As you go through the process of buying a wedding dress one of the most important factors that will define the look, feel and cost of your dress is the fabric that goes into making it.
There are two main defining characteristics that go into bridal fabric- fibre (what it's made from) and weave (how it's structured). Not all fabrics are woven, some are knitted, like the jersey fabric in t-shirts, or 'non-woven' like the fabric in your makeup wipes. It is very rare to find these in bridal wear so I won't be focusing on them here.
Fibres are loosely grouped into organic or inorganic, meaning their source is either natural or man-made. Natural fibres, like cotton and silk, tend to be softer to touch, drape more gently and more breathable to wear. They're generally the better option, but they are often more than twice the cost of man made fibres like polyester or viscose.
The second factor that has a big influence on the appearance of the fabric is the weave structure. Slightly more technical, this simply refers to the way the warp threads (that run along the length of the fabric) relate to the weft threads (that run from side to side). So in a standard weave, weft fabrics go over one, under one, over one, under one etc along the whole fabric, giving a nice smooth fabric.
Some useful ones to know:
- "Satin" refers to a weave structure in which one set of threads goes over 4 or 5 of the other direction before going under one and repeating. This results in long 'floats' which make the fabric shiny and smooth. You can have satin made from polyester or from silk, and the difference can be really noticeable.
- "Chiffon" is very fine, translucent fabric that I use quite a lot in my work. The silk version drapes beautifully and feels magically soft, and I would absolutely recommend it for the bride, but bridesmaids can sometimes get away with using polyester.
- "Tulle" is used to mean anything like net. Pure silk tulle is generally unpopular because although it has a beautiful drape, it's denser than it's synthetic counterparts and less good at adding volume to the dress.
Hopefully these basics will help you navigate the world of wedding dress shopping and given you some insight into the bridal industry! I'll be writing a follow up blog on the three most commonly used types of lace and I'll also be explaining why I prefer to only use organic fabrics.
