Sartorial Question

[PhoenixPhyre]

A crazy alchemist working in an fantasy analogue of the late medieval/early Renaissance discovers a way to make the fantasy analogue of nylon (for these purposes, consider it an exact match). He can't make it in huge quantities, but the process can be scaled up reasonably and is no more expensive than an equivalent amount of fine silk. There are no powered looms or other industrial-scale textile manufacturing, but there are people nearby with expertise in large-scale hand-crafting (so more than just cottage industry).

What changes? What is possible now that wasn't before? Especially strange and weird things.

Side note: are there any technological requirements for the construction of a standard three-piece suit that wouldn't be available at that time? I'm neglecting any cultural issues. Because the mental image of goblins in natty suits with monocles is just too...too perfect.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Nylon sits where it does in society largely because it's much less expensive to produce than similar natural fibers and the biggest part of that is due to post industrial revolution manufacturing processes.

If any of that doesn't hold, nylon is strictly inferior to silk by my understanding of things. The only thing that really changes is that, if you can gather the necessary precursors, you can make a -lot- more nylon than silk in a given time period since you're not relying on the biological process of an insect that moves at its own pace.

[PhoenixPhyre]

Nylon sits where it does in society largely because it's much less expensive to produce than similar natural fibers and the biggest part of that is due to post industrial revolution manufacturing processes.

If any of that doesn't hold, nylon is strictly inferior to silk by my understanding of things. The only thing that really changes is that, if you can gather the necessary precursors, you can make a -lot- more nylon than silk in a given time period since you're not relying on the biological process of an insect that moves at its own pace.

But isn't nylon elastic, where silk isn't? It's the elasticity I'm really interested in.

Additionally, the nylon alchemy can be refined and used places where silk is not produceable efficiently.

[Celestia]

Well, nylon is used for a lot more than just clothing. In fact, it is primarily used for these other purposes. However, none of them are particularly relevant in a pseudo-medieval setting. Really, though, nylon isn't particularly special. It's just a synthetic substance capable of replacing natural substances. For a world with manufacturing options available, that typically makes it cheaper and easier to make, which serves as the only real benefit. Well, assuming the system you're using abstracts more than simulates. Nylon is more heat and abrasion resistant than plant fibers making more durable clothes, but not to a degree that would make it mechanically different in something like D&D. In the end, I'm assuming the only difference it would make is being a semi-rare substance, causing it to be more valuable than traditional clothing.

As for the suit question, there is nothing that would technologically prevent the manufacture of suits in any era. Though, without modern sewing techniques and machines, it possibly won't look as smooth as modern suits do, depending, of course, on the exact era and how skilled a tailor you hire.

[Honest Tiefling]

Have you considered the fashion side of things? Aluminium to us today is just what our soda comes in. But before it could be refined in large quantities, it was THE metal and ornate statues were soon commissioned out of it. The wealthy both wore it and ate off of it.

Likewise, when the introduction of synthetic rubies and sapphires became more feasible, they were MORE fashionable then the stuff you got out of gravel. Admittedly, this might have been helped by fashion trends favoring the synthetic over the naturally occurring stones, but it does mean a lot of art deco jewelry is worth less then you'd imagine.

Furthermore, nylon itself was once the material for stockings, a fashionable item no lady would be without (Probably because you couldn't wear fashionable skirts without them). World War II halted production, leading to stockings being sold on the black market or ladies painting on a facsimile of the stockings. When the war ended, fights broke out as production didn't meet demand.

It doesn't matter if it is better, it matters if you have it and others don't. Merchants can get around sumptuary laws by wearing nylon and finally wear the fashions they've been banned from. Lords might want to show off their wealth and power by limiting supply and being the only ones to wear it.

[Florian]

Side note: are there any technological requirements for the construction of a standard three-piece suit that wouldn't be available at that time? I'm neglecting any cultural issues. Because the mental image of goblins in natty suits with monocles is just too...too perfect.

To be fair, industrialized production leads us to actually have less advanced clothing articles compared to what previous generations have come up with. Keep in mind that a "three piece suit" is actually the "commoner" variant/imitation of what nobles used to wear. For example, the techniques used to create brocade cloth is far more advanced and complicated than what is used to create modern-day Armani suits.

[RazorChain]

3 piece suits would probably been childs play to make compared to for example upper class renaissance clothing. And you can get it in cotton

Now think goblins in 3 piece silk suits