Photo Essays: Uniform Materials--Terylene
Figure 1.--By the 1980s most boys wore Terylene shorts to school. Some schools still had flannel shorts, but not very many. Several schools had cord shorts. The dominant material for trousers, however, was Terylene.
|
|
Many schools by the 1970s had short pants made in Terylene. This was a brandname similar to Dacrin. It was done in a Terylene-wool blend. It proved a popular material for both suiting and trousers. Gradually after World War II (1939-45), synthetic fibers were developed. The research done after World War II and in the 1950s on polyester resulted in the development of Terylene. Terylene polyester staple fibre began to be used in staple-fibre form in blends with both natural and other synthetic fibres to produce a wide number and variety of woven and knitted fabrics for apparel wear. The most popular schoolwear fabric in England proved to be Terylene/wool, a blended weave uing polyester and wool. It was used for a variety of school garments, including suits, blazers, trousers. and skirts--especially pleated skirts. Through the 1950s boys most wore flannel blazers along with shorts and long trousers to school.
Terylene is made in a variety of weights. It is more closely woven and harder than wool flannel. It may have a slight nap on one side. Experts report that it tailors very well. It presses well and holds a hard crease.
Terylene began replacing flannel in the 60s. Terylene It proved to be a popular material, because unlike flannel, it permanently kept the crease which made them look smarter than the flannel which had to be ironed.
Shorts made of this material had a much smarter look as they retained the crease even without ironing. Today the most common material is a polyester/viscose cloth which is entirely man made. The Terylene mix in the material used in British made shorts was generally 65 percent polyester/35% viscose mix, with only a very small variation on this. The heavier, warmer more expensive shorts are normally 55 percent polyester/45 percent wool. The typical differing in trade and manufacturing names means that clothing produced in South Africa for retail in that country are labelled as Trevira and Viscose (in a 65/35 percent mix). For better quality school shorts, Terylene was commonly used. Worsted wool is one of the most commonly used and the most dependable of thestaples used in textile manufacture. When wool is sheared from, the hairs are all different lengths. After shearing the fibers are sorted, and only the longest fibers of the wool fleece are used to produce "worsted" fabric. Worsted wool is wool that had been combed and tightly twisted. Terylene worsted means that worsted wool was used in the blend. The long staple gives the finished product stability and a smooth, clear finish. Wool's molecular structure makes it natuarally stain resistant and elastic,
A reader writes, "I found this particular page very interesting, as my schooldays spanned the change from flannel to worsted and worsted combined with man-made fibres. Everything you say about smarter appearance and harder wear
corresponds to my own recollection. Trousers with Terylene looked smarter and were much easier to maintain."
