Acrylic A synthetic fabric often used as a wool substitute. It is warm, soft, holds colors well and often is stain and wrinkle resistant.
Angora A soft fiber knit from fur of the Angora rabbit. Angora wool is often combined with cashmere or another fiber to strengthen the delicate structure. Dry cleaning is reccommended for Angora products.
Bedford A strong material that is a raised corded fabric (similar to corduroy). Bedford fabric wears well and is usually washable.
Boucle A fabric made with boucle yarn(s) in wool, rayon and or cotton causing the surface of the fabric to appear looped.
Brocade An all-over floral, raised pattern produced in a similar fashion to embroidery.
Burnout Process of printing a design on a fabric woven of paired yarns of different fibers. One kind of yarn is burned out or destroyed leaving the ground unharmed.
Cable Knit Patterns, typically used in sweaters, where flat knit columns otherwise known as cables are overlapped vertically.
Cashmere A soft, silky, lightweight wool spun from the Kashmir goat. Cashmere must be dry-cleaned due to its delicate fibers and is commonly used in sweaters, shawls, outerwear, gloves and scarves for its warmth and soft feel.
Chiffon A common evening wear fabric made from silk, cotton, rayon or nylon. It's delicate in nature and sheer.
Chintz A printed and glazed fabric made of cotton. Chintz is known for its bright colors and bold patterns.
Corduroy Cotton fibers twisted as they are woven to create long, parallel grooves, called wales, in the fabric. This is a very durable material and depending on the width of the wales, can be extremely soft.
Cotton A natural fiber that grows in the seed pod of the cotton plant. It is an inelastic fiber.
Cotton Cashmere A blend of cotton and cashmere fibers, typically 85% to 15% respectively, this combination produces an extremely soft yarn with a matte finish.
Crepe Used as a description of surfaces of fabrics. Usually designates a fabris that is crimped or crinkled.
Crinoline A lightweight, plain weave, stiffened fabric with a low yarn count. Used to create volume beneath evening or wedding dresses.
Crochet Looping threads with a hooked needle that creates a wide, open knit. Typically used on sweaters for warm seasons.
Denim Cotton textile created with a twill weave to create a sturdy fabric. Used as the primary material of blue jeans.
Dobby Woven fabric where the weave of the fabric actually produces the garment's design.
Embroidery Detailed needlework, usually raised and created by yarn, silk, thread or embroidery floss.
Eyelet A form of lace in a thicker material that consists of cut-outs that are integrated and repeated into a pattern. Usually applied to garments for warmer seasons.
Faille A textured fabric with faint ribbing. Wears wonderfully for hours holding its shape due to the stiffness of the texture. Used in wedding dresses and women's clothes.
Fil'Coupe A small jacquard pattern on a light weight fabric, usually silk, in which the threads connecting each design are cut, creating a frayed look.
French Terry A knit cloth that contains loops and piles of yarn. The material is very soft, absorbent and has stretch.
Gabardine A tightly woven twill fabric, made of different fibers such as wool, cotton and silk.
Georgette A crinkly crepe type material usually made out of silk that consists of tightly twisted threads. Georgette is sheer and has a flowy feeling.
Gingham Two different color stripes "woven" in pattern to appear checked.
Glen Plaid Design of woven, broken checks. A form of traditional plaid.
Guipure Lace A lace without a mesh ground, the pattern in held in place by connecting threads.
Herringbone A pattern originating from masonry, consists of short rows of slanted parallel lines. The rows are formatted opposing each other to create the pattern. Herringbone patterns are used in tweeds and twills.
Hopsack A material created from cotton or woolthat is loosely woven together to form a coarse fabric.
Houndstooth A classic design containing two colors in jagged/slanted checks. Similar to Glen Plaid.
Jacquard A fabric of intricate varigated weave or pattern. Typically shown on elegant and more expensive pieces.
Jersey A type of knit material usually made from cotton and known to be flexible, stretchy, soft and very warm. It is created using tight stitches.
Knit A knit fabric is made by interlocking loops of one or more yarns either by hand with knitting needles or by machine.
Linen An exquisite material created from the fibers of the flax plant. Some linen contain slubs or small knots on the fabric. The material wrinkles very easily and is a light fabric perfect for warm weather.
Lurex A metallic fiber woven into material to give the garment shine.
LycraTM Lycra is a type of stretch fabric where the fibers are woven into cotton, silk or synthetic fiber blends. These materials are lightweight, comfortable (need trademark symbol) and breathable, and the stretch will not wear away.
Madras Originating from Madras, India, this fabric is a lightweight, cotton material used for summer clothing. Madras usually has a checked pattern but also comes in plaid or with stripes. Typically made from 100% cotton.
Marled Typically found in sweaters, marled yarn occurs when two colored yards are twisted together.
Matelasse A compound fabric made of cotton, wool or other fibers with quilted character and raised patterns.
Matte A matte finish has a lusterless surface.
Merino Wool Wool sheered from the merino sheep and spun into yarn that is fine but strong.
Modal A type of rayon that is made from natural fibers but goes through a chemical treatment to ensure it has a high threshold of breakage. Modal is soft and breathable which is why it's used as a cotton replacement.
Non-iron A treated cotton that allows our Easy Care Shirts to stay crisp throughout the day and does not need ironing after washing/drying.
Nylon A synthetic fiber that is versatile, fast drying and strong. It has a high resistance to damage.
Ombre A color technique that shades a color from light to dark.
Ottoman A firm, lustrous plain weave fabric with horizontal cords that are larger and rounder than those of the faille. Made of wool, silk, cotton and other manufactured fibers.
Paisley A pattern that consists of crooked teardrop designs in a repetitive manner
Placket The piece of fabric or cloth that is used as a concealing flap to cover buttons, fasteners or attachments. Most commonly seen in the front of button-down shirts. Also used to reinforce openings or slits in garments.
Piping Binding a seam with decoration. Piping is similar to tipping or edging where a decorative material is sewn into the seams.
Pointelle An open-work knitting pattern used on garments to add texture. Typically a cooler and general knit sweater.
Polyester A fabric made from synthetic fibers. Polyester is quick drying, easy to wash and holds its shape well.
Ponte A knit fabric where the fibers are looped in an interlock. The material is very strong and firm.
Poplin A strong woven fabric, heavier in weight, with ribbing.
Rayon A manufactured fiber developed originally as an alternative for silk. Rayon drapes well and looks luxurious.
Sateen A cotton fabric with sheen that resembles satin.
Seersucker Slack-tension weave where yarn is bunched together in certain areas and then pulled taught in others to create this summery mainstay.
Shirring Similar to ruching, shirring gathers material to create folds.
Silk One of the most luxurious fabrics, silk is soft, warm and has shine. It is created from female silkworm's eggs.
Silk Shantung A rough plain weave fabric made of uneven yarns to produce a textured effect, made of fibers such silk in which all knots and lumps are retained.
Space dyed Technique of yarn dyeing to produce a multi-color effect on the yarn itself. Also known as dip dyed yarn.
Spandex Also known as Lycra (trademark symbol), this material is able to expand 600% and still snap back to its original shape and form. Spandex fibers are woven with cotton and other materials to make fabrics stretch.
Tipping Similar to edging, tipping includes embellishing a garment at the edges of the piece, hems, collars etc.
Tissue Linen A type of linen that is specifically made for blouses or shirts due to its thinness and sheerness.
Tweed A loose weave of heavy wool makes up tweed which provides warmth and comfortability.
Twill A fabric woven in a diagonal weave. Commonly used for chinos and denim.
Variegated Multi-colored fabrics where colors are splotched or in patches.
Velour A stretchy knit fabric that looks similar to velvet. Very soft to the touch.
Velvet A soft, silky woven fabric that is similar to velour. Velvet is much more expensive than velour due to the amount of thread and steps it takes to manufacture the material.
Velveteen A more modern adaptation of velvet, velveteen is made from cotton and has a little give. Also known as imitation velvet.
Viscose Created from both natural materials and man-made fibers, viscose is soft and supple but can wrinkle easily.
Wale Only found in woven fabrics like corduroy, wale is the long grooves that give the garment its texture.
Windowpane Dark stripes run horizontal and vertical across a light background to mimic a window panes.
Woven A woven fabric is formed by interlacing threads, yarns, strands, or strips of some material.