Sheer fabric

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The Mirror (1899) by John William Godward Godward-The Mirror-1899.jpg
The Mirror (1899) by John William Godward

Sheer fabric is fabric which is made using thin thread or low density of knit. This results in a semi-transparent and flimsy cloth. Some fabrics become transparent when wet.

Contents

Overview

The sheerness of a fabric is expressed as a numerical denier which ranges from 3 (extremely rare, very thin, barely visible) to 15 (standard sheer for stockings) up to 30 (semi opaque) until 100 (opaque). The materials which can be made translucent include gossamer, silk, rayon or nylon. Sheer fabric comes in a wide variety of colors, but for curtains, white and shades of white, such as cream, winter white, eggshell, and ivory are popular. In some cases, sheer fabric is embellished with embroidered patterns or designs.

Sheer curtains Chorwacja, widok z wyspy Ciovo na wyspe Solta.JPG
Sheer curtains
Sheer pantyhose made from nylon Pantyhose2.jpg
Sheer pantyhose made from nylon

A common use for sheer fabric is in curtains, which allows for sunlight to pass through during daylight, while maintaining a level of privacy. However, when it is lighter on the inside of a room than it is on the outside (such as at nighttime), then the inside of the room can be seen from the outside. Due to the loose weave in sheer fabrics, such curtains offer little heat insulation.

Sheer fabric is used in clothing, in garments such as stockings or tights and in dancewear and lingerie, and sometimes as part of clothing, such as in wedding gowns and formal costumes. Sheer fabric for clothing offers very little in the way of warmth for the wearer, and for this reason is commonly worn in hot weather. It offers relatively low sun protection.

Though sheer stockings have been popular since the 1920s, and have been used in women's nightwear for some time, [1] the use of sheer fabrics in other clothing has become more common in recent years. There has been a sheer fashion trend in fashion circles since 2008, [2] with sheer fabrics being used in tight clothes, layers, and in delicate feminine draping. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lingerie</span> Womens undergarments including sleepwear

Lingerie is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments, sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashionable, or both. In a 2015 US survey, 75% of women reported having worn "sexy lingerie" in their lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skin-tight garment</span> Clothing that hugs the body

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tights</span> Heavy, opaque stockings woven in one with panties

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stocking</span> Hosiery that covers the feet and legs to the knee or higher

Stockings are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transparency. Today, stockings are primarily worn for fashion and aesthetics, usually in association with mid-length or short skirts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pantyhose</span> Sheer waist-high nylon legwear usually worn by women

Pantyhose, sometimes also called sheer tights, are close-fitting legwear covering the wearer's body from the waist to the toes. Pantyhose first appeared on store shelves in 1959 for the advertisement of new design panties as a convenient alternative to stockings and/or control panties which, in turn, replaced girdles.

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Nightwear – also called sleepwear, or nightclothes – is clothing designed to be worn while sleeping. The style of nightwear worn may vary with the seasons, with warmer styles being worn in colder conditions and vice versa. Some styles or materials are selected to be visually appealing or erotic in addition to their functional purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nightgown</span> Shirtlike garment intended for wear while sleeping most often used by women

A nightgown, nightie or nightdress is a loosely hanging item of nightwear, and is commonly worn by women and girls. A nightgown is made from cotton, silk, satin, or nylon and may be decorated with lace appliqués or embroidery at the bust and hem.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart glass</span> Glass with electrically switchable opacity

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtain</span> Cloth or other material used to block out light

A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditorium or that serves as a backdrop/background.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negligee</span> Sheer or heavily trimmed womans nightgown or dressing gown

The negligee or négligée, also known in French as déshabillé, is a form of see-through clothing for women consisting of a sheer, usually long, dressing gown. It is a form of nightgown intended for wear at night and in the bedroom. It was introduced in France in the 18th century, where it mimicked the heavy head-to-toe style of women's day dresses of the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barong tagalog</span> Filipino embroidered long-sleeved formal shirt

The barong tagalog, more commonly known simply as barong, is an embroidered long-sleeved formal shirt for men and a national dress of the Philippines. Barong tagalog combines elements from both the precolonial native Filipino and colonial Spanish clothing styles. It is traditionally made with sheer textiles (nipis) woven from piña or abacá; although in modern times, cheaper materials like organza silk, ramie or polyester are also used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninon</span> Lightweight, transparent sheer fabric

Ninon is a lightweight, sheer fabric made with plain or leno weaving, it is a suitable material for curtains, evening wear and lingerie. Ninon is made with variety of filament yarns such as polyester, silk, rayon or nylon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiffon (fabric)</span> Sheer, lightweight plain-woven textile

Chiffon is a lightweight, balanced plain-woven sheer fabric, or gauze, like gossamer, woven of alternate S- and Z-twist crepe (high-twist) yarns. Crepe yarn tends to have a tighter twist than standard yarns. The twist in the crepe yarns puckers the fabric slightly in both directions after weaving, giving it some stretch and a slightly rough feel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1795–1820 in Western fashion</span> Costume and fashion 1795-1820

Fashion in the period 1795–1820 in European and European-influenced countries saw the final triumph of undress or informal styles over the brocades, lace, periwigs and powder of the earlier 18th century. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, no one wanted to appear to be a member of the French aristocracy, and people began using clothing more as a form of individual expression of the true self than as a pure indication of social status. As a result, the shifts that occurred in fashion at the turn of the 19th century granted the opportunity to present new public identities that also provided insights into their private selves. Katherine Aaslestad indicates how "fashion, embodying new social values, emerged as a key site of confrontation between tradition and change."

<i>Organza</i> Sheer, crisp, plain-woven fabric made from silk or synthetics

Organza is a thin, plain weave, sheer fabric traditionally made from silk. Many modern organzas are woven with synthetic filament fibers such as polyester or nylon. Silk organza is woven by a number of mills along the Yangtze River and in the province of Zhejiang in China. A coarser silk organza is woven in the Bangalore area of India. Deluxe silk organzas are woven in France and Italy. Organza is distinguished by its crisp hand, stiffness relative to weight, and slippery surface texture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">See-through clothing</span> Garment through which the wearers body or undergarments can be seen

See-through clothing is any garment of clothing made with lace, mesh or sheer fabric that allows the wearer's body or undergarments to be seen through its fabric. See-through fabrics were fashionable in Europe in the eighteenth century. There was a "sheer fashion trend" starting with designer clothing from 2008. See-through or sheer fabric, particularly in skintone colours, is sometimes called illusion, as in 'illusion bodice' due to giving the impression of exposed flesh, or a revealing ensemble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920s in Western fashion</span> Clothing in the 1920s

Western fashion in the 1920s underwent a modernization. For women, fashion had continued to change away from the extravagant and restrictive styles of the Victorian and Edwardian periods, and towards looser clothing which revealed more of the arms and legs, that had begun at least a decade prior with the rising of hemlines to the ankle and the movement from the S-bend corset to the columnar silhouette of the 1910s. Men also began to wear less formal daily attire and athletic clothing or 'Sportswear' became a part of mainstream fashion for the first time. The 1920s are characterized by two distinct periods of fashion: in the early part of the decade, change was slower, and there was more reluctance to wear the new, revealing popular styles. From 1925, the public more passionately embraced the styles now typically associated with the Roaring Twenties. These styles continued to characterize fashion until the worldwide depression worsened in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underwear</span> Clothes worn under other clothes

Underwear, underclothing, or undergarments are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer clothing from being soiled or damaged by bodily excretions, to lessen the friction of outerwear against the skin, to shape the body, and to provide concealment or support for parts of it. In cold weather, long underwear is sometimes worn to provide additional warmth. Special types of undergarments have religious significance. Some items of clothing are designed as undergarments, while others, such as T-shirts and certain types of shorts, are appropriate both as underwear and outerwear. If made of suitable material or textile, some underwear can serve as nightwear or swimwear, and some undergarments are intended for sexual attraction or visual appeal.

References

  1. "Seriously Sensual". Nightwear. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  2. "The Age: 15/2/10 - 2010 Allan Border Medal".
  3. Braukamper, Tania. "Sheer fashion trend: 2009 & 2010". Fashionising. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009.