Fashion glossary series - drape - Topic of the day 1/31/24
Fashion nerds, second only to curtain sellers when it comes to talking about the drape(s). How would you describe drape to someone new to fashion? What do you look for in a good vs. bad drape?
21 Replies
material is everything. even if a garment has the same cut as another, if the material is poor the drape will look significantly worse. This is a big reason why Yohji and Comme look like they do. and why when people try to imitate the look with really cheap stuff it can show.
This collection showed me the meaning of drape: http://missing-light.blogspot.com/2012/07/inaisce-fw-1213.html
InAisce - F/W 12/13
Shaved and tattooed head with beard, you are right... That is Jona , designer behind label InAisce (pronounced “in-ask-ee”). Born in 1...
but yeah, material density really makes a huge difference, more than just material weight
What’s the difference between weight and density in fabrics?
The same weight of fabric could be really spongy and thick, or densely woven
and the densely woven stuff tends to be easier to get to hold shape when you're done patterning, since it kinda holds itself up
spongy loosely woven fabric will fold it on itself much easier
I’m not well informed on this but wouldn’t a looser weave be less weight?
Since weight is density in fabric
what if I used heavier yarns?
nope, density is weight/volume, fabric weight is usually measured in weight/area
g/m2 or oz/sq yd
I guess it’s just a definition argument. Fabric weight is an area density
why shopping for pants is so hard for me. cause i see wide pants and buy it but the fabric has to much drape that it doesnt give the appearance i was looking for
what do you mean too much drape? Ends up being too stiff and stovepipey or the opposite?
Probably too relaxed and not structured enough to stay nice and wide
Yeah I wanted my reg fit fatigues to have more stiffness than they do
canvas is so nice for this
It's funny describing things with an objective quantity of drape versus a subjective quality
@AndrewA which makes me think, there's 10oz/sq yd canvas, and 10oz/sq yd fleece. The canvas is much denser and will drape more firmly, even though they are the same weight
At first thought that makes sense but my engineer brain is trying to think of exactly how that works. I’ll stop derailing this conversation
haha, feel free to PM me with any thoughts, physics+clothes=fun
Drape is easily one of the biggest differences between cheap and expensive clothes. Thats pretty much it. Lemaire also relies heavily on drape, and this is why so much of Uniqlo U doesn't measure up despite having the same designer.
Drape is not just an inherent quality of fabric, but also heavily affected by construction of a piece as well. Carefully placed darts and seams can dramatically alter the shape and flow of a garment, hell even just using the bias can affect how something looks.
To give a kind of radical example, take Rick's museum coat. It can be worn like a normal coat, but it can also be worn with the top half draped down along the back and waist because of careful construction of the lining. Talk about dramatic change in drape! All that heavy wool is held up by a relatively thin cupro lining because of good construction.
to me "good" drape in clothing has an awareness of the wearer, and the best at it are able to create an intentional effect with that in mind (enhancing or exaggerating proportions, creating a certain shape or form). if done well it looks effortless, it not it looks awkward imo
Weight is density with respect to x and y only. Density is with respect to the z axis (and x and y).