Rebecca, I actually think high quality menswear pure wool suitings, which tend to be much more expensive than much of the women’s fashion stuff, are closer to 19th c. goods. Furry was not a thing to go for in middle or upper classes! The smooth, lustrous, almost silk-like finish, come from the fibers being worsted. Being thin, it can be manipulated in tucks etc without being too bulky, and you can simply use flat lining for stability, as you would for a silk.