Fabric Notes and "Substitute" Material Options

FABRIC NOTES:

Black wool gabardine (superfine or regular) is not difficult to find, but the division colors are a bit trickier, and unfortunately, we know of no source that sells wool gabardine in screen-accurate colors. 

Some higher-end fabric shops do sell wool gabardine in multiple colors, including ones that might work well to the untrained eye (wine, biking red, teal, turquoise, gold, golden yellow, etc.). 

Alternatively - or, perhaps, ideally - one can purchase white, "natural," or undyed wool gabardine and then dye it to match a screen-used uniform and/or swatch, although even that is subjective and, as demonstrated in our jumpsuit analysis, the exact colors varied quite a bit over the years, anyway (see our VOY duty jumpsuit analysis). 

"SUBSTITUTE" MATERIAL RECOMMENDATIONS/ALTERNATIVES

We're also aware of "vegan" sensibilities and the sometimes prohibitively expensive nature of screen-accurate materials. They may look make for a far more impressive, screen-accurate replica, but superfine wool gabardine isn't cheap! Tack on the cost of a screen-used uniform or swatch, then dyeing or buying custom-dyed materials, and expenses can add up quickly. 

Fortunately, cotton twill is an inexpensive and easy-to-find substitute for wool gabardine. Although it doesn't drape, press, or ease as well, and it's more prone to wrinkling, it is more commonly available at retail fabric stores and usually costs substantially less than wool gabardine (especially superfine wool gabardine). 

Poly/cotton blend twill is also an option, although we recommend 100% cotton more than a poly/cotton blend, especially since the two fabrics usually hang out in the same price range. 

There are multiple decent off-the-shelf "substitute" options for the division colors.

For command, "biking red wrinklease" from JoAnn is a good option:

The biking red wrinklease pictured above, in combination with black cotton twill, are what we used for the uniform jacket in this tutorial. 

The following uniform constructed for this tutorial was 100% cotton and 100% polyester.
No animals were harmed in the making of this tutorial. 

Another good option for command is Hancock's "zinfandel" twill:

As mentioned previously, we don't recommend poly/cotton blends, but Hancock's "du pont" twill could work in a pinch:

For tactical/security, Hancock Fabrics has a passable gold cotton twill, although it is a little on the "loud" side:

Denim is a less than ideal substitute, but at least it's in the same family of woven fabrics (gabardines, twills, and denims). We recommend using the cotton twill if possible, but, like with the poly/cotton blends, JoAnn's "turquoise denim" could work for the late VOY medical/sciences yoke.

At this point, you should have your materials gathered and familiarized yourself with this garment's construction. 

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