Some fabric brands sell you a name. John Kaldor sell you a basecloth that behaves. The company has supplied the British dressmaking and garment trade for many years, and the reason their fabric keeps its following is unglamorous: the prints are well drawn and well registered, the plains come in shades people actually want, and the cloth underneath the print is chosen properly rather than being whatever was cheapest that season. It's fabric that makes up the way you expect it to.
The selection here moves around, which is part of the appeal if you like finding something you won't see everywhere. At any given time it tends to span a mix of constructions: crepes and scuba crepes with body and recovery, viscose and jersey with drape, lace, satin, cotton and lining cloth. That variety is worth knowing about, because it means two John Kaldor fabrics can behave completely differently to one another. The brand is a mark of quality rather than a description of a fabric type.
Check the details
Because the range spans so many constructions, the widths and compositions vary a good deal from one cloth to the next, more than they would in a collection built around a single fabric type. The composition, width and weight are listed on every individual product page, and it's worth reading them rather than assuming, particularly if you're working to a pattern's fabric requirements and need a specific width to make the yardage work.
What to make with them
It depends entirely on the cloth. The crepes and scuba crepes have enough body for structured dresses, skirts and tailored pieces that need to hold a shape. The viscose and jersey drape and suit softer dresses, tops and anything gathered. The lace and satin are occasion cloths. In practice the best approach is to work from your pattern's fabric recommendations and match the construction rather than the brand, then order a sample to check the handle before you commit to a length.
Care
Care varies across the range because the compositions do, so there's no single rule that covers the collection. Follow the guidance on the individual product page for the fabric you're buying, and pre-wash before cutting where the care instructions allow it, so any shrinkage happens before the garment is made rather than after.
Related collections
For more designer and branded cloth, see ex-designer and branded fabrics and deadstock fabric, or browse the full dress fabric range.
