Brocade Dresses

For centuries, brocade clothing has been associated with luxury and royal grandeur. At one time, only very rich and distinguished ladies could afford to wear outfits of this extraordinary fabric. Today, any girl can feel the august special, dressed in a brocade dress.

The word "brocade" is of Persian origin. The fabric itself was brought to Europe from the East, where it was made from antiquity. Brocade is a heavy material, richly decorated with patterns that are embroidered with the finest metallic thread. Thanks to a special texture, even the simplest brocade outfit looks truly luxurious.

Our article today is about brocade dresses. We will tell you about the features of this material, its varieties, as well as the fashionable styles of brocade dresses.

Any material has its positive and negative sides, and brocade is no exception. First we list the benefits of this fabric. So, the advantages of brocade include:

• spectacular appearance;
• strength;
• ductility - brocade drape well, forming beautiful, soft folds;
• compatibility with other materials - brocade can be combined with various types of fabrics, for example, with velvet or lace;
• density - brocade keeps its shape well, so for dresses made of this material do not need lining.

Speaking about the flaws of brocade, usually remember the following features of this fabric:

• high price - natural fiber brocade is quite expensive;
• difficulty in care - there are strict recommendations for washing and ironing brocade;
• rapid wear - over time, the metallized fibers deform and lose their color.

In the old days, only natural materials — silk fibers, gold, and silver threads — were used to make brocade webs. Later brocade began to be made from cheaper materials - cotton, flax, semi-precious metal alloys.

Today in the shops you can find both completely natural and synthetic brocade.

They learned to make this fabric from viscose, lycra and other artificial materials. The cost of brocade depends on its composition: the more natural components it contains, the more expensive it is.

Basically, there are three types of brocade:

• on silk basis;
• on a viscose basis;
• on lycra base.

Traditionally, brocade was used for sewing elegant dresses for the most solemn occasions. Therefore, the classic dress of brocade is a ball gown with a long, full skirt. Modern girls the opportunity to dress in a similar outfit is provided infrequently, but, nevertheless, brocade firmly entrenched in our wardrobes.

Today, a brocade dress is not necessarily a chic outfit to go out. On the contrary, designers compensate for the luxury of material with simplicity of silhouette. Therefore, straight or semi-light brocade dresses are so popular - shifty, sheaths, baby dollars, etc. The skirt may be of medium length or mini.

Girls who feel like real princesses often choose brocade dresses for a wedding ceremony - it’s not for nothing that royal personages chose to marry in such a dress. This choice is quite justified: on a snow-white background, gold and silver threads look incredibly beautiful and luxurious.

Since the material itself is richly decorated, brocade dress styles are usually very simple.The most popular among brides are silhouette dresses with a hard bodice, emphasizing the chest, and a long skirt with flared from the waistline or from the middle of the thigh.

A perfect option for an evening out in the cool season is a brocade dress. Evening and cocktail models of brocade dresses are very diverse. This can be as elegant dresses with a skirt to the floor, and quite frank mini.

• Before washing, carefully study the composition of the product: if it contains threads of real metals, it is best to pass the dress in a dry-cleaner.
• If synthetic fibers were used for embroidery, then manual or automatic washing in a delicate mode is permissible.
• It is recommended to wash brocade dresses in warm water, at a temperature not higher than 40 degrees.
• It is necessary to iron similar products, preliminary having turned inside out.

Brocade is a very self-sufficient material, it is so beautiful and unusual that it does not need reinforcement in the form of very bright and catchy accessories and jewelery.

Of course, this does not mean that putting on a brocade dress, you must abandon the details. Just choose the most simple, not eye-catching jewelry. Discard accessories that are richly decorated with shiny stones, beads and rhinestones.