Textile Glossary

A number of textile terms are used within this website, many of which may be unfamiliar to the reader. The following is a glossary that will help provide more information about the beautiful and unique fabrics,embellishments or garment styles utilized in the Hillesø & Company's designs.

Ao dai - (Pronounced ow - yiii) Traditional Vietnamesse tunic and pant ensemble. It is related to the qipao and cheongsam in shape, usually with long sleeves. It's characteristic slitted sides reveal the pant underneath. See Ao dai Ensemble , Qipao and Cheongsam below.

Appliqué - A decorative effect produced by applying additional pieces of fabric of various sizes and shapes to an existing garment. The applied fabrics may be of contrasting texture as well as color usually used in surface design. See Jinbaori Vests and the Chinoise Evening Coat.

Bolero - A short jacket style taken from the Spanish bullfighter outfit. It is usually finished above the waist with no closure fastenings. See Evening Bolero.

Border Fabrics - Fabrics that are woven with decorative borders. See Indian wool & Silk Border Jackets and the Merino Haori Jacket.

Brocade - A fabric woven with raised, over-all interwoven designs giving an embossed effect, often emphasized by contrasting surfaces, colors or metallic threads. Ground may be satin, twill or a combination of weaves. Examples include the Ao dai, and the men's Lounging Robe.

Cheongsam - Mandarin-collared, often tight fitting long dress with side slits, that crosses over in the front. Originates in Hong Kong and was formerly a looser robe for both sexes. It is related to the Ao Dai from Vietnam, which is slit to the waist with loose fitting pants underneath. Cheongsam and Qipao means, "long dress". See Ao Dai, and Yellow Empress.

Couture - A term that has come to mean French fine sewing or needle work. Also, the business of designing, making and selling fashionable custom-made women's clothing.

Couture Finish - Highly skilled finishing techniques to a hand sewn garment. These techniques are labor intensive and are rarely used by the ready-to-wear fashion industry.

Custom or Customized - Garments individually made to a client's measurements with fittings. See Ordering, Additional Services.

Damask - A type of fabric produced by contrasting areas of satin and twill weaves usually made of linen, cotton, silk or rayon. The design is reversible: on one side the pattern appears in twill, the other side in satin.

Dupati - A large scarf-like piece of fabric worn by Muslim and Hindu women in Northern India, Pakistan and parts of the Middle East to cover their head. It is often worn with Salwar Kameez.

Haori - A short, kimono-style jacket traditionally worn over the kimono. The front is left open rather than overlapped, and is tied with decorative cords. See Short Haori Jackets, and the Silk Smoking Jacket for variations on the haori.

Hippari - A colloquial term for a functional short kimono-style jacket, overlapped in the front and often worn over work pants or kimono like a smock. See the Short Hippari Jacket and the Long Hippari Coat for variations on this garment.

Haute Couture - A French term that literally means "high sewing". It has come to mean high fashion or creative fashion design.

Habotai - Also called China Silk. A plain weave, lightweight silk often used for lining or scarves.

Ikat - Malaysian term for dyeing warp, weft or both yarns in bundles before weaving. See World Thread News, Issue Number 1 for more detailed information.

Jacquard - A complex loom with a versatile pattern-making mechanism, which permits the weaving of very elaborate designs. Damask and brocade are jacquard-woven. Also refers to a fabric of intricate variegated weave or pattern. See Brocade, above. See also Men's Ascots - the red one is a jacquard.

Jinbaori - A japanese warlord's outer coat or vest. Also called a "campaign coat". These coats were often highly ornamented with symbols of strength and courage. They were worn on the battlefield to be visible to both the troups and the enemy. See Jinbaori Vests for the Hillesø & Company Designs' version of this interesting jacket made into a vest.

Kasuri - The Japanese term for ikat, which is a process of patterning cloth by binding fibers before they are woven to prevent certain areas from receiving the dye. Traditionally, kasuri is cotton dyed in indigo and is worn as field clothing. See World Thread News, Number 1 for more detailed information.

Kimono - A tradition of national dress worn in Japan as well as the name of its principal garment. Literally meaning, "piece of clothing", kimono involves layering of straight-cut, side sleeved, open robes tied with sashes or obi.

Obi - A sash worn with kimono. A woman's is wide and is tied in a large knot or bow. A man's is narrow and is worn around the hips. Hillesø & Company utilizes the fine silk weave variations of the obi in the Jinbaori Vests, bands and other embellishment on vests, jackets and accessories.

Passementerie - A collective term used to describe ornate decoration made up of a variety of things, although usually braid, tassels, with ornamental beading, etc. The decoration is usually stitched to paper or netting and then applied to the garment. See Evening Bolero.

Peplum - A small flounce or extension of a garment around the hips, usually from the bodice.

Piping - A corded edging stitched in the seams of clothing. Piping can be of self or contrasting fabrics, and can also refer to any corded edge trimming.

Qipao - Northern Chinese term for Cheongsam means, "long dress".

Ready-To-Wear - Refers to garments that have been manufactured in standard sizes, usually carried as retail inventory.

Salwar Kameez - Refers to a tunic and pant ensemble usually worn with a dupati (see above) by Muslim women living in Northern India, Pakistan and countries of the Middle East. Salwar (or Chalwar) are loose, draped, pleated or gathered trousers that are fitted at the ankle. The Kameez is traditionally a flared, long sleeved tunic top worn with the loose trousers. See Salwar Kameez.

Sarong - A wrap skirt with many variations, worn widely by both sexes in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. The term also refers to the cloth used for sarongs. Vintage sarong silk is sometimes used as jacket embellishment.

Satin - A textile weave in which warp threads interlace with filling threads to produce a smooth-faced fabric with a lustrous face and a dull back.

Shibori - A resist-dyeing technique and the fabric that is produced by this process. Cloth may be folded, stitched, bound or sheathed in numerous combinations in such a way as to protect parts of the fabric from dye penetration when it is submerged or otherwise dyed. Examples of pleating include the dress under the Raja Vest, and the Butterfly Coat.

Surface Design - Textile designs applied to the surface of a woven fabric, including printing, painting, batik, applique, embroidery, etc.

Tan - A standard measurement for a bolt of kimono cloth that is sufficient to make one kimono: about 14 inches wide and 12 yards long.

Twill - A textile weave in which the filling threads pass over one and under two or more warp threads to give an appearance of diagonal lines.

Warp - The series of yarns extended lengthwise on a loom and crossed by the weft yarns. They are often stronger than the crosswise yarns because they take the strain of weaving.

Weft - The weft yarns are those running across the width of the fabric, over and under the warp yarns. Often called "filling" yarns they literally fill the spaces and are often weaker than warp yarns. Sometimes referred to as "woof" threads.

Welt - A doubled edge, strip, insert, or seam for ornament or reinforcement. A strip of material stitched to seam, border, or edge. Welts are often used in pocket reinforcement in jackets and vests.

Woven - A fabric produced by interlacing lengthwise yarns (warp) with filling threads (weft) on a loom. Weaving produces a plain cloth or other more intricate designs such as brocade, twill, gaberdine, etc.

Woven Design - Textile designs integrated into the weave of a fabric. Brocades and ikats are both examples of woven decoration.

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