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mardi 14 novembre 2017

Info Post
By Edward Olson


We have gotten so used to stretchy clothes that it's hard to remember when pants bagged at the knee or shirts didn't fit snug at the waist. Garments made from 2 or 4 way stretch fabric hug your body, without constraining or chafing, and move with you as you sit, stand, bend, or reach for things. It wasn't always like this. The first stretch material was invented by DuPont, the chemical company, in the late 1950s.

In 1978, Peter Golding, a British designer with a shop in trendy Chelsea, introduced the first stretch jeans. He used a fabric from Japan and sold the shape-revealing pants in several bright colors. These form-fitting garments delighted the fashion-flouting and fashion-setting rock stars and teens of Chelsea.

Of course, many clothing manufacturers use cloth with 1% to 4% stretch. At first, the new materials were used mainly in women's underwear and swimming suits. Now you see it everywhere. All riding breeches are form-fitting today, and the stretchy cloth they're made of keeps its shape, allows the rider to lift a leg to the stirrup without constraint, and doesn't wrinkle or chafe. Tank tops, leggings, ballet clothes, skinny jeans, comfy pajamas - where would we be without them?

However, it's hard to argue with true comfort and utility, and today almost all sports clothes use Spandex, Lycra, or another form of the original DuPont discovery. Bike riders can bend and pedal in form-fitting clothes that wick away sweat and never catch in the bike's moving parts. Yoga enthusiasts can twist themselves in knots and their clothes follow right along.

All sorts of stretchy cloth is sold by the yard to crafters, home decorators, and needle workers. The selection is astounding; just go online to browse through the cloth. There are velvets, smooth and brushed cottons, drapery material, printed cloth for sheets or kid's pajamas, and more. Shiny satins in jewel colors or metallic sheens make even those who don't sew think of making their next evening gown.

All the stretch comes from elastane, the original discovery. It was developed in 1959, but didn't really hit the fashion world until Golding's introduction almost twenty years later. At first only the rich and famous could have these comfortable clothes, but the mass market grew rapidly, with the jeans companies leading the way.

The combination fabrics are machine-washable, but hot water or high drying temperatures will damage them. If you really love a particular garment, or it represents a significant investment, you might want to wash it by hand and hang it on a line to dry. This will definitely make it last longer. You should never use chlorine bleach on stretch cloth.

There seems to be no limit to what can be found in a stretch fabric. Even faux furs and leathers are sold by the yard or made into fashionable clothing. Shop online if you want cloth. If you want clothing, pick up any catalog, visit any department store, or tell any friend what you need to borrow. Stretch is everywhere.




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