Organdy, also spelled Organdie,
is a kind of
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...
. It is a lightweight, balanced
plain weave
Plain weave (also called tabby weave, linen weave or taffeta weave) is the most basic of three fundamental types of textile weaving, weaves (along with satin weave and twill). It is strong and hard-wearing, and is used for fashion and furnishi ...
made of
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
with features of
sheerness
Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...
and crispness.
Characteristics
Organdy is a stiffened material; sheerest among its peers, which include
lawn cloth and
Batiste. Often, these materials may come from the same
grey goods, and are differentiated from each other in how they are
finished. Organdy's sheerness and crispness are attributed to the acid finish (parchmentising) whereas the lawn cloth is finished with starch or resin, and Batiste is a softer fabric type.
Finer yarns with higher twist counts are used in superior quality organdy.
Process
Organdy is an acid stiffened cloth. Its sheerness and crispness is the result of an
acid
An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...
finish, where the fabric is treated with
sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, ...
solution for a short period and then neutralized to remove excessive acid in a process called "
parchmentisation". The parchmentisation is a treatment of acid on cellulosic textiles in the pursuit of obtaining the characteristic of the
parchment
Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared Tanning (leather), untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 ...
. The finish offers a stiffened and translucent effect not dissimilar from silk
organza. Figured Organdy is produced by applying an acid-resisting substance to a localised area; on the contrary, immersing it completely makes it stiffen all over. The objective of all-over parchmentizing is to create a transparent cloth.
Use
Organdy was historically used for
bridal dresses, ladies party dresses, and
blouses. Organdy was a useful material as a
Casement cloth, sheers, and
lining etc.
In the late 19th through mid 20th centuries, young girls wore dresses made of organdy.
In the 21st century, this material has fallen out of favor in the childrenswear market because of its tendency to wrinkle, which can be attributed to its stiffness.
Today, organdy is most often seen in
high fashion
(; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term ''haute couture'' generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to th ...
collections by designers such as
Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for his own fashion label, Marc Jacobs, and formerly Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, which was produced for approximately 15 years, before it was d ...
.
See also
*
Organza
References
Sources
*
{{fabric
Woven fabrics