Brocade

Brocade, easily one of the most elegant—though stiff and structured—fabrics available! Its origins are steeped in royalty! Used as early as the tenth century in Asia and the thirteenth century in Europe, it boasts a most intricate texture!

Brocade is an interwoven design that yields a pattern of raised figures; the figures can be anything from flowers to swirls to paisley-shaped items! The contrasting of a top yarn with the bottom yarn often gives it a golden, silver, or metallic sheen.

In the distant past, this fabric was largely restricted to the wealthy or to royalty; even for them, it was often reserved for special occasions due to the arduous process involved in making it!

By the 1700s, brocade was being utilized more and more by the middle classes in a number of items, from shoes to vests to purses of the day! It had even spilled over into furniture, being used for chairs, couches, and even curtains. We must recall that they did not use their couches for vegging out watching old ‘I Love Lucy’ reruns or playing video games!

Today, brocade is seldom used in furniture unless it is considered very formal. A number of couches and chairs from the nineteenth century and early twentieth still utilized it quite a bit. Brocade has also been used less and less in fashion as women and men have turned to more comfortable fabrics.

Brocade remains one of the most elegant, sophisticated fabrics, however, and is certainly the way to go should you wish to make a favorable impression!

Good Combinations!

It has been my experience that brocade is often used for full suit dresses, rather than for separates. This example of a brocade suit from the 1960s differs little from those we see today!

Interestingly, brocade items usually appear Oriental in appearance. This particular brocade skirt would look beautiful with a gold jacket with a mandarin collar, for instance. Or, it could be paired with one similar to the black jacket pictured here! And don’t forget the heels! This is definitely ‘heel’ wear!

As you can see by this brocade skirt by Roberto Cavelli, the Asiatic influence is pretty heavy…but don’t worry, anyone can wear it!

With this particular number, there is a slight greenish hue to the edges of the thread, making it a wonderful color with which to accent!

Also by Roberto Cavelli, these boots add class to any outfit!

Warning: I wouldn’t mix heavily patterned brocade boots with a brocade skirt or suit; it will appear too busy and like you are trying to match just a bit too hard.

Instead, keep the outfit simple and let the boots be the item of interest!

Brocade is also often used in longer jackets such as this one! For these items, make certain to balance the length of the jacket with a knee-length skirt. I have seen women time and time again, wearing a long jacket with a floor-length skirt. It just doesn’t work! Think balance!

For this particular piece, I would accent with a dark colored knee-length skirt and either slim-line boots with heels or some pumps that match the jacket’s overall color scheme!

If you happen upon a similar long brocade jacket that isn’t quite as shiny, it can also be layered with a chic cami and a dark denim skirt (knee-length of course)! Don’t forget to pull out one of the colors in the pattern (perhaps gold, yellow, or bright green) with a long scarf and touch it all off with a bag!

As you can see, brocade will work for the more conservative—as in this black and white jacket—or the young lady who likes to push the limits!

If you don’t have brocade in your wardrobe, add it to your Santa list soon!

Seasonal or Non-Seasonal?

As far as seasonal preference, brocade is always a winter fabric. The thickness of the fabric makes it less likely to breath. In fact, living in the South, I save my brocade outfits until there is snow on the ground!

How Do I Care for Brocade?

Just about every article of brocade I own is ‘dry clean only.’ The pattern of the fibers in the brocade are very delicate and throwing them into a washing machine and a dryer will certainly destroy the craftsmanship. Furthermore, to create the metallic sheen they often have, most brocade fabrics have synthetic fibers than cannot be put into heat without shrinking or melting—eww!