Fabric Guide FAQS: We are providing this guide to help our lovely ladies take good care of their silks, cashmeres, and other fine fabrics. We sell a lot of silks and are unable to sell many due to the damage they often have. These few helpful tips will hopefully prevent this from happening as often to you!

   Here are a few helpful tidbits about the fabrics we all wear and love and a few helpful hints on how to best care for them. We also included the definitions of some of the hottest synthetic fabrics that you may not be as familiar with. Many of the newest designers and brands are using more and more synthetics due to the easy care they require along with the comfort and great fit they afford. Exclusively Misook is a great one right now. She makes her clothes with acrylic and her clothes really are so easy to care for and wear. You can stuff a Misook cardigan or jacket into your Louis Vuitton  Pegase 70 and hop on a Jet Blue red eye to New York and pull out your Misook Jewel Neck Cardigan jacket and knit pants without having to worry about unsightly wrinkles. It's also very easy to clean. Misook pieces tend to be easily interchangeable due the versatility of the fabric she uses.

    Many of your favorite everyday brands are using more and more of these great synthetics in blends with the more traditional fabrics. Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Urban Outfitters, Juicy Couture, Seven Jeans, Citizens of Humanity,  Hudson, (lots of lycra for those sexy fits we all love!), Weston Wear (great dresses!), White House / Black Market, Chico's Design, and many other of our faves throw in a little Lycra or Spandex to create a nice natural feeling fabric against your skin with the practical properties of Lycra stretch.

   Most of these synthetics like acrylic, polyester, nylon, lycra, rayon, or acetate are easy to care for, have a little stretch, lots of breathability (so important in the warmer climates we are coming to know!), and ease of movement. We'll get into the care of these a little more right after we cover our lovely naturals.

Cotton: Natural fiber cool, soft and comfortable. Ahhhhh, cotton. It's has it's very own history stretching back to the oldest and greatest civilizations! I'm sure many of the great pharohs of Egypt were interred in their tombs with piles of those great towels they make! My fave are the Wamsutta bath sheets.

Pros: What would we do without cotton? Cool, soft, comfortable, affordable and breathable. It's one of the basics we all wear on our behinds from birth right up to the end of the road. It dyes easily, is stronger wet than dry (so it washes in the machine well!), absords and releases perspiration quickly, and it can withstand bleaching. It can also withstand boiling hot temperatures, so if you're like me and like your clothes CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN like a crazy person, you know it's getting spic and span clean in extra HOT boiling water.
Cons: Fades easliy through washes, and wrinkles.

Care: Cotton can withstand very hot or very cold temperatures so you can wash it in the machine with your whites on hot hot hot or throw in in with your lights on warm or cold. It can also be drycleaned if you have that extra special Samantha Treacy Daz top and want it drycleaned so you don't have to worry about it losing it's shape.

   You will find that great stores like Banana Republic, Gap, J Crew, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor LOFT, White House / Black Market, BEBE, Eddie Bauer, Talbots, Express, and The Limited make lovely blouses all year long in beautiful cottons with great lines that often have fun little touches like french cuffs, elongated collars, or embroidery. We try and carry as many great cotton basics as we can. A collection of nice cotton blouses are a definate must have in any wardrobe.

   Mercerized cotton is another fabric you may encounter a lot in stores like Banana Republic, Gap, Ann Taylor, J Crew, and a lot of the spring/summer clothes at Nordstrom, Saks, and Neimans by designers like James Perse, Samantha Treacy, Plenty by Tracy Reese, Elie Tahari, Nanetter Lepore, Trina Turk, and many others will have great little tees and tops in mercerized cotton. It is treated to permanently straighten the cotton fibers which then become a smooth rod-like fiber that is uniform in it's look and has a really nice luster. The same care instructions usually apply as well.

Cashmere: Gets its name from the Kashmir goat. Cashmere is a super soft luxury fabric, sometimes can be mixed with wools or synthetics to keep lower the cost of the fabric. This is how you can get cashmere at cheaper department stores. You can also find incredible pieces from Burning Torch that made with recycled cashmere!

Pros: Soft, luxurious look and feel, has a little bit of stretch, adapts to the temperature (keeps you warm in winter but cool in spring).
Cons: Cashmere is fragile, prone to snags, moth holes and pilling.
   
   We all ADORE cashmere (except those few unlucky souls that are allergic. ~sad~) and it costs a fortune in most cases. We try and keep a few cashmere items available all year long. Geneva Cashmere, Aqua Cashmere, Kinross,  Fleurette, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Trina Turk, and Theory all have BEAUTIFUL cashmere items in their collections almost every year.

Care: It's usually best to dryclean your lovely cashmere items as little as possible. Keep a good sweater brush around and you can keep those annoying fuzzies off pretty easily. It's best to keep your cashmere folded (if you're a nut like me, you can keep them in a nice lidded box wrapped in tissue in the off months) and stored in a nice dry place with a cedar balls to keep the moths away.
       
Satin: A weave made from silk, nylon, polyester, or man-made fibers. A cloth that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back and often used in bridal gown design because of its exquisite drape. It also makes fantabulous sheets and it makes a negligee so sexy it will add ten years to your husbands life!

Pros: Satin can look expensive with its flattering fabric. Drapes well and be sure to look for satin in clothes that have nice tailored lines so it fits to your body well. Satin adds shimmer and luster to an outfit so think about it with your suits or slacks!
Cons: Wrinkles easily, not very breathable, and does not have a stretch to the fabric.

Care: Again, it's usually best to dryclean this fabric to keep it shiny and new looking.

   You can find sexy satin at Victorias Secret, Express, The Limited, and many other fine department stores such as Saks, Neimans, Marshall Fields and the like made into so many fine items that I can't even begin to list them! Bari J, Abby Z, Kenneth Cole, Nine West, Donna Ricco, BCBG are just a few great brands that use satin in their collections.
   
Silk: Is one of the oldest textile fibers known to man. Silk is another word for elegance, and is used for the versatility and luxurious feel. Silk has been the fabric of the aristocracy, nobility, and the upper classes for time immemorial. It looks rich, feels incredible, and adds class to almost any ensemble (i only say almost because I have seen some celebrity outfits in silk that were anything but classy!).

Pros: Silk always looks and feels expensive. Silk garments can be worn for all seasons. All silk is hand washable so if you need need need that sheer black Akris Punto blouse and you can't get it cleaned in time wash it in a basin of water with a nice gentle detergent (Target has a nice collection of these for great prices and Woolite works too). I love that about silk. It drys pretty fast too.
Cons: The fabric can weaken by sunlight and perspiration. May yellow and fade due to ironing or heat.

Care: As I already said you can hand wash it OR you can dryclean it. If you're not a heavy perspirer or are just wearing a silk blouse or skirt for a quick meeting or at church, you can even dryclean it every other time or so. Be gentle though, it snags easily. It's probably best to keep your silks in a separate mesh bag or if you want to get fancy pants on me you can recyle an old satin pillowcase as your "sexy silks and underthings" bag.

Wool: Wool fiber comes from a variety of animal coats. It is a warm fabric used for everything from saucy pencil skirts by Michael Kors or Tom Ford to those incredible tweed jackets from Chanel or St. John (where would St John be without their FAMOUS Santana Knit which is a wool rayon blend).

   Everyone from the big names Armani, Burberry, Marc Jacobs, Escada, Missoni, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Gucci, Lora Piana, Temperley London, Stella McCartney to the middle of the road brands like Eileen Fisher, Shirin Guild, Trina Turk, Juicy Couture, Melissa Masse, Young Fabulous & Broke, Moschino Cheap & Chic and right on down to the everyday brands that everyone can afford like Banana Republic, Gap, J Crew, Express, The Limited, Forever 21 all make countless pieces from wool or wool blends each and every season.

Pros: Wool can be dirt resistant, flame resistant, and in some weaves resists wear and tearing. Keeps you really warm.
Cons: Some wools are scratchy but not all. Wool will easily shrink when not properly washed.

Care: Dry clean or hand wash your wools. They get all funky and deformed in the washing machine. It's worth it to just  wash them at home and then lay them flat to dry. Get a plastic bed sheet or crib sheet and lay it flat on your closet floor and let those suckers dry naturally while laying on that (get a clean one though! as if i need to say that). They keep their shape better and don't get as many of those nasty little fuzzies we all hate.

   Now for a few of the man mades. I will keep these few short and sweet since most of them can be washed, drycleaned, hand washed, or washed with the good old fashion board and basin if you wanna get all Martha Stewart on me.

Lycra/spandex: Blended with other fibers to enhance stretch, and fit. You will find this fabric in swim wear, sports bras, work out clothes and any clinging clothes should have a percentage of Lycra in them.

Pros: Maintains its shape, fit and easy to perform movement in.
Cons: The greater the percentage of lycra or spandex in the garment, the tighter it will fit, clinging to areas you might not want to showcase.

   Lycra! Where would we be without Lycra? Well, a lot of us wouldn't be able to get into our skin tight fancy Seven, True Religion, Chip & Pepper, Hudsons, Joes, J Brand, Goldsign, Citizens of Humanity or Rock & Republic jeans! Say adios to a lot of your Catherine Malandrino, Carilyn Vaile, Rebecca & Drew, Laundry, Cavalli, David Meister, Craig Taylor because they all use a little lycra to make their clothes have that extra special ease of movement and needed comfort.

Honesty: Lycra is usually best on the skinny minnies body in large quantities. It tends to create a certain amount of cling that can highlight certain parts that you may not want to highligh. It's great in jeans and pants  though because it's tight and holds things together, but shirts might need a little extra though before purchase just in case you don't like clingy cling in your tops.

Rayon: A man made fiber from cellulose, has many of the qualities of cotton. Rayon is commonly found in dress and jacket linings, although it is also frequently used in less expensive evening wear.

Pros: Used sometimes as an alternitive to silk. Rayon is strong, extremely absorbent, comes in a variety of qualities and weights, and wears well.
Cons: Rayon will wrinkle easily and may stretch when wet and shrink when washed.
      
   Rayon is a GREAT summertime fabric. It is very light and breathes so well it can help keep you from overheating and passing out in a ditch somewhere (i don't know if it REALLY has any actual hand in keeping you from passing out in a ditch during the 150 degree days of summer, but it might help keep you from sweating until you're a sopping mess!)

Acetate: Many of my lovely buyers write and ask me what in the H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS is acetate? Well, I don't know. I looked it up though and here's what I've learned.
 
    Acetate is not a strong fiber, but it can be extruded (pushed or forced out) into fibers of different diameter and woven into fabrics that have the look of silk but are much easier to wear and care for than silk. Acetate odes not absorb moisture readily but it does dry super fast and is resistant to shrinking. It is a resilient fabric and is pliable and soft with nice clean lines and a lovely drape. Triacetate is an improved acetate fabric which is stringer and easier to care for. Garfield & Marks makes GREAT suits with triacetate as does Jones New York and Dana Buchman.

Care: Acetate can be washed in the machine or drycleaned depending on the item. It's best to dryclean suits and dresses because they hold their shape better.

If you get a chance, visit our store! We sell lots of great designer clothes & accessories! Gucci Chanel Armani Max Mara Nanette Lepore Celine Misook St John NU Agnes B Ralph Lauren Prada Louis Vuitton Chloe Diane von Furstenberg Philip Lim 3.1 and many many more!

Thanks for reading! If you liked or learned anything from our little guide, please rate it.