Good morning class! “Good morning Ms. Wisdom,” my readers echo. Today we will be learning about what makes up our clothing. How do I know all this? I get paid to know, as a matter of fact. *Enter day-job Whitney.* Without having to take the shirt off your back, you will be able to guess the fabric content blend of the garments closest to you, by the end of this article.
Objective Statement: By knowing what your clothes are made of you will be able to better care for your pieces, create more cohesive outfits, as well as, see modern trends thru a new light.
Next-level Trivia Knowledge: We will start with the basics: knit v. woven. In a nutshell, a knit top can be regarded as a t-shirt and a woven would be considered more of a blouse. However, a knit sometimes looks more upscale than how we generally classify a typical tee. Meanwhile, woven=blouse is a very vague statement. If you want to impress your friends at trivia night remember this fact: a knit top is comprised of a single yarn while a woven is made up of multiple yarns crossing over each other. It makes sense if you think about it! Remember: you knit one strand of yarn and weaving requires multiple strands of yarn.
With patterns and printed materials distracting us, it can be hard to tell the difference. A little trick: when you pull on a knit, (imagine your most worn in t-shirt) you can see the fabric spring back; knits are more elastic. A good woven can’t really be manipulated and that’s why wovens were the fabric of choice prior to Chanel’s introduction of the jersey knit suit for women in the 1920s. Today knits and wovens are worn interchangeably, limited to no one silhouette in particular.
Without getting into chemistry, here is a crash course from heaviest to lightest on the most contemporary fabrications.
Heavyweight Category: Without going through every care label of every sweater in your closet, I can tell you the majority of the sweaters you own are acrylic. Why ya bein’ so basic? Turning to new fabrics is most important in the sweater category because, sweaters are more about yarn and warmth than any other garment.
For the coolest months, the first place I turn is chenille. Chenille yarn is technically polyester but it provides the softest and thickest feels known to mass market. (Also a great fabric for slipper socks!) A chenille sweater doesn’t need embellishment, it can be worn simply as is. While wearing mine, I always feel like Corduroy the Bear...who’s now a movie star? Like, what? Nevertheless, I fully disclaim: don’t wear chenille if you don’t like to be hugged!
If you are not ready to give up the acrylic ship, I feel you! Acrylic is the classic sweater fabric for a reason. This fall and winter seek out an acrylic sweater made from nep yarn. Extra style (and warmth) points for a mandarin mockneck! Nep yarn has little specks of color it in.This yarn is to sweaters as Funfetti is to cupcakes. Marled yarn is the direct opposite of nep. A marled yarn is a single color with black flecking in it, in order to darken the color. Marled + red is a popular holiday combo. For some reason, most people prefer a deep wine red to a bright tuscan. If this is you, you have marling to thank!
The Lighter Guys: Since temperatures are plummeting (Sun, come back I’m begging you!), I am only going to highlight one lighter fabric to flaunt in fall. Introducing clip spot! Clip spot is a mesh netting-like fabric with heavier dotting. Clip spot is rarely worn on its own, lace and tulle still rock the sheer fabric world. It is usually used as an accent fabric to add a feminine flair to a collar line, sleeve, or hem treatment. I’m in for clip spotting because polka dots will always be around, putting them on a sheer background is one of the few ways to make ‘em of-the-moment. Clip spot is what a modern-day Minnie Mouse would wear to Fashion Week.
Cool story babe, but why is fabric important? You wear at least one outfit a day consisting of at least one garment; don’t you think you should have a somewhat understanding of how it's made? Knowlegde = power. Now make like a cat and go play with some yarn!
*If you need help understanding any of today’s material office hours are available by appointment. Email: whitneywisdom0@gmail.com.
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