Dresses are pieces of clothing that combine a skirt with a bodice. Throughout the years, dresses have changed a lot, nowadays being available all sorts of dresses, from crinoline-supported to fluid dresses that emphasize women’s silhouette.
In terms of fabrics, dresses can be made of virtually any type of textile. However, a certain category of dresses, that includes short prom dresses, cheap prom dresses, cocktail dresses, evening dresses and other frocks or gowns worn on special occasions are made of elegant materials.
The finest fabrics used to manufacture short prom dresses are: silk, satin, organza, tulle, chiffon and charmeuse. Dresses made of these materials are usually expensive, but taking into account that the length of such dresses is short, there should not be too much material involved in their creation.
Silk is probably the most expensive fabric in the world, due to its manufacturing process. To create natural silk, you need some specific insect larvae that form cocoons, from which you would eventually collect silk. Cocoons are sorted and then boiled. At the end of the boiling process, a very fine thread of silk starts to be collected with a pencil.
Because the process of manufacturing natural silk is extremely complicated and takes a lot of time, silk is very expensive. Luckily for those girls or women who desire dresses made of silk that do not require them to break the bank, artificial silk is a lot cheaper and has similar characteristics to natural silk.
Satin is another fine material used for manufacturing elegant outfits, upholstery, bed sheets, lingerie and sports apparel. It is usually made from silk fibers combined with polyester or nylon. Satin tends to be shinier than silk.
Organza is also made from silk. To make it more affordable, companies producing organza woven silk fibres with synthetic fibers of nylon. Some of the most exquisite organza fibres are produced in China, France and Italy.
Tulle is a fabric made from silk combined with nylon and rayon. Generally, dresses are not entirely made of tulle, since this material is usually transparent. Therefore, manufacturers prefer to use it in more layers to diminish its transparency, or in a single layer placed on another material.
Cheap prom dresses can also be made of chiffon. This is a fabric made from silk and cotton, or from silk and synthetic fibres. It is dyed to allow alteration, although chiffon made from polyester can rarely be dyed. Chiffon gives a floating appearance to dresses.
Charmeuse is made from satin or synthetic fibres. The one that is based on silk is more expensive than the charmeuse made from polyester, for example. The most important characteristics of this material are its softness and luster. Charmeuse is often selected for manufacturing elegant handkerchiefs or ties, fluid dresses and lingerie.
Other fabrics that can be used to manufacture prom dresses are jersey, polyester, and leather. They can be combined with silk, satin, charmeuse or any of the aforementioned materials, and also with embellishments like silver stones, sequins, crystals, beads, and rhinestones.
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