How to Select Fabric for Lingerie

Beautiful lingerie worn underneath a garment can add to the beauty of your chosen outfit as well as provide a soft cushion against your body which can add to your level of comfort. One component of your lingerie that has an important impact on how it looks and feels is the lingerie’s fabric. Choosing fabric for lingerie is an important decision not only for wearability but also for durability. Some fabrics have a longer life span than others and require different levels of care to maintain their beauty. Here are some types of linger fabrics along with their advantages and disadvantages:

Silk

Nothing feels as soft and sensuous as the touch of silk against the skin. Unfortunately, silk lingerie tends to be more difficult to care for than other types of lingerie fabric. Although most silk lingerie labels state that the item must be dry cleaned, in most cases you can gently hand wash silk undergarments with a mild soap. Silk can be fragile when wet so handle each garment with care. If you can avoid those dry cleaning bills by hand washing, silk can be a good choice for lingerie.

Nylon

The newer nylons such as Antron are stronger, more durable fabrics than silk but still have many of silk’s soft, smooth characteristics. Nylon is also more affordable than silk and is often treated to protect the fabric against stains. If you don’t want the upkeep or high price tag of silk, nylon can be an excellent choice.

Cotton

Cotton has been a popular fabric for lingerie for ages due to its durability and breathability. Although it lacks the soft silkiness of nylon or silk, it’s a healthy choice since it allows air to freely circulate which can reduce the risk of yeast infections. It’s also the top choice of those who are environmentally conscious, being biodegradable and renewable.

Microfiber

This is a relatively new class of synthetic fabrics composed of super fine fibers. This makes lingerie lightweight with the look and feel of natural fibers at a less expensive price. Garments made of microfiber also don’t tend to wrinkle and are more comfortable to wear than most synthetics due to their ability to allow air movement.

Lycra

Lycra is a fabric that’s usually added to other lingerie fabrics to give it added flexibility and stretch. Lycra also adds gentle support and structure to body parts that may be a bit out of shape, allowing you to look better in your clothing. Lycra added to lingerie fabric enables the garment to conform better to the body providing for a firmer fit.

You may choose to purchase lingerie in a variety of fabrics, reserving some such as your silk garments for special wear and your cottons, nylons, and lycra blends for every day wear. The world of lingerie fabrics provides you with a variety of alternatives that can meet even your most demanding lingerie needs.