“A smile is a facelift that’s in everyone’s price range!”
Tom Wilson
FLOATING CHEST PIECE: If this conjures up images of the top half of a bikini floating away or a braless woman running a marathon, you are forgiven — it’s not obviously a clothing construction term. However, it refers to a tailoring technique used in jackets or blazers for both men and women. The floating chest piece is part of the interlining that exists between the outer fabric and the interior lining, creating three layers of construction. This added piece lends structure, shape and form to the garment. Though unseen it can be felt by pinching the outside fabric of the jacket and the inside lining to feel the extra chest piece.
FRENCH SEAM: You might logically think this seaming technique was invented by the French, but you would be wrong! It was invented in England and enthusiastically adopted by the French; a strange twist in the historic competition between the two countries. This clean, elegant, double seam provides strength in a seven step, labor intensive hand process used on fine and sheer fabrics. The multi-step process requires each seam to be stitched twice (once on the “wrong” side and then again on the “right” side), trimmed, and ironed flat each time. When completed no raw seam edges are exposed or visible, just a nearly invisible joining of two pieces of fabric.
JABOT: This looks like a name for yet another AI bot roll out, but this clothing term dates from the 1600’s for a men’s neckwear style that was gradually adopted for women’s blouses. Descended from a tiered and frilly neckpiece, today’s jabot (pronounced jha-bo) is more commonly a simple long piece of fabric attached to each side of the front neck of a woman’s blouse and tied into a simple bow or wrapped around the neck. The frilly detachable style is still worn in formal settings by judges and some government and academic officials. As women joined the ranks of business executives in the 1980’s, the jabot was used on silky blouses to add a feminine touch to structured suits and in place of a man’s tie.
Today the jabot is less “de rigueur” and simply another style choice for women wanting a soft, feminine look on occasion.
RICK RACK: Bike rack, clothing rack, gun rack, rick rack…Wait! What’s a rick rack for?Actually not a rack for storing anything it is a decorative trim for clothing. Originally used on men’s collars as cuffs in the mid 1800’s, this is another example of women’s wear borrowing from men’s wear. Generally made of cotton, polyester or nylon that is woven to form a flat, wavy, zigzag trim it is used on women’s dresses and blouses and hems of pants. It is a fun retro look from the 1970’s prairie style which in turn looked back to the 1930’s – 1950’s when the trim was used to embellish inexpensive fabrics. In and out of favor over the decades, rick rack (also spelled ric-rac) is enjoying a new surge of popularity today.
Whether your style includes a tailored jacket, a feminine blouse, elegant seams or fun trim accents, the more you know about clothing history and construction, the more you can appreciate your Purely Personal style!
