Choosing Your Bridal Fabrics
Written by Lisa Merton
Whether you buy
your wedding gown off the rack, or have it made to measure,
you will need to know what type of fabric will best suit your
dress style, and your figure. Lisa Merton from Culture Shock
Bridal and Eveningwear explains what to look for in bridal
fabrics, and where to go to find them!
Your wedding gown is probably
the most precious (and expensive) dress you will ever own,
so it is important to make the right decisions when it comes
to choosing your fabrics. There are so many things to consider
– the look, quality, weight, weave, colour, texture,
drape, care and wearability. The most important rule to remember
is that you get what you pay for … generally speaking,
the more expensive the fabric, the better quality it will
be, and the longer it will last.
Beaded and embroidered
fabrics can vary dramatically in quality, and
come in many combinations and styles. The best quality beaded
and embroidered eveningwear fabrics are done on a silk base,
such as silk georgette, although these days many polyester
and viscose fabrics are used as well. Always ask what quality
the base fabric is when you are shopping around. To check
the quality of the workmanship, look at the back of the beaded
or embroidered fabric and make sure the holding threads are
secure and not too long. If the threads are loose you will
end up with beads or stitches falling off and possibly catching
on jewellery .. not a good thing! .
The best quality beads are
glass or crystal, and they are much easier and safer to dry
clean, as they do not melt or tarnish. Plastic sequins or
beads can easily melt with heat and certain chemicals used
in dry cleaning … always get your dry cleaner to test
the beads first if you are not sure of their content. Swarovski
crystals, beads and pearls are very high in quality, and come
in a great range of sizes and colours … good couturiers
use Swarovski for all their beading needs.The amount of beading
or embroidery on the fabric will greatly affect the price,
as will the country of origin.
Beaded fabrics can cost between
$60 - $500 per metre, depending on the amount of work and
the quality of the base fabric. Beaded fabrics are tricky
to work with, so a dressmaker or couturier will charge more
to cover the extra care and time taken handling the delicate
fabric. Often the dressmaker will have to unpick beads around
seams, hems and panel-lines, which is time consuming and very
fiddly.
Laces
are another example of fabric that can vary dramatically in
quality and price. The best laces produced today are French,
Italian and Swiss, but there are some fantastic laces coming
out of Asia too. French “Chantilly Lace” is usually
regarded as the finest, most delicate and highly sought-after,
and can cost anywhere between $150 - $700 per metre, depending
on the detailing. It is usually a floral pattern and can often
have several shades or colours within the design, plus a scalloped
border on one or both edges (selveges). There are cheaper
copies of this style of lace, but they are never as light
or dainty as the original.
Chantilly lace looks great
when it is lined with a slightly darker or lighter contrast
colour, which emphasises the detail and colour of the lace.
Laces are often beaded as well, which greatly enhances the
detail of the lace pattern and adds weight and depth. “Guipure
Lace” is another popular lace for brides, and was very
widely used in the 1950’s and 60’s for bodices
and sleeves of wedding gowns. It is woven from cotton, is
heavier and slightly chunky texture, usually white and floral
and is very pure, clean and innocent looking.
Guipure lace has a lot more
coverage than other laces, so it is great for sleeves and
bodices when you don’t want too much skin to show. Border
or graduated designs on netting are popular these days, especially
on a tulle base (where the design is embroidered onto the
tulle to give the appearance of lace). Although strictly speaking
this fabric is not really a lace, it has the look, weight
and feel of lace, but can be less expensive. A graduated pattern
is when the design is heavily embroidered on one side of the
fabric, then it gradually fades to a scattered and spaced-out
design on the other side. This kind of fabric works well in
empire-line dresses, where you can feature the heavily embroidered
design near your feet, then have it fade away towards waistline,
then again use the heavy design around the bodice.
A lot of laces are quite narrow
in width (usually around 90 cm wide only) so empire lines
and other designed panel-lines work well when a join in the
lace is required. Other laces to look out for are knitted
“Stretch Lace”, which is quite cheap, and handy
for tight-fitting dresses, bodices and sleeves, and “Raschel
Lace”, which is also reasonably priced, usually nylon
or viscose, but can look good when combined in layers with
other fabrics.
“Metallic Lace”
with silver, gold or bronze metallic thread can look fantastic,
but always feel the back of the lace to make sure it’s
not too harsh and scratchy, as the metallic threads can cause
irritation to sensitive skin.
Continues
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Choosing Your Bridal Fabrics
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For further information on Culture Shock
Bridal and Eveningwear please contact Lisa Merton.
This
article has been reproduced on Wedding Central Australia with
permission. © Lisa Merton 2003. All Rights Reserved.
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