Everything about Fustian totally explained
Fustian (also called
bombast) is a term for a variety of heavy
woven, mostly
cotton fabrics, chiefly prepared for menswear. It is also used to refer to pompous, inflated or pretentious writing or speech, from at least the time of
Shakespeare.
History and use
It embraces plain
twilled
cloth known as jean, and cut fabrics similar to
velvet, known as
velveteen,
moleskin,
corduroy etc. The original medieval fustian was a stout but respectable cloth with a cotton
weft and a linen
warp, possibly derived from
El-Fustat, the name of a suburb of
Cairo where cloth was manufactured. The term seems to have quickly become less precise, and was applied to a coarse
cloth made of
wool and
flax or
wool and
linen, and in the reign of
Edward III of England, the name was given to a
woollen fabric. By the early
20th century, fustians were usually of cotton
dyed various colors.
In a petition to
Parliament during the reign of
Mary I "fustian of
Naples" is mentioned. In the 13th and 14th centuries
priests'
robes and women's
dresses were made of fustian, but though dresses are still made from some kinds, the chief use is for labourers' clothes.
Political significance
Fustian was worn by workers during the 19th century. As such, radical elements of the
British working class chose to wear fustian
jackets as a symbol of their class allegiance. This was especially marked during the
Chartist era. The historian Paul Pickering has called the wearing of fustian "a statement of class without words."
Further Information
Get more info on 'Fustian'.
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