Lingerie Fabrics

Leather and lace, silk and satin, these used to be the options when it came to steering away from simple cotton and choosing some exotic, daring type of lingerie. This however is the 21st century and lingerie goes under an exotic list of names that need a jargon-buster to help you navigate in a knowledgeable manner.

No good just clicking on an image and hoping for the best. Today’s online lingerie shopper knows exactly the style they are looking for and the image they want to create. Admittedly lingerie choices are evolving all the time but that’s no excuse for being left behind.

Here is some of the proper terminology for today's lingerie:

Boning - A strip of stiff material placed in certain areas of the garment to help structure a desired look or support. Seen in many bustiers and bras.

Burn-Out - A sheer opening woven into the material.

Charmeuse - A soft wool, cotton, silk, or rayon yarn with protruding pile.

Chiffon - A sheer, soft fabric, especially if made of silk.

Denier - A unit of fineness of silk, rayon, or nylon yarn. Denier increases as the thickness of the fibre increases.

Faux - Imitation, such as faux silk or faux leather.

Fishnet - A coarse open-mesh fabric often seen in fishnet stockings.

Jacquard - A fabric of intricate weave or pattern.

Lurex - A trademark used for metallic yarn or thread.

Lycra - A spandex synthetic fibre. LYCRA® is very stretchy and is used in tight, body hugging garments like catsuits and sexy dresses.

Mesh - A woven knit, or knotted material of open texture with evenly spaced holes.

Netting - A net fabric with which to cover or enclose.

Patent Leather - Leather with a hard smooth glossy surface.

Poly - A polymerized plastic or something made of this, especially a polyester fiber, fabric, or garment.

Rayon - Any of a group of smooth textile fibers made from regenerated cellulose by extrusion through minute holes.

Ribbed - Vertical ridges in a garment.

Spandex - Any of various elastics, stretchy textile fibers made chiefly of polyurethane.

Tricot - A plain wrap-knitted fabric like of nylon, wool, rayon, silk, or cotton with a close in elastic knit.

So next time you look at lingerie to buy be adventurous. What we wear under our clothes reflects partly the era we live in and we, all, are now part of the future.