Gabardine is a tightly woven, durable fabric with a distinctive diagonal pattern in its weave. If you look closely at gabardine, you'll notice thin diagonal lines running across the surface, created by the way the threads cross over and under each other.

This fabric became popular in the late 1800s because it's remarkably practical: it resists water, wind, and wrinkles while remaining comfortable to wear. Gabardine works well for raincoats, uniforms, and dress pants because it holds its shape and looks neat even after hours of wear. Many school uniforms use gabardine because students can sit through classes, run around at recess, and still look presentable.

The fabric was invented by Thomas Burberry, who wanted to create better clothing for English soldiers and explorers heading into harsh weather. Before synthetic fabrics like nylon and polyester, gabardine represented serious textile engineering, using only wool or cotton to create something that could shed rain and stand up to heavy use.

Today, gabardine usually refers to wool or cotton fabric with this tight diagonal weave, though the word can also describe clothing made from it, like gabardine trousers.