Collection: Dress & Blouse Fabrics

Drape is the first decision

Lay a length over your hand and watch how far it travels before it breaks into folds: that tells you more than any number on the label. A crêpe breaks early and softly, a sateen later and in bigger folds, an organza hardly at all. Cut on the bias, the same cloth falls further and narrower, which is why a bias dress takes more fabric than a straight one.

When a lining is needed

Two fifths of this selection is under 100 g/m², and a good part of it is mesh, chiffon or organza, sheer by design. Those are made to be layered: over a lining of the same fibre so the two move together, or over a contrasting one when the point is to let the colour underneath show through.

Prints and repeats

This is the most heavily printed selection in the catalogue — animal, floral, graphic, geometric, abstract, paisley. A print has a direction and a repeat, so a printed dress needs more length than a plain cloth of the same width: the motifs have to be placed and matched at the side seams.

FAQ

What fabric is best for a dress?

It depends on the silhouette. Crêpe and viscose for something that falls close and soft, satin or sateen for a closed, reflective surface, a knit for anything that pulls on without a zip, chiffon over a lining for volume.

How much fabric does a dress take?

About 2 to 2.5 m at 140 cm width for a simple knee-length dress, 3 m and up for a long or bias-cut one, plus extra for a print that has to match.

Does a sheer fabric need a lining?

Yes, as soon as it is see-through: either a lining sewn in or a separate slip worn under it. A lining in the same fibre follows the movement of the outer layer, a stiffer one works against it.

Which fabrics work for a blouse?

Anything under about 150 g/m² that still has some body: crêpe, fine viscose twill, cotton poplin, silk. Very fluid cloth gives a soft blouse, a firmer one holds a collar and a cuff.