Lingerie materials, hems and construction

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Many clothing terms are tossed about when writing about lingerie and fashion. For those of us who work with the subject matter on a daily basis, it’s just a part of our common vocabulary. But as we know, society has changed so that many people don’t work with raw fabrics or once common construction techniques anymore. While we are thrilled at the resurgence of crafting, sewing and tailoring, we think that some lingerie and fashion terms might need a little explaining. So without further adéu, let’s run through a few of these and try to group them together in a related manner.

Fabrics

There are quite a variety of attractive, soft and workable fabrics which seem to have been made for lingerie construction. The first ones that probably come to mind are silk, polyester and cotton. These are among the most common yarn fibers used today to create lingerie. But others, often referenced on Kuhmillion.com include microfiber, marabous, chiffon, satin, sateen and georgette. So what are these exactly?

A microfiber is a synthetic fiber that measures less than one denier. Denier refers to the thickness or weight of the fiber, and one denier is very very fine. A microfiber fabric is simply one that is woven from a microfiber.

Marabou is a fabric that is woven from marabou silk. Marabou silk is a raw form of silk. Believe it or not, raw silk is actually processed before being spun into a traditional silk yarn.

Georgette is a type of crape. In the garment industry, the name is applied to a distinct style of sheer fabric. The thread may be silk, cotton or synthetic fibers, but that which makes this and all crapes distinct is the way in which the fabric is woven. Two different threads are used, one straight and the other twisted so that the resulting fabric has a slight pucker to it, giving it some stretch and a slightly rough feel.

Chiffon is also a crape but is smoother and more lustrous that georgette.

Satin and sateen are, well obviously related. These two fabrics are defined by how they are woven. Filament fibers such as silk, nylon and polyester are woven together to create a satin. Short staple fibers such as cotton are woven together to make sateen. The shiny quality of both of these comes from the weave where the high number of floats, or interlacings creates a shiny fabric surface. It gets much more technical than that, but you get the idea.

Hems and Edging

Embroidery is a very broad term for decorating fabrics with other designs or motifs using thread or yarns. Often in lingerie, floral embroidery is used to decorate mesh or other lightweight fabrics.

Lace is another broad term for openwork fabric. Either thread is removed or thread is sewn around an opening to create a cut-out design of some kind. Again, in lingerie, this is often a floral motif. Typically, lace is used as an overlay on mesh or along a hem as decoration.

A lettuce hem is an edge that is sewn in such a way that the fabric undulates back and forth along the edge, resembling the very tips of delicate lettuce. Apropos no?

A scalloped hem is achieved by actually cutting the edge of a fabric in a repeating half oval scallop like shape. The possible variations with this are virtually limitless.

Piping is a type of trim where an additional piece of fabric is sandwiched over an edge and sewn together. Sometimes a stiff cord may be sandwiched in between for additional strength. Often a contrasting fabric will be used, especially in lingerie to add impact to the garment design.

Garment Terms

A halter top is used to describe any top with two fabric pieces that tie together around the back of the neck to hold the garment up. It is a classic women’s style that has been around for decades and sometimes is used to great effect in lingerie.

A v-neck describes the neck cutout of a top. The only criteria for this is that the neckline of the top comes to a point along the bust.

A scoop neck also describes the neck cutout of a top. Instead of coming to a point, the cutout pattern is usually a plunging oval down to the bust. This design is another classic and affords clothing designers the freedom to design anything from elegant to sexy.


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