Miscellaneous Definitions — accessories, trims, tools and general fashion terms from Apparel Search
A shoulder strap is a piece of fabric used to support clothing or other items from the shoulder of the wearer. Shoulder straps are found on numerous items, including guitars, handbags and women's ball dresses. They tend to be made from the same material as the item they support, and, in the interest of comfort, often have some manner of padding near the middle. Shoulder straps are generally detachable, and are stored in the very item they help to bear. In practice one shoulder often bears the brunt of the supporting, even when the strap causes discomfort.
A shoulder strap is a piece of fabric used to support clothing or other items from the shoulder of the wearer. Shoulder straps are to be found on numerous items including guitars, handbags and women's ball dresses. These straps tend to be made from the same material as the item they support, and, in the interest of comfort, often have some manner of padding near the middle. Discomfort is normally indicated by constant shifting of the strap from one shoulder to another; however, most users of shoulder straps agree that one shoulder bears the brunt of the supporting even in the face of severe discomfort. Shoulder straps are generally detachable, and are stored in the very item they help to bear.
See also spaghetti strap.
If you are looking for more clothing industry definitions that are relevant to the shoulder, why don't you try the shoulder pad definition.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/shoulder_strap). Some of the links have been modified 5/26/06. |
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A shoulder strap does the opposite job to a shoulder pad. The pad is hidden inside a garment and shapes the shoulder itself; the strap sits over the shoulder and uses it as a bearing point, so that clothing or another item can be supported from it. That simple arrangement frees the hands and transfers weight to a strong part of the body, which is why straps appear on such different objects as handbags, guitars and women's ball dresses. On a dress the strap supports the garment itself, holding a bodice up where a strapless cut would slip. On a bag or a guitar the strap supports a separate carried object, letting its weight ride at the hip or waist while the shoulder takes the load. In both cases the principle is identical: a length of fabric, long enough to pass over the shoulder and strong enough for the weight, connects the item to the wearer.
Straps tend to be made from the same material as the item they support. A fabric dress strap matches the dress, a bag strap matches or complements the bag, and continuity of material makes the strap read as part of the design rather than an improvised addition. Strength still governs the details. The points where a strap joins the item take repeated strain every time the item is lifted, swung or set down, so those joins are stitched or attached to withstand pulling at an angle, not merely the straight downward weight of a stationary object. Width also matters: a wider strap spreads pressure across more of the shoulder, while a very narrow strap concentrates the same weight on a smaller area.
Comfort is the recurring problem of the shoulder strap, and the design answers it directly. Straps often have some manner of padding near the middle, the section that actually rests on the shoulder. Padding softens the pressure point, reduces digging and chafing, and matters more the heavier the load and the longer it is carried. Even so, discomfort remains common, and it is normally indicated by constant shifting of the strap from one shoulder to another. Most users agree that one shoulder bears the brunt of the supporting even in the face of severe discomfort, because people favour one side out of habit and because switching a strap across the body is not always convenient. A slipping strap on a dress, a bag that will not stay up, and a guitar that rides at the wrong height are all versions of the same failure: the bearing point, the length and the load are out of balance.
Detachability completes the design. Shoulder straps are generally detachable, and they are stored in the very item they help to bear - clipped inside a handbag, for example, until the wearer wants hands-free carrying. Detaching a strap changes how an item is used and how it looks: a bag carried by short handles reads more formally, the same bag on a long strap reads as practical and casual, and a dress strap that can be removed gives the wearer a choice of necklines. That versatility distinguishes the shoulder strap from the narrow spaghetti strap, which is a fixed, minimal form of dress strap, and from shoulder pads, which support nothing at all. The shoulder strap is defined by support: fabric, shoulder and load, joined so the body can carry what the hands would otherwise have to hold.
A shoulder strap is a piece of fabric used to support clothing or other items from the shoulder of the wearer. It is found on items including guitars, handbags and women's ball dresses.
In the interest of comfort, shoulder straps often have some manner of padding near the middle, where the strap rests on the shoulder and carries the weight of the item it supports.
Shoulder straps are generally detachable. They are stored in the very item they help to bear, so the strap can be kept with a bag or other item when it is not in use.