Glossary D

Apparel Search Glossary D

dacron (trademark) used for a synthetic polyester textile fiber.

dalmatic a wide-sleeved overgarment with slit sides

damask (1) a grayish red. (2) Linen, silk, rayon, cotton, synthetics, wool, worsteds. Figured on Jacquard loom. Originally made of silk, that came to us from China via Damascus. In the XIII Century, Marco Polo gave an interesting tale about it. It is one of the oldest and most popular cloths to be found today. Very elaborate designs are possible. Cloth is beetled, calendared and the better qualities are gross-bleached. Very durable. Reversible fabric. Sheds dirt. The firmer the texture, the better the quality. Launders well and holds a high lustre - particularly in linen. There are two types of damask table cloths:
1) Single damask table cloths: construction. Thread count is usually around 200.
2) Double damask has an 8 shaft satin construction with usually twice as many filling yarns as warp yarns. This gives a much greater distinctness to the pattern. Thread count ranges from 165 to 400.
The quality of both depends on the yarn used and the thread count. If the same quality and thread count are used, single is better than double because the shorter floats are more serviceable and the yarns hold more firmly. Double damask with less than 180 thread count is no good for home use.

dashiki a usually brightly colored loose-fitting pullover garment

daylight a type of light used in a commercial light box to simulate natural daylight. The correct technical definition is as follows: Daylight is a light source providing a color temperature of 6500+/-200 K at an illumination of 90 to 120 ft/candles. This source is typically provided by four filtered 750 W Tungsten Halogen lamps. The daylight filters must be certified by the manufacturer to ensure consistency of the transmitted color temperature between each filter/location. The resulting spectral power distribution of the transmitted light must be maintained to confirm to that of the filter manufacturer’s standard. (K = Kelvin)

décolletage a décolleté dress, namely a strapless dress or one with a plunging neckline

deerskin a garment of deerskin, namely leather made from the skin of a deer

deerstalker a close-fitting hat with a visor at the front and at the back and with earflaps that may be worn up or down

denier a unit of fineness for rayon, nylon, and silk, based on a standard mass per length of 1 gram per 9,000 meters of yarn.

denim name derived from French "serge de Nimes". Originally had dark blue, brown or dark grey warp with a white or gray filling giving a mottled look and used only for work clothes. A firm durable twilled usually cotton fabric. [Plural] overalls or trousers usually of blue denim, namely a firm durable twilled usually cotton fabric woven with colored warp and white filling threads. Twill - right hand - may be L2/1 or L3/1.

derby a man's stiff felt hat with dome-shaped crown and narrow brim

designers are people with a desire to create. They combine practical knowledge with artistic ability to turn abstract ideas into formal designs for the clothes that we wear, the living and office space that we inhabit, and the merchandise that we buy. Designers usually specialize in a particular area of design, such as automobiles, clothing, furniture, home appliances, industrial equipment, interiors of homes or office buildings, movie and theater sets, packaging, or floral arrangements.

dhoti draped garment for the lower trunk and legs, common throughout India, mostly for men. Wrapped around the waist, tucked or knotted like a sarong (or bath towel) save that the remaining fabric, often half or more of the total, is then pleated and wrapped around the legs, then tucked in. Drapes vary by region and caste, from basically skirt-like to tidy trouser-like arrangements. Traditional dhoti drapes and sari drapes blend into one another; many saris draped without a petticoat start with a dhoti drape, but use a longer cloth and drape the upper body with part of it.

dhurrie a thick flat-woven cotton cloth made in India.

diadem crown; specifically, a royal headband

diaper a fabric with a distinctive pattern; a rich silk fabric; a soft usually white linen or cotton fabric used for tablecloths or towels. A basic garment for infants consisting of a folder cloth or other absorbent material drawn up between the legs and fastened about the waist

dickey an article of clothing worn to fill in the neckline, as a man's separate or detachable shirtfront

digitizing embroidery digitizing is the process of converting artwork to stitches.

dimity plain weave with a crosswise or lenghtwise spaced rib or crossbar effect; made of cotton. A thin sheer with corded spaced stripes that could be single, double or triple grouping. Made of combed yarn and is 36" wide. Has a crisp texture which remains fairly well after washing. Resembles lawn in the white state. It is easy to sew and to manipulate and launders well. Creases unless crease-resistant. May be bleached, dyed, or printed and often printed with a small rose-bud design. It is mercerized and has a soft lustre. Used for children's dresses, women's dresses, and blouses, infant's wear, collar and cuff sets, basinettes, bedspreads, curtains, underwear. Has a very young look.

dinner jacket a jacket for formal evening wear

dirndl a dress with tight bodice, short sleeves, low neck, and gathered skirt; a full skirt with a tight waistband

disguise apparel assumed to conceal one's identity or counterfeit another's

dishabille [Archaic] negligee

dishcloth a cloth for washing dishes.

diving suit a waterproof suit with a removable helmet worn by a diver who is supplied with air pumped through a tube

djellaba a long loose garment with full sleeves and a hood

DMM Divisional Merchandising Manager

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The Apparel Search glossary has been compiled from numerous resources over the past several years. In addition to receiving definitions from our viewers and friends, we have also compiled information from various newsletters, magazines, newspapers, advertisements, lectures, brochures etc. The glossary is also supplemented with words and definitions from Merriam Webster's Dictionary (Tenth Collegiate Edition) and Webster's New World Dictionary. In addition, we have also created words & definitions entirely from our own imagination (we tried to make them as accurate as possible). In some cases, we have created single definitions by combining information from various locations. This has been done to create a broader & more detailed definition. Due to the fact that this resource is a compilation from literally hundreds of resources, we can not guarantee the accuracy, spelling , definitions etc., of any of the items listed on these pages. Please utilize this resource at your own risk. Do not rely on our definitions for accuracy. If you have any additional definitions or have suggestions for updating current definitions, please continue to submit your comments for review; Add or Modify Definitions . Thanks to viewers like you, this glossary has become a helpful tool for the apparel industry. Please continue to send your new definitions and definition revisions.

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