Wedding Dress Material and Fabric

Your Guide to Finding the Perfect Wedding Dress, Gown

Style, cut, texture, drape, and season are all-important factors in determining the best wedding gown. The same style wedding dress can look and feel quite different in a variety of fabrics, since each material is designed to produce a distinct effect. Some fabrics cling to the body, while others stand away. Some are cherished for their crispness, others for being light-as-air. Silk—a natural fiber that exudes an innate quality of refinement—is undoubtedly the most sought-after and cherished wedding dress material, noted for its resiliency, elasticity, and strength.

Silk threads are woven to create various fabrics, including satin, a densely-woven silk notable for its super-lustrous gloss; duchesse satin, a blend of silk and rayon that is lighter and more affordable than pure silk satin; charmeuse, a lightweight silk satin with a more subdued luster; and shantung, a low-sheen textured silk characterized by a rough, nubby quality. Then there are the gauzier, textured silks like chiffon, tulle, and organza—all used in multiple layers for gown skirts since they are transparent, but lightweight.

The Fabric Hotlist

•Batiste: A light weight, soft, transparent fabric. Batiste is a balanced plain weave. A fine cloth made from cotton or linen such as cambric. Lightweight opaque fabrics are very thin and light but not as transparent as sheer fabrics. The distinction between the two is not always pronounced. End uses include apparel and furnishings. Organdy (a sheer fabric), lawn, and batiste begin as the same gray goods.

•Charmeuse: A lightweight, semi-lustrous soft fabric, that is satin-like to the touch. Charmeuse (French: [ʃaʁmøːz]) is a lightweight fabric woven with a satin weave, where the warp threads cross over three or more of the backing (weft) threads. The front side of the fabric has a satin finish - lustrous and reflective - whereas the back has a dull finish. It can be made of silk or a synthetic lookalike such as polyester. Silk charmeuse is more expensive and delicate but is softer and a better insulator. Polyester charmeuse is cheaper and can often withstand machine washing, but it does not breathe as well as silk. Charmeuse differs from plain satin in that charmeuse is softer and lighter in weight.

The luster and delicate hand make charmeuse suited to lingerie, flowing evening gowns, and drapery blouses. Bridal gowns sometime use charmeuse, however, the fabric does not hold a shape well, so it is not used for full, flared skirts; the charmeuse tends to cling and hang against the body. It is best suited to a more fluid, slinky bias cut, and is too fragile and flimsy for more tailored clothing. It is not used in menswear, with the exception of underwear such as charmeuse boxer shorts.

 

•Chiffon: Delicate, sheer, and transparent—made from silk or rayon, with a soft finish; often layered because of its transparency, making it popular for overskirts, sheer sleeves, and wraps.

Chiffon, French pronunciation: [ʃi.fɔ̃], from the French word for a cloth or rag, is a lightweight, balanced plain-woven sheer fabric woven of alternate S- and Z-twist crepe (high-twist) yarns.The twist in the crepe yarns puckers the fabric slightly in both directions after weaving, giving it some stretch and a slightly rough feel.

Chiffon is made from cotton, silk or synthetic fibres. Chiffon can be dyed to almost any shade desired, but if it is made out of polyester it can be difficult to dye. Under a magnifying glass it resembles a fine net or mesh which gives chiffon some see-through properties.

Chiffon is most commonly used in evening wear for, especially as an overlay, giving an elegant and floating appearance to the gown. It is also a popular fabric used in blouses, ribbons, scarves and lingerie. Like other crêpe fabrics, chiffon can be difficult to work with because of its light and slippery textures. Due to this delicate nature, chiffon must be hand washed very gently. For more chiffon prom dresses, please refer to the www.donhot.com.

Since chiffon is a light weight fabric that frays very easily, bound or French seams must be used to stop the fabric from fraying. Chiffon is smoother and more lustrous than the similar fabric georgette.

•Crepe: A light, soft, and thin fabric with a crinkled surface or refers to a type of light soft thin cloth, with very small folded lines on its surface, made from cotton, silk, wool etc

•Damask: Similar to brocade with raised designs, but woven in a much lighter weight.

Damask (Arabic: دمسق‎) is a reversible figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin weave and the ground in weft-faced or sateen weave. Twill damasks include a twill-woven ground or pattern.

•Duchesse Satin: A lightweight hybrid of silk and rayon (or polyester) woven into a satin finish.

•Dupioni: A finish similar to shantung, but with thicker, coarser fibers, and a slight sheen or a type of silk fabric. It is similar to shantung, but thicker and more irregular.

•Faille: A structured, ribbed finish like grosgrain ribbon; usually quite substantial.

•Gabardine: A tightly-woven, firm and durable finish, with single diagonal lines on the face. Gabardine is a tough, tightly woven fabric used to make suits, overcoats, trousers uniforms, windbreakers, and other garments. The fibre used to make the fabric is traditionally worsted wool, but may also be cotton, texturized polyester, or a blend. Gabardine is woven as warp-faced steep or regular twill, with a prominent diagonal rib on the face and smooth surface on the back. Garbardine always has many more warp than weft yarns.

Cotton gabardine is sometimes used by bespoke tailors to make pocket linings for business suits, where the pocket's contents would quickly wear holes in the usual flimsy pocket lining material.

Clothing made from gabardine is generally labeled as being suitable for dry cleaning only, as is typical for wool textiles.

Gabardine may also refer to the twill-weave used for gabardine fabric, or to a raincoat made of this fabric.

•Georgette: A sheer, lightweight fabric often made of polyester or silk with a crepe surface. Georgette (shortened from crêpe Georgette or Georgette crêpe) is a sheer, lightweight, dull-finished crêpe fabric named after the early 20th century French modiste, Georgette de la Plante. Originally made of silk and later of rayon or blends, modern georgette is often made of synthetic filament yarns. Georgette is plain or tabby woven, and like other crêpes is made with highly-twisted yarns. Georgette's characteristic crinkly surface is created by alternating S- and Z-twist yarns in both warp and weft.

Georgette is made in solid colors or prints, and is used for blouses, dresses, evening gowns, and trimmings. It is springier and less lustrous than the closely-related chiffon.

•Illusion: A fine, sheer net fabric, generally used on sleeves or necklines.

•Jersey: A very elastic knit fabric; the face has lengthwise ribs and the underside has crosswise ribs. A jersey is an item of knitted clothing, traditionally in wool or cotton, with sleeves, worn as a pullover, as it does not open at the front, unlike a cardigan. It is usually close-fitting and machine knitted in contrast to a guernsey that is more often hand knit with a thicker yarn. The word is usually used interchangeably with sweater and is the name always officially used in the United Kingdom to refer to the item when worn as part of the uniform of military, police or other uniformed personnel.

•Moire: A heavy silk taffeta with a subtle, wavy design.

•Organdy: A stiff transparent fabric. Organdy or organdie is the sheerest and crispest cotton cloth made. Combed yarns contribute to its appearance.

•Organza: Crisp and sheer like chiffon, with a stiffer texture similar in effect to tulle, but more flowing; popular for skirts, sleeves, backs, and overlays. Organza is a thin, plain weave, sheer fabric traditionally made from silk, the continuous filament of silkworms. Nowadays, though many organzas are woven with synthetic filament fibers such as polyester or nylon, the most luxurious organza are still woven in silk. Silk organza is woven by a number of mills along the Yangtze River and in the province of Zhejiang in China. A coarser silk organza is woven in the Bangalore area of India. Deluxe silk organza is woven in France, Italy and Turkey.

Silk organza is used for bridal wear and eveningwear. In the interiors market it is used for effects in bedrooms and between rooms. Double-width organzas in viscose and acetate are used as sheer curtains.

•Peau de Soie: A soft satin-faced, high-quality cloth with a dull luster, fine ribs, and a grainy appearance.

•Pique:  A lengthwise rib weave in medium to heavy weights; wrinkles badly unless given a wrinkle-free finish.

•Satin: A heavy, smooth fabric with a high sheen on one side; very common in bridal gowns. Satin (pronunciation: /ˈsætən/) is a weave that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is a warp-dominated weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibers such as silk, nylon, or polyester, the corresponding fabric is termed a satin, although some definitions insist that the fabric be made from silk.[2] If the yarns used are short-staple yarns such as cotton, the fabric formed is considered a sateen.

A satin-woven fabric tends to have a high luster due to the high number of floats on the fabric. Floats are missed interlacings, where the warp yarn lies on top of the weft yarn, or vice versa. The floats tend to make the fabric look glossier as well as give it a smoother surface.

Many variations can be made of the basic satin weave including a granite weave and a check weave. Satin weaves, twill weaves, and plain weaves are the three basic types of weaving by which the majority of woven products are formed.

Satin is commonly used in apparel: satin baseball jackets, athletic shorts, women's lingerie, nightgowns, blouses and evening gowns, but also in some men's boxer shorts, shirts and neckties. It is also used in the production of pointe shoes for use in ballet. Other uses include interior furnishing fabrics, upholstery, and bed sheets.

•Silk Gazar: A four-ply silk organza.

•Silk Mikado: A brand of blended silk, usually heavier than 100-percent silk.

•Silk-faced Satin: A smooth silk satin, with a glossy front and matte back.

•Shantung: Similar to a raw silk, shantung is characterized by its slubbed texture.

•Taffeta: Crisp and smooth, with a slight rib; not frequently used. Taffeta (pronounced /ˈtæf.ɪt.ə/, formerly sometimes spelled taffety) is a crisp, smooth plain woven fabric made from silk or synthetic fibers. The word is Persian in origin, and means "twisted woven." It is considered to be a "high end" fabric, suitable for use in ball gowns, wedding dresses, and in interiors for curtains or wallcovering. There are two distinct types of silk taffeta: yarn-dyed and piece-dyed. Piece-dyed taffeta is often used in linings and is quite soft. Yarn-dyed taffeta is much stiffer and is often used in evening dresses. Shot silk taffeta was one of the most sought-after forms of Byzantine silk, known in Latin as purpura.[not in citation given] Taffeta was then woven in Italy and France and until the 1950s in Japan. Today most raw silk taffeta is produced in India and Pakistan. Originally this was produced on handlooms, but since the 1990s, it has been produced on the most modern looms in the Bangalore area. From the 1970s until the 1990s, the Jiangsu province of China produced some fine silk taffetas. They were less flexible than the Indian mills that now dominate production. Other countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East are weaving silk taffeta, but not yet either at the quality or competitiveness of India. The most deluxe taffetas are still woven in France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. This fabric is also widely used in the manufacture of corsets and corsetry, it gives a more startched type cloth which holds its shape better.

On November 4, 1782, taffeta was used by Joseph Montgolfier of France to construct a small, cube-shaped balloon. This was the beginning of many experiments using taffeta balloons by the Montgolfier brothers, and led to the first known human flight in a lighter-than-air craft. Synthetic fiber forms of taffeta have been used to simulate the structure of blood vessels.

•Tulle: Netting made of silk, nylon, or rayon; used primarily for skirts and veils (think ballerina tutus). Tulle (Occitan: Tula) is a commune and capital of the Corrèze department in the Limousin region in central France. It is also the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulle. It is the third-largest town in the Limousin region, after Limoges and Brive-la-Gaillarde.

•Velvet: A soft, thick fabric with a felted face and plain underside.

Note: For different fabric even the same color may have different shade. So if you want to purchase the exactly color you want, please fabric color chart. Color chart for different material is available at http://www.donhot.com/category-Prom-Dresses.html

This Blog is supported by Donhot.com
http://www.donhot.com/