Dear Professor,
What is the difference between pattern and texture in fabric? I know that, for example, corduroy is texture, but what would, say, herringbone be?
Thank you for your time!
Sincerely,
Scotty
Dear Scotty,
I don't want to get too complicated so I'll assume you are speaking generally. I think this may be a language issue.
Pattern as applied to fabric could be a couple of things - one possibility, a fabric that has a pattern woven into it - say with different colored threads. A second possibility is a pattern applied to a plain fabric - for instance, a graphic of a red lobster silkscreened onto the fabric. So it's possible for pattern to be structural, decorative or possibly both.
Texture as applied to fabric is usually structural although it can be purely decorative. I'm looking at a dining room place mat that has a texture woven into it - thick and thin fibers have been woven into it and make a surface that has a checkerboard-like look. However, I recently worked on a project that used a heavy nylon fabric that also had a checkerboard surface that had been embossed or stamped - decorative, not structural.
Herringbone is usually a twill type woven fabric with a slanted pattern - structural. It can also be a general decorative pattern - silkscreened for instance.
Corduroy is a textile composed of twisted fibers that, when woven, lie parallel (similar to twill) to one another to form the cloth's pattern - structural.
I hope that helps but I suspect I have made it all more complicated. I now have a headache and will now retire to the library wing with a large, strong alcoholic beverage.
Ugh,
Anthony
Dear Fashion Prof,
Every time I hear 'silhouette' I think of shadow, which is not, I gather, what is meant in fashion terms. Is the silhouette how tightly the garment fits, viewed
from the front?
Thanks, again! You're really educating the non-fashionista crowd, here.
Best,
Ellen K.
Silhouette. The judges, Tim and the designers have all been kicking this term around. Your thought about silhouette being shadow is correct.
You know that moment on the show where the judging begins and the models in the various creations are illuminated at the head of the runway before strutting out?
When you recoil in horror or squeal with glee?
It's an exciting or horrible moment the producers really nailed.
Silhouette. You can literally see what the silhouette of the garment on the model looks like - good or bad.
Lots of ways to describe a silhouette: thin, sleek, puffy, inverted, tight, loose, contemporary, historical, masculine, austere, etc.
Also - accessories can alter the silhouette as well - big hat, killer thigh high boots, even a bag ...
Best,
Anthony
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