Fabrics

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Acetate

A man-made fiber, obtained by deconstructing cellulose found in cotton or wood pulp, Acetate is often blended with silk, cotton, wool and nylon to give fabrics an excellent wrinkle recovery, good left, handle, draping quality, quick drying, proper dimensional stability, cross-dye pattern potential, at a very competitive price.produces a fabric with a silky feel and flowing drape. Acetate dyes and prints well, does not absorb moisture readily but dries fast and provides excellent draping qualities. It is resistant to shrinkage, moths and mildew as well as having no pilling or static electricity problems. 'Triacetate' is an improved fabric, which does not melt easily and is easy to take care. Acetate/Triacetate is often used for linings and lingerie.

          Handling Instructions:

Dry Clean Only!

Acrylic

A man-made fibermade from acrylic fibers that produces a fabric with a soft, wooly hand and excellent color retention. Acrylic fabric is used widely in knits, as upholstery covering, and the fibers may be woven to make rugs. Acrylic is warm, can be quite soft, holds color well, and is both stain and wrinkle resistant. It is easy to wash and dries quickly. It is a popular option as an excellent wool substitute, and certain forms of it are exceptionally soft, while remaining lightweight. Certain cashmere substitutes are made with acrylic fabric and are considered as good or better than cashmere in softness and appearance. Some woven garments may contain acrylic blended with natural fibers. Acrylic is used for knits and a potential choice for the sweater fan who loves wool but who is allergic to it.

The National Football League, for instance has acrylic socks as part of their standard uniform. You will often have to purchase acrylic socks for kids playing baseball, football or soccer. Socks in acrylic fabric are a great choice because they keep their shape and can be highly elastic. They may be a better choice for hikers, because you are far more likely to get blisters from cotton blend socks than from those made of acrylic.

          Handling Instructions:

Acrylic fabric requires gentle care and may need to be dry-cleaned or at the very least washed in cold water on gentle cycle in your washing machine. The more carefully you treat acrylic fabric, the more likely the garment will last longer and retain a “new” appearance. For best results, always follow the garment’s tags for cleaning care.

Alpaca

Alpaca fleece is the natural fiber harvested from the Alpaca, a sheeplike animal of the camel family native to the Andes. It is a water-repellent, fine and lustrous yarn which is often woven with wool or cashmere to create a luxuriously soft fabric or knit for cozy sweaters.Alpacas come in many shades from true-blue black through browns-black, browns, fawns, white, silver-greys and rose-greys, however the white fiber is predominant due to selected breeding, as the white fiber can be further dyed into any other colour While similar to sheep's wool, it is warmer, not prickly, and because it has no lanolin it is hypoallergenic. Alpaca is sustainable as a fiber and is naturally organic, as alpacas are soft on the environment, making Alpaca a truly green textile.

Armani has used Suri Alpaca to fashion both Men's and Women's suits as well as sweaters and     scarves.

          Handling Instructions:

1) Hand washing in cold water is recommended, using a baby shampoo or a mild wool wash and conditioner. Shape the garment after washing and lay flat to dry in order to prevent any  wrinkles due to stretching.

2) If you do decide to dry clean it, ask the dry cleaner to use a petroleum based dry cleaning solution.

3) If the Alpaca garment presents excess shedding, place it in the dry in the dryer set at fluff and no heat for about fifteen minutes. The excess fiber should be collected by your lint filter.

 Angora 

An extremely fuzzy yarn typically from the angora goat and sometimes from the angora rabbit. It is most often knit to create soft sweaters for women.

          
Argyle

A knitting pattern of diamond shapes in various colors against a solid background. Originally a Scottish tartan for the Campbell clan, this pattern still invokes Highland spirit and is most often seen in socks and sweaters, especially those worn on the fairways.

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Barathea
A fabric with a distinctive pebbly texture. In wool, it is a dress fabric often used for men’s tuxedos and fine women’s garments; in silk, it is a common neckwear fabric.

Barré
A fabric, most typically used for neckwear, that has horizontal stripes, or bars, in two or more colors. The term also describes a fabric with color or texture irregularities, thus giving the finished product a striped effect.
Batik
A fabric-dyeing method that renders prints with a cracked effect. First a design, most typically evoking the plant life of tropical island culture, is drawn on either cotton or silk. Wax is then applied to the fabric areas to remain white. The fabric is then put in dye. The wax is removed and the fabric re-dyed. Batik is said to have originated some 1,500 years ago in Indonesia where the art form was reserved for royal use only.
Bedford cord
A durable fabric, often cotton, silk or wool, typically cut so that its signature raised rib appears vertically. The origin of this heavyweight textile has been disputed; some say it was developed in New Bedford, Massachusetts, while others claim it was Bedford, England. Regardless of its origins, it is now often used for clothing that undergoes rough wear, such as riding trousers.
Bengaline
A fabric typically in cotton, silk or acrylic with a fine rib. Named after Bengal, India, this fabric is most often used in dressy suits and coats as well as ribbons and neckwear.
Bird’s eye
Cotton or fine wool fabric that is distinguished by small repetitive diamond shapes that resemble bird’s eyes. This fabric classic lends subtle texture to fine dress shirts and suitings.
Blend
A fabric woven from two or more fibers.
Bouclé
From the French word for “to buckle or curl,” a type of yarn with a looped effect that is woven or knit to make a garment with a nubbed and highly textured surface. Although bouclé can produce a lightweight fabric, it is more often used in a heavier weight in sweaters and coats to take advantage of the warmth the lofty yarns provide.
Breathability
A fabric property referring to its ability to release body heat.

Broadcloth
A fabric with a plain weave usually made of combed cotton or cotton blends that is a staple in men’s and women’s shirts and pajamas.
Brushed
A fabric finish in which the surface is brushed to produce a soft nap. Chino and flannel are two examples of fabrics that are often brushed for the ultimate in softness and comfort.
Buckskin
Originally a white, cream or dyed leather produced from the hide of a male deer or elk, but now more commonly a soft leather, such as sheepskin, that is brushed for a suede effect.

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Cable knit
A knitting pattern in which cables appear to twist around one another.
Calendered
A fabric, such as cotton, that has undergone a special finishing process to appear more lustrous. Because the luster is produced through a finishing process, it may eventually lessen after repeated washings.
Calfskin
Leather made from the skin of the calf.
Cambric

Cambric is a type of finely woven linen or cotton cloth which is specially treated to create a glossy, stiff appearance. True cambric can be difficult to find, as a result of the rising popularity of other textiles. When cambric can be found, it tends to be of poor quality. Consumers purchasing cambric for use in projects should look for tight, even weaving, a crisp texture, and a shiny upper side. A variation on cambric, chambray, is much more widely distributed. Both types of fabric are named after Cambrai, a city in Southern France which contributed to the development of cambric.

To make cambric, cotton or linen is tightly woven so that it will have a smooth, even grain. Once finished, the fabric is run through hot rollers in a process called calendaring, which tightens the fibers and aligns them in the same direction. The resulting fabric is glossy and stiff, often through repeated washings. Cambric of a lower grade may need to be retreated after time to regain its original properties.

Cambric first appeared in the late 1500s, and it quickly became a popular textile for a wide range of applications. The stiff neck ruffs of the Elizabethans were made from cambric, as were many curtains, wall hangings, petticoats, and a variety of other textile goods. Cambric was also known as batist, especially when it was used for embroidery and lacework. The fine fabric took well to embroidery projects, and many women produced astounding embroidery on cambric.

The widespread availability of other textiles and new manufacturing processes caused cambric to decline in popularity in the 1900s. However, chambray, a variation on cambric, continued to be popular. Traditional chambray is made by weaving colored threads through a white weft, somewhat more loosely than cambric is woven. The resulting chambray fabric is not calendared, so it stays soft, supple, and smooth. Chambray is often used to make shirts, which are typically designed to be loose fitting and comfortable.

Some sewing supply companies still carry cambric. Chambray is readily available in a wide range of colors, although blue chambray is the most common. Cambric garments are very difficult to find, expect in vintage stores, or in the form of costumes which are not intended for extended wear. The cambric used in these garments is often of poor quality, unfortunately, leading many people to confuse cambric with low quality fabrics. Chambray shirts are readily available in many department stores.
A lightweight cotton fabric with a denim look, which combines a colored yarn with an undyed yarn in a plain weave. Chambray was originally the fabric choice for the workingman’s blue shirt, hence the term blue-collar worker. Now chambray shirts are a staple in both men’s and women’s sportswear.

Camel hair
The hair sheared from the underside of the Bactrian camel. It produces a soft, luxurious fabric, typically used for suits and jackets and often tan in color. Because pure camel-hair fabrics are so expensive, camel hair is often blended with wool.
Canvas
A heavy, durable plain-weave cotton fabric. Once used in tents, boat sails and other utilitarian products, this fabric became popular for sportswear, sneakers and bags after WWII and now reflects the ultimate in weekend style.
Carding
A yarn finishing process in which extraneous fibers are removed, resulting in a smoother yarn.
Cashmere
An extremely soft and lightweight fiber combed from the undercoat of the long-haired Kashmir goat. Because only a few ounces are obtained from each goat, this luxurious fiber is scarce and very costly. It is woven or knit to produce top-quality suits, coats, sweaters, winter accessories and throws.
Cavalry twill
A sturdy wool fabric with a steep, pronounced double twill effect. Originally a staple army fabric, with a clear, hard finish, it is now used in jackets, suits, coats and riding pants.
Chalk stripe
Soft, thin, white or gray, evenly spaced lines woven into woolen fabrics that give garments a classic office elegance. See also pinstripe.
Chambray

see Cambric

Chamois
A cotton fabric with a soft nap that is meant to imitate a type of sueded leather coming from the chamois goat. This warm, cozy fabric has become a favorite for the men’s winter button-down, the chamois shirt.

Charmeuse
After the French word for “charmer,” charmeuse is a lightweight, lustrous satin fabric with a dull crepe backing that is most often made in silk. Charmeuse is typically used for women’s dresses, skirts, blouses and lingerie for feminine appeal.
Cheviot
A very rough, textured tweed made out of the wool from the Cheviot sheep, native to the hilly border country between England and Scotland. Cheviot tends to resist keeping its shape, giving a cheviot garment a worn-in Highlands outdoorsy appeal. Cheviot can also refer to a shirting fabric, typically cotton, with a twill weave and striped pattern.

Chevron
A pattern characterized by inverted Vs, sometimes forming a zigzag. Chevron came to typify 1820s Art Nouveau design and adorned women’s dresses and men’s ties.
Chiffon
Chiffon is an extremely lightweight, transparent, gauzy fabric with a diaphanous, breezy drape that is most often made in silk, but can also be made in synthetic fibers. Chiffon is typically used for women’s dresses, skirts, blouses, scarves, evening wear and lingerie, providing a distinctly feminine charm, quite contrary to the word’s derivation, the French chiffe or “rag.”
Chino
A durable cotton twill that is woven in several weights and can be finished with a smooth, mercerized or soft, brushed surface. Originally used for summer uniforms by the US Army during their defense of the Chinese in the 1900 Boxer Rebellion, chino gained popularity after WWII, especially for the trouser referred to as chinos, which college men who returned from the war wore to class. Interestingly, the term chino is actually a misnomer. When the twill was shipped to the army, it arrived in freight boxes stamped with the country of origin; however, the imprint read “Chino” rather than “China,” and the name stuck.
Colorfastness
A fabric property referring to its ability to maintain its color and not fade, run or crock.
Combing
A yarn finishing process that follows carding, removing additional extraneous fibers and making them more parallel for a stronger, smoother yarn. High-quality cottons and worsted wools are typically combed.
Cording
A soft cord folded into a narrow bias-cut piece of fabric that is stitched into a seam to provide decorative embellishment. See also piping.
Corduroy
A fabric, typically cotton, with distinctive vertical rows of soft pile. These rows, referred to as cords or wales, can vary in width; pinwale is the thinnest and wide wale is the thickest. From the French corde du roi, or “king’s cord,” corduroy once uniformed Louis XIV’s outdoor servants. Today, it is a popular sportswear fabric ideal for pants, shirts and sport coats.
Cotton
The soft, fluffy fibers gathered from the seed pods of the cotton plant, or the cloth made from these fibers. First used by the people of India and Egypt 3,000 years ago, cotton is considered to be one of the world’s oldest fabrics. There are several grades of cotton; pima and Sea Island cotton are the best quality.
Covert
A rugged twill fabric, usually wool, that is woven from a twisted yarn, blending two colors—usually black or brown—for a subtly flecked look. From the French word for “to hide,” covert was originally used for hunting jackets, but is now most often used in long-wearing suits and topcoats.
Crepe de chine
A tissue-weight, fine fabric, most often silk, that has a pebbly surface. Crepe de chine is primarily used for women’s blouses, dresses and skirts.
Crepe
Said to derive from the French word crispus, or “curled,” crepe is a twisty yarn (or a fabric made from the twisty yarn), which has a dull, pebbly and sometimes dry surface.
Crocking
An undesirable fabric property in which the dye rubs off due to improper dyeing or finishing.
Cross-dyeing
A dyeing process in which a fabric woven from two or more fibers is immersed in one coloring solution. Because the fibers are different from one another, they react differently to the solution. Cross-dyeing is often relied upon to produce fabrics with an iridescent, striped or checkered effect.

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Sharkskin fabric

Sharkskin fabric has long been considered a highly desirable material that works well for all sorts of applications, some of them practical and some purely cosmetic. Known for having a smooth finish and unique weave, sharkskin fabric may be used for everything from sporting and marine equipment to clothing and accessories. Here is some information about the manufacture of sharkskin fabric, as well as some examples of how sharkskin is often used today.

In most cases, sharkskin can be defined as a woven blend of smooth wool. More correctly, it is a smooth worsted fabric that often has a soft texture and a two-toned woven appearance to the worsted fabric. Usually, this two tone appearance is achieved by employing what is referred to as a basketweave, and involves using both white and colored fibers. This creates a pattern where the colored threads running diagonal to the white fibers.

Typically, sharkskin fabric is made with the use of rayon or acetate, or as a blend of the two. Because both fabric options already have a relatively smooth texture, the combination results in the finish that sharkskin fabric is known for. Also, this creates a fabric option that can be laundered at home with the greatest of ease.

Sharkskin fabric definitely has a place around the home. When it comes to house linens, sharkskin fabric is especially popular when it comes to curtains and other forms of window treatments. The material does not wrinkle easily and will hang very well, which makes the curtains low maintenance and ideal for anyone that wants a nice look to the windows without a lot of upkeep. Sharkskin fabric also works well for tablecloths, napkins and overlays for end tables as well.

When it comes to clothing, sharkskin fabric is popular for both men’s and women’s worsted suits. Light winter jackets and coats for men are also often made with sharkskin fabric. Sportswear for women is another common application of sharkskin fabric, since the material is lightweight and launders so easily.

One lesser known use of sharkskin fabric is as a liner in diving suits and wetsuits in general. The smooth texture of the sharkskin feels good against the skin and also has a tendency to stay in place as the suit is put on or taken off. The sharkskin liner also does not slip during wear, which means the diver will feel much more comfortable than with some other types of liners.

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Fashionpedia

I have found the current available internet resources on fashion to be very decentralized and often unsatisfactory. I have therefore decided to slowly try building an online compendium of style and fashion.

Fabrics

- An A-to-Z database of all the materials used in the making of clothing, shoes and accessories

Suit terminology

- Elements pertaining to the plethora of suit types available

Colours

           - Here I will link any posts on this blog that pertain to colours and colour coordination