Do you care about what the garments you are wearing are made of? Of course you do, but most of us think of those materials in two simple dimensions, natural fibres and man-made synthetics. As ever, life is a lot more complicated than that and worthy of some further explanation.

The ‘naturals’… wool, cotton and silk… are the preference of many of us but whilst most materials are categorised by source, many so-called synthetics are also derived from natural products. Thus, there are natural fibres of animal origin such as wool obtained from sheep and lambs, mohair and cashmere from goats, angora from rabbits and silk from the silk worm. Others are of vegetable origin such as cotton and linen and still more are derived from minerals. So far so good, but if we turn to the fibres commonly known as synthetics we find many that are in fact made from naturally occurring materials, mainly wood and plant pulp or cotton lint. The most common example of this form of fibre is rayon.

In contrast, man-made fibres are produced by the polymerisation of synthetic chemicals where typical examples are nylon and polyester. Polyesters were originally developed in 1941 by chemists at the Calico Printers Association in the UK and have been commercially available since 1953.
Finally, there are fabric combinations where fibres of different origins are worked together to provide blends of such as linen, silk and wool with non-natural fibres, either synthetics or man-mades.

In many respects this is the way the fabric market looks to most of us. Nonetheless, a challenge for the non-specialist is the proliferation of names that are unfamiliar to us, modal and elastine to name but two, in addition to making sense of man-made and synthetic when the terms seem to be interchangeable at times and leave us uncertain as to the relative values or costs of each.

‘Synthetic’ to a materials scientist means the combining of several elements to form a whole but to most of us means ‘artificial’ but a lot less artificial than synthetic. There is little doubt that there needs to be some much more precise index of terms. Take ‘Micro Modal’ for example, it sounds scientific and almost industrial and probably not the sort of thing that we should be wearing next to the skin. In fact, this fabric is made from plants and is spun beechwood cellulose. The clothing industry likes it a great deal because it is light, smooth and soft and feels like silk. It does not produce electrostatic, doesn’t shrink, is very practical and hangs well when worn.

So where does this put the natural fibres? Entirely natural and organic fibres will only do as their nature dictates and, of course, the more we enhance and change or add to their characteristics, the more expensive they become and the less we, the customers, are prepared to pay the price. It is worth considering three particular examples. Tussah Silk comes from the wild silk worms of India and China where the worms are fed on oak leaves to produce a gold colour. Sea Island Cotton is the finest of all cotton, very white and feels like silk. Before the American Civil War this type of cotton was grown on the islands of the Carolinas and of Georgia but today it comes from Mexico and Central America and is treated in such a way as to command the market for the most respected dress cottons and men’s shirting. Class-one wool is the most respected wool, the fibre relatively short, strong, fine and elastic, comes from the Merino and offers superior warmth and spinning properties.

The designers and manufacturers are constantly trying to make their clothing work and behave better. The ideal is a cloth which is soft yet holds its shape, hangs well and can come out of a washing machine looking as good as new. This may be found in natural materials that have been refined so that they are better to work with, easier to use and more flexible offering crease-resistance, no ironing, washability and softness. In the case of blended fabrics, Modal, for example, when blended with linen, silk and wool or polyester blended with cotton and wool provide highly workable properties similar to those of the man-mades.

In the end it is what the clothing producers do with the fabrics available to them that counts. Whether an iconic label uses a plant derivative like Modal or a polymer textile fibre to offer the customer something that defines the brand by looking the business and is easy to take care of, matters little to a purchaser who is tuned in to the catwalk.

Having said that, cotton, cotton mixtures and silks remain the first choice for those suppliers whose expertise reaches beyond fashion and women’s clothing in general to nightwear, a much trickier area of clothing design. This is much to do with how the material behaves when we are lying horizontally in bed, occasionally restless, encased in sheet and duvet and prone to changes in temperature. Nothing is simple it seems!

NOTE: Modal Micro is a trademarked microfibre from Austrian textile company, Lenzing. The fabric is delicate and light and its smooth surface prevents deposits of lime and detergent. It allows the skin to breathe. Made with cellulose from beech trees, this is essentially a variety of rayon, is 50% more water-absorbent than cotton, is soft, with a good drape and relatively crease-resistant and easy to care for.

As the nights draw in, and summer comes to a close there is one compensation – a welcome return to the high street of party clothes, ball gowns and lovely silky cocktail dresses.

The only problem is that you usually have to be stick thin to look good in many of the little black dress designs, which do little to disguise most ladies lumps and bumps, tums and bums.

If you’ve ever sadly turned away from buying an item of clothing you loved, just because you were worried about a little bit of extra weight around your midriff, bottom or thighs, then there is help at hand! Whatever your shape or size there is a huge range of body shaping underwear available – from pants to tights to bodies which help cinch in waists, slim thighs or lift bottoms for a flattering, shapely look.

The idea isn’t new – women have been wearing some form of corsetry for centuries in order to achieve the desired hour glass shape, but today’s control underwear feels as good as it makes you look.

Support underwear is now designed almost to a technically engineered standard with clever fabric that pulls you in and smooths your contour, all at the same time. Old fashioned corsets relied on boning but you’ll now find integrated support panels in soft and comfortable lycra that moves seamlessly with you.

Spanx Power Panties are one of the best known support pants. Designed for optimum comfort and all day long wear, the pants offer unique technology to slim and tone tums and bums. The super lightweight design has a double layer of fabric to gently smooth and firm and prevents ride-up. Spanx power panties won`t cling to your clothes and are completely invisible under even the sleekest outfit, so are great under a fitted or sheer dress..

Spanx are widely considered the best control briefs but for an even smoother silhouette opt for an all in one body. For luxurious looks and supreme comfort the Doreen Luxury Body by Triumph is hard to beat. This stretch satinette body also has lightly padded bra cups for the ultimate smooth contour. For those liking a firmer feel the Corselet by Anita has flat seams that mould to your outline and offers superb support and comfort.

There are a host of different brands and types of control underwear on the high street – even Trinny and Susannah have brought out a range, but online shopping often provides the widest choice and best value.

David Nieper offers a range of different brands and styles and also has special discounts on multi buys of briefs – visit www.davidnieper.co.uk for further information or call 01773 836000.

What all the different styles of control underwear have in common is the opportunity for you to look your very best, giving you confidence and style in all your outfits.

]]> http://davidnieper.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/control-underwear/feed/ 0 Rupert http://davidnieper.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/choosing-the-nightwear-lingerie-and-intimate-apparels/ http://davidnieper.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/choosing-the-nightwear-lingerie-and-intimate-apparels/#comments Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:19:56 +0000 Rupert http://davidnieper.wordpress.com/?p=20 ]]>

Night wear has come a long way from plain and simple ,designed for comfort and concealment to sexy and stylish seductive pieces meant to be shown and adds to mystery.

Night wear can be defined in a woman’s wardrobe as comfortable pyjama, night dresses, peignoirs and negligees, night jackets to sexy lingerie.

Usually during cold and winter nights, one may opt for a silky or cotton pyjamas with its pretty, soft and light weight material, but during summer nights, one inevitably choose the dress.

The passion for intimate apparel has been understood to reflect the inner moods of a woman. Wearing the proper intimate apparel that tone the woman’s mood can change the passion of a night. Lacy lingeries may add crisp to man’s inhibition for his partner. A thin nightdress can cover beautifully the skin at the same time bold colors intimate apparel may shine under it. Or simple gowns and wrap may leave somebody wondering.

Wearing lingerie adds to the flair of the bedroom. It makes a woman look sexy and feels sexy. Lingerie also boost the confidence of a woman, especially when it highlights her assets and perfectly portrays the inner self she wish to express.

However, choosing a lingerie from a shop may not be that easy. It may look beautifully and mystifying at the display section but may not suit the body features, at best, one can choose lingerie or a night dress through two phrases: highlight the assets and gives comfort. These two cannot be separated. A sexy and nice looking lingerie at the body will lose its magic when hidden under the blanket ( if you shy wearing it.)

If a woman has long flawless legs, one may opt to wear short silky night dress to highlight the legs. Or maybe if the woman have ample breast to show up, it would be best to wear a lingerie or nightdress with V neck and highlights the bust, thereby showing the cleavage and makes the woman alluring.

The art of wearing nightwear be it dress, pyjama or lingerie can vary and may differ from what and how a woman feels for the time she wears it. It can be match and mix from color to texture type and feature what fits the woman not only physically but the inner self and how a woman feels about herself.