Purchased fabrics were considered far finer than homemade ones. A particular favorite was calamanco, a shiny worsted wool fabric with multicolored stripes. The shirt shown above is blue calamanco with tendrils of red, green and gray. The trousers, not visible, are made of brown Manchester velvet. Around the neck is an imported Rhineland scarf, made of brown silk.

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Below is a color image of Calamanco wool. This was originally made in Norwich, England (the textile capital of Europe) in the 1700s. Scandinavians went crazy for these colorful fabrics which had been made shiny by the process of glazing (pressing between hot rollers). Women's bodices and men's vests were made from them. Today, calamanco wool is made in Norway and can be found at Historical Fabric Store.