Sunday, November 13

Fashion 101: N

Since taking Textiles class last semester, I have become a major dork on the subject.  I love everything to do with fabrics, yarns, dyes, and new man-made fabric technologies.  I'm sure you all know today's word, but do you know the history behind it?

Nylon

Definition: A strong, lightweight material with elastic properties used for clothing and other items.  Nylon was the first man-made fiber, developed by DuPont in the early 1930s.  It is noted for its bright lustre, sheerness, abrasion resistance, ease of washing and drying, and color resistance.  It is commonly known for its use in women's stockings during the 1940s.  Chemists from New York and London were originally responsible for developing the compound material, hence the popular theory that "Nylon" stands for New York-London.  However, DuPont first claimed "nyl" was randomly chosen, while "on" was copied from the suffixes of other fibers such as "rayon" and "cotton."

Wolford Wilderness Tights
While Nylon is primarily known for its use in pantyhose, tights, and leggings, it is also used in other garments to provide stretch and elasticity.  Swimwear is also a large source of Nylon usage.


Credit: The Visual Dictionary of Fashion Design, Ambrose & Harris

3 comments:

  1. Being a fellow textile lover i rather enjoyed this little lesson - have a fab week x

    http://fashionandfrank.blogspot.com/

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  2. While I certainly can't pull of a nylon bodysuit or anything in that family, I appreciate pantyhose, tights, and leggings!

    www.chillairandperfume.blogspot.com

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  3. I adore patterned tights, pantyhose, and leggings. When I was younger, I was even slightly addicted to finding and owning the "right" bathing suit. I must've had about 15.

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