BiggerBras.com: Lingerie Fabric Guide

Lingerie Terminology

Lingerie has come a long way from the days of plain cotton undergarments. Today's lingerie is made from many different types of fabric and material. 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 fiber 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 fiber. 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.

Special thanks to Teeze Magazine for generously allowing this information to be reproduced.