never seen a plain woven poly or cotton called a gabardine. 

So, if your pattern says it's suitable for "gabardine", you should look for a wool or polyester (or some blend thereof) twill, medium weight, tough, and similar to what men's uniform pants might be made of. 

WORKS CITED

https://www.etymonline.com/word/gaberdine
Great British Brands 2018.  "Burberry."  Country & Townhouse LTD. Pg. 78.