Fashion terms explained

Some commonly used fashion terms, for all those who want designer clothes or just want to know what these terms mean so that understanding the language, designers speak becomes easier.....

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A                                                                             Top

Armure - An Embossing effect , for giving a pattern in upholstery or drapery.
Armure fabric - It's a fabric , woven in armure weave.
Accessories- Additional objects like shoes jewelery, bags to add to your attire's look.
Acrylic fibre - An artificial fibre containing nitrile.
Angora yarn - It's a soft yarn made from the hair of angora rabbit or goat.
Angora fabric - Fabric woven in angora yarn.
Armure weave - It's a weave designed to produce an armure effect, with definitive patterns and figures on the surface.
Azoic dyes - Mostly used in batik work , they are `cold dyes' containing the -azoic- group.

B                                                                            Top

Basic dyes - these contain basic amino group and their use is in natural cellulosic fibres in an alkaline dye bath.
Bath - It's a basic solution, where a chemical process is carried out.
Batik- It's an Indian method which produces beautiful patterns on a fabric with the help of wax/ gum resist and cold dyes.
Basket weave - It's also called matt weave.
Blanket - It's a heavy fabric having a raised finish.
Blending - The term means mixing of different fibres in a specified proportion so as to get advantages in the end result accruing from the properties of the blended fabrics.
Bleaching - It's a chemical process undertaken for improving the whiteness of a fabric, yarn or a fibre (retaining the natural color)
Bleeding - when a fabric looses it's color when in contact with a solvent it's called bleeding
Blinding - happens when you remove the lustre of textiles.
Blind stitch - An invisible stitch on the fabric face or a garment.
Boucle yarn - A yarn which has tight loops formed across its length.
Brighteners - These are chemical constituents which when added to detergents increase the brightness of a fabric.
Brocade - Used extensively for silk saris, this fabric has very exquisite effects by using satin weaves against a plain weave background
Brushing - The end result of this finishing process is a raised effect, it involves passing the fabric over two or more brushes.
Bandhani - It's a tradittional process followed mainly in kutch and rajasthan where ends of a cloth are tied very tightly( to prevent them from getting dyed) and putting the cloth in a dye the undyed parts form beautiful patterns

C                                                                            Top

Calendaring - It's a finishing process for promoting smoothness and shine to a fabric's texture.
Chikan Kari - It's an Embroidery tecnique where a white cotton thread is embroidered over a white or light colored fabric (muslin) Lucknow is famous for such skilled work.
Contemporary - Currently in vogue
Cool Colors : Blue, Violet and Green are considered cool colors.
Calico - It's a plain weave cotton fabric having a medium cover factor.
Cambric - It's a light weighing, closely woven fabric (cottons or linen )
Chambray - A light net, plain weave of cotton. A blend of synthetic yarns.
Checks - A pattern made of squares.
Chinchilla - A thick , double fabric used for overcoats.
Cashmere - Fine wool procured from Asiatic goat.
Cavalry twill - A warp-faced fabric having double twill lines separated by grooves. It is a heavy weight fabric.
Color fastness - The property by virtue of which the dyed material has resistance against bleeding on washed or exposed to light , gas , rubbing.
Combed yarn - The yarn whose slivers have been carded and combed.
Composite yarn - This Yarn made of both staple and filament fibres.
Cord - A general term used for a) plied b) cabled yarns and structures made by braiding , knitting or weaving.
Corduroy - A cut pile having cords or ribs in the warp direction e.g. cut velveteen fabrics.
Cotton - Natural vegetable fibre obtained from seed hair of plants of the gossipyum family.
Crochet - Continuous series of loops with single needle.
Curing - It is the procedure of setting of resin or plastic.
Count - It's a ratio of the yarn or a fibre's weight to it's length.
Count of cloth - The number of picks per inch and ends per inch in the cloth.
Crepe de chine - This fabric( light weight) has a crinkled effect and is made of S and Z twists.

D                                                                            Top

Dobby - It is a loom used for making double fabrics.
Draping - Is to hang or beautify the body form with loose fabric, and then get a body hugging garment by using relevant sewing techniques.
Direct dyes - These Dyes made of vegetable fibres.
Disperse dyes- Dyes used only for synthetics eg. polyester.
Drill - A twill weave, piece dyed fabric. It is usually made in 0.7m width.
Discharge (printing) - It's a method employed in printing where by applying a chemical substance on the specific areas of a dyed fabric , the dye gets removed or discharged leaving behind a colored or white pattern
Duffle - duffle - A heavy woolen fabric used in making duffle coats.
Dupion - Is a fabric woven from imitation silk (artificial fibre).

E                                                                            Top

Elastic fabric - A fabric having extensible properties like lycra
Embossing - It's a method to get a raised feel or depressed feel of the fabric by passing it through heated rollers
Embroidery - A method where a decorative patterns is sewn by handle through a needle or by a sewing machine
Embroidery lace - Embroidery done on lace material.

F                                                                            Top

Fad - Short term fashion (trends) are called fads .
Fabric - Term used to address all materials whether they may be made of fibres, yarns, lace, etc
Fastness - It is the resistance which a material provides to an agent
Filament - An artificial lengthy and continuous fibre
Finishing - Treatment given to a fabric to improve it's look and texture properties.
Forte of a garment - Means the strong point of the garment
Frey - When handling some fabrics , the threeads which come out are called frey.

G                                                                            Top

Gabardine - It's a Worsted fabric with a prominent twill face.
Georgette - Crepe fine fabric with alternate twisted tarn.
Ghagra - A long skirt (traditional).
Grain - A synonym for the length wise (weft yarn) or cross-wise (warp yarn) threads of the fabric.

H                                                                            Top

Hosiery - Knitted articles.
Haute Couture - Hi-Fashion garments
Hue - Is the shades and degrees of color

I                                                                            Top

Imitation velvet - Plain weave with small tufts or fibres which are joined by an adhesive. .
Interlining - Woven or non woven fabric layer between outer cloth wall and the inner to give it an insulation and shape.

J                                                                            Top

Jacquard - It's a weaving machine which produces very intricate designs as it can control each warp yarn.
Jersey - It's a Plain knit fabric
Jute - It's a multi - cellular bast fibre

K                                                                            Top

Kurdi - A jacket or coat meant for outerwear.
Kurti - A shirt-like garment (worn by women). with most of the features of a kurta with the length reaching just above the hips.

L                                                                            Top

Lace - Open work fabric.
Lawn - Light thin cotton fabric .
Lehnga - A kind of skirt. Worn generally in combination with an odhani, which is tucked into it at the waist.
Lustre - Gloss of textiles.

M                                                                            Top

Mélange A mixture of colored stocks.
Mohair - lustrous hair of an Angora goat.

N                                                                            Top

Non woven - Fabric from a web of fibres held together by various methods other than felting, coloring, or intertwining.

O                                                                            Top

Organdy - Thin transparent stiff effect on cotton .
Odhani - It's a veil-cloth for a woman, worn by tucking one end at the waist and the other end is drawan upward over the back & the free end being draped over the shoulder

P                                                                            Top

Polyamide - Polymerized product of alcohols and acids.
Poplin - A plain weave fabric with ribbed effect.
Phulkari - Done in punjab where women embroider beautiful patterns (florals on a cotton cloth used as heads veils.
Press mark - Undesirable shinning lines on the right side of the garment due to incorrect ironing.
Pucker- Is to draw up into folds or wrinkles

Q                                                                            Top

Qaba - A full-sleeved garment for outer wear, (worn by men)

R                                                                            Top

Raw silk- silk which comes directly from cocoon with a little twist in the thread.

S                                                                            Top

Suede cloth - A finish which resembles chamois leather .
Spun silk - Silk yarn from short a short filament.
Staple - It is the average length of a fibre .
Seam Line - The line which shows where the seam should be stitched
Sharara - It's a loose pajama worn by women.
Sherwani - Resembles a coat (knee length garment)without the characteristic coat flaps, it's worn by men
Silhouette - It's an outline of a garment.
Surface Decoration - Ornamenting the surface of a fabric or garment (e.g. Embroidery etc.)

T                                                                            Top

Tafetta - Plain closely woven filament fabric.
Tapestry - Yarn dyed figured fabrics in jacquard loom.
Taper - To decrease width gradually and bring it to an end point.
The Look - To portray a certain image. (The contemporary look i.e. the look of today. The look of the yester years)
Thread Count - Is the number of warp and weft yarns in one square-inch of a fabric (warp yarn x weft yarn per sq. inch)
Tiki - A round piece; generally tacked on to a garment.
Trend - Fashion is not static, they are constantly moving, their movement has a definite direction. The direction in which fashion moves is called fashion Trend.
Trim - To cut off the ragged edges below the seam line to prevent the garment from being bulky and to give the seam a neat finish.
Terylene - British polyester fibre .
Tweed - A rough fabric of wiry heavy wools invented by the english.
Twill weave - Weft interlaced with warp to form diagonal ridges in fabric.

V                                                                            Top

Velour - A cut pile fabric heavier than velvet , longer piles with fine raised finish of cotton /woolen.

W                                                                            Top

Warm Colors - Colors like Red, Orange, Yellow are classified as warm colors.
Worsted fabric - A fabric manufactured wholly from worsted yarns , the exception being presence of some decoration threads of other fibres .

Y                                                                            Top

Yarn - A product of substantial length and relatively small cross- section consisting of fibres and /or filament (s).

Z                                                                            Top

Zardozi Work - Here gold or silver metal threads are sewn on a fabric like satin or velvet with metallic threads, which gives a rich embroidered look.
Zari - It's a metallic thread twisted over cotton or silk for brocading.