Fabrics in Ritzy yet Understated Manner

Fabrics in Ritzy yet Understated Manner October 18, 2007

Posted by wenbi in : Fashion , trackback

ttnet.net - [2006/10/05]

As minimalism faded away, women are now confident to dress up and to experience luxury. This encourages them in use of more luxurious fabrics. We continue to see the mélanges of natural ingredients blended with technical outcomes in fiber development. For example, we see a comeback of using heavier weight woolens, brushed finishes and decorative details for a more opulent and fantasy approach. In pursuit of new opulence, people snap up luxurious fabrics including duchesse satin, elaborated jacquards, richly textured brocades, organza moiré and silk jersey. Some bygone techniques tend to revive, including old handcrafts and fabric manipulation, shaping entire fashion landscape throughout 2007.
The rising concerns about chemical toxicity in our surroundings have led to a call for “healthy” textiles, no matter it is clothing, bedding, or upholstery. Consumers are demanding healthier textiles that take the overall production process into account to ensure no chemical residue on the finished products.

Colors & Shades
Colors are in motion; they spice the season. In coming season, one color will have multiple tone nuances, namely printed mixes to generate special effects with the textiles. Thus, no single color can dominate seasonal palette. Colors with dark shades go on. For instance, black will be black yet with stronger visual impact. The neutral hue not only sustains but also grows more significant, rendering an escape for life’s complexities. Designers embrace consoling shades with occasional splashes of rich, vibrant colors to complement an exotic feature the neutrals in their fashion catwalk collections. They highlight the most colors should be basic, warm-hearted but easygoing tones. Colors will be highlighted with a feeling completed through classic neutrals as a keynote, vivid in exuberant hues. The mélange of pale khaki and red mahogany has a touch of classics. White makes women more girly looks especially with lace effect. Orange in warm tone is accented with an umber undertone in elegant manner. Browns last from sepia through brownish red. Teal will be a rare shade that generally adds all skin tones as a beautiful color for pleasing designs. Mineral red against a base of purely taupe, details a fundamental but enjoyable neutral.

Patterns, Prints & Textures
Classical designs are a hit among the patterns as we see a return of Baroque. These designs come in herringbone or hounds-tooth, often reminding us of fine hand-woven patterns. A big transition in the fashion print cycle moves towards retro motifs from 50s to oversized 60s geometrics. Such a fashion textile print is rather evident and even bold as compared to some wispy pastel prints of the past seasons. Long-established woven patterns mixed with simple or bolder checks make a comeback in casual looks of cowgirl and cowboy trends in fashion.
Fabrics with special treatment to create dimensional textures or layering effects continue to draw attention, the same as the metallic effects, which enable more natural sense and the mineral-like effects, giving a used and rough outlook as if found and discovered in rocky ground. Zigzag and geometric oval and octagonal patterns harmonize with black and white background. Exotic print jersey fashion fabrics also become more popular. Oriental designs of floral can be a stereotype as just in black and white. There are lots of striped fabrics in soft-touch, lightweight and woven cotton. Bright stripes and patterns, such as swirls and oversize florals, are big hits for outdoor fabrics. Many designers love to blend up patterns, putting stripes on the sofa, floral on the ottoman, and checks on the cushions.

Fabrics Spotlight
Denim is intensely dyed, hardly washed out and some have a smoother surface while the darkness of denim is matched with the softness of the finest white voiles and batiste. Chiffons of the same ilk, with the glimmer of golden lamé, contest with golden threaded denim. Lightweight airy tweed fabrics still abound, yet more frequently lightened with the sparkle of golden metallic threads. Metallic fabrics take the place of the used-to-be popular beading of past seasons, as distressed leathers, particularly in military-inspired apparels, had a modern-sensing look.
Fleece has long beloved due to its aesthetical appeal and quality-sensing value. One of the things that differentiates fleece from past years is the new anti-static finish now applied to it. The use of the new carbon technology is the other innovation on fleece, enabling softer aesthetics. By means of body-mapping technology, which is a jacquard process that is introducing textures to a fleece garment, we can determine the pattern that will be in a particular part of the garment just like mapping out a picture. The lighter micro-fleeces are much finer and more sophisticated looking.
Household Textile
Household textiles are hued with optimistic colors such as gold, quite often mixed with turquoise blue, along with bold patterns. Red is everywhere in all shades from Chinese red to burgundy, pink and fuchsia. Dark shades are overwhelming, especially in mocha, nougat, anthracite and black, which are used on large surfaces as background. The color mixes are more untraditional and bolder than ever. For instance, pink, turquoise, yellow and mint are blended in the patterns of many fabrics to create a bright, cheerful atmosphere in the room. Floral motifs are evergreen favorite for designs. Stripes are largely used, added with diamonds and ranges of plain colors.
For safety reason, we see more household fabrics made in flame-retardant yarns, however they look and feel like natural fabrics thanks to new technology. Other up-and-coming “high-tech textiles” function to fend off harmful compounds or with anti-bacterial and anti-static features.