Fashion

Gowns

Bridal Gown Glossary

From lace types to neckline styles and everything in between, Weddingbells decodes the mystical language of bridal gowns. By Sara Duck

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Of all the wedding-day tasks you have to complete, one you look forward to is shopping for the dress. Before you hit the bridal trail, you need to brush up on the lingo. If you don’t know your peau de soie from a bustle, read on—we’ve got it all covered in the following glossary.

A

• Alençon A popular needle-made wedding lace, often with bead detailing. This lace has a background of flowers and swags that are re-embroidered along the edges with cording.
• A-line Refers to the gown’s shape, where vertical seams flow from the shoulders down to a flared skirt (creating an A shape).
• appliqué Shaped pieces of fabric sewn on a foundation (like a wedding gown) to form a design or pattern.

• batiste A lightweight, soft, transparent fabric, often of linen or cotton.
• bodice The upper part of a woman’s garment that starts at the waist.
• brocade A jacquard-woven fabric with a raised design, often using gold or silver thread.
• bustle The back of the skirt is pulled up and fastened where the bodice meets the skirt (making a layered effect).

C

• cap sleeve A rounded sleeve, rounder and shorter than a T-shirt sleeve.
• charmeuse A lightweight, semi-lustrous, soft fabric in a satin weave.
• Chantilly This bobbin-created lace contains flower and ribbon patterns on a plain net background, with details edged with fine cording.
• chiffon A delicate, sheer and transparent fabric made from silk or rayon, with a soft finish. Often layered because of the transparency.
• corset A strapless, structured garment that laces up tightly in the back or front, currently very popular as a wedding gown bodice.
• crepe A lightweight fine woven or knitted fabric with a crinkled surface.

• damask Similar to brocade in design, but woven in a much lighter weight, often of silk or linen, with a visible pattern on both sides.
• duchesse satin Created in ancient China, it has been used for wedding dresses for centuries. Now often a lightweight hybrid of silk and rayon, this fabric is shiny, heavy and lustrous.
• douppioni A finish similar to shantung silk, but with thicker, coarser fibres and a slight sheen.

• empire gown The hallmark of this style is a high waistline that falls to a slimmer skirt.
• eyelet A type of lace, usually made of cotton, which has perforated holes that are embroidered around the edges.

• faille A structured, ribbed fabric finish, like grosgrain ribbon.

• gabardine A smooth durable cotton, wool, or synthetic fabric woven with a pattern of parallel diagonal ridges.
• georgette A sheer light fabric often made of polyester or silk with a crepe surface.
• grosgrain A heavy corded silk or rayon fabric used mainly for trimmings and ribbons.
• guipure A course lace featuring a series of large motifs connected by a few threads. Common patterns are roses, daisies or oval designs.

• halter neckline A V-neck or scoop neckline with straps that wrap around to connect at the nape of the neck.
• handkerchief hem A tea-length skirt made of panels that end in points at the hem.

• illusion A fine, sheer net fabric, generally used on sleeves or necklines.

• jacquard A type of weave with an intricate variegated pattern (damask is an example of jacquard-woven fabric).
• jersey A very fine, elastic knit fabric.

• keyhole neckline This term refers to a teardrop-shaped opening on a rounded neckline.

• lace A delicate fabric made by weaving cotton, silk or synthetic yarn in a pattern that leaves small holes between the threads.
• 3/4-length sleeve A sleeve that ends midway between the elbow and the wrist.

• matelassé A pattern woven into the fabric, giving it a quilted appearance.
• mermaid style A gown that is close-fitting through the bodice and through the hips, but with a skirt that flares out at mid-calf.
• moiré A heavy silk taffeta with a subtle, wavy weave pattern.

• net Any style of neckline which is covered with chiffon or netting.

• organdy A stiff transparent fabric, usually of cotton muslin.
• organza A fabric that is crisp and sheer like chiffon, with a stiffer texture similar in effect to tulle, but more flowing.

• peau de soie A soft, satin-faced high-quality cloth with a dull lustre, fine ribs and a grainy appearance.
• petticoat An underskirt, usually a little shorter than the outer clothing, often made with a ruffled, pleated, or laced edge.

• Queen Anne neckline A neckline with a higher back and a front shaped like the bottom of a heart.

• rayon A synthetic fabric similar to silk but more elastic and affordable.

• satin A heavy smooth fabric woven of silk or rayon with a high sheen.
• Schiffli A lightweight lace with an all-over embroidered design on a net background.
• shantung A heavy silk cloth with twists in the yarn producing an uneven woven surface.
• sheath A slim silhouette that closely follows the body, usually made in a lightweight fabric.
• silk Thread or fabric made from the fibre that silkworms produce. This is the most sought-after fibre for a wedding dress and the most expensive.
• silk-faced satin A smooth silk satin, with a glossy front and matte back.
• silk gazar A four-ply silk organza.
• silk Mikado A brand of blended silk, usually heavier than 100-percent silk.

• taffeta A stiff lustrous silk or silky fabric with a slight rib.
• tea-length A gown that reaches mid-calf.
• tiered skirt A skirt made up of skirt layers in various lengths that are placed on top of each other.
• tulle Netting made of silk, nylon or rayon, usually worn underneath a wedding dress to give it volume and shape.

• underskirt Another name for petticoat (see above).

• velvet A soft, thick fabric with a felted face.

• watteau A train, usually attached to the dress, that falls from the shoulders to the gown hemline.

• X tie-up This type of criss-cross tie-up resembles an X and usually appears on the back of a corseted gown.

• yoke A fitted part of a garment that rests on the shoulders or hips, from which the rest hangs.

• zipper As in hidden-zipper, concealed under fabric to showcase a clean, smooth dress back.

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