Fabric & Care FAQs

Glossary and Information

Terms and Definitions

  • 100's Two-Ply Broadcloth (fine) - A premium shirting fabric made with two-ply threads (two individual threads are twisted together) which make it durable, soft, and lustrous.
  • Acetate - A man-made fiber used for linings.
  • Acrylic - A man-made fiber that is an excellent choice for knits because of its soft, wool-like feel.
  • Alpaca - Yarn from alpaca sheep that is often woven with wool or cashmere to create a soft, luxurious garment.
  • Broadcloth - A dense, tightly woven fabric. It is lustrous and soft with a good texture and a smooth finish. Broadcloth tends to wear very well and is machine washable.
  • Camelhair - Hair sheared from a camel that produces a soft, luxurious fabric. Camelhair is usually used in the construction of suits and jackets.
  • Cashmere - Extremely soft and lightweight fiber combed from the undercoat of the long-haired Kashmir goat.
  • Corduroy - A fabric with distinctive vertical rows. Each row, known as a wale, can vary in width.
  • Cotton - Gathered from the seed pods of the cotton plant, or the cloth made from these fibers. There are several grades of cotton; pima and Sea Island cotton are the best quality.
  • Donegal - A knit or tweed with coarse multicolored yarns with nubs that are combined with single-colored yarns to produce a mottled effect.
  • Drape - The way a fabric or garment hangs. Drape can alter the way a garment fits and looks.
  • Elastane - A synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is stronger and more durable than natural rubber.
  • Egyptian Cotton - Egyptian cotton is grown in the most ideal growing conditions for a high grade, long staple cotton. These extra-long fibers provide a visibly silkier look and feel while being stronger, lightweight and more breathable than regular cotton. An added benefit is that Egyptian has less pilling than regular cotton after washing and therefore will look and feel better longer.
  • Finishing - A process performed on a fabric after it is woven that can dramatically change its look and feel.
  • Flannel - A more expensive method of knitting a garment in which the complete unit is shaped and knit on the machine, as opposed to being sewn together from separate pieces.
  • Gabardine - A durable, compactly woven twill fabric, sometimes with a high sheen.
  • Gauge - A term used to describe the number of loops per 1 to 1 1/2 inches in a knitted fabric or garment.
  • Hand - Qualities of a fabric revealed through a sense of touch.
  • Handwoven - Material woven on a hand-operated loom.
  • Heather Yarns - A yarn consisting of differently colored fibers that are blended together to give a soft, muted look.
  • High Twist Yarns - Material woven on a hand-operated loom.
  • Italian Cotton - Italian Cotton, fabric woven exclusively in Italy, is a remarkably soft and durable cotton. The meticulous pattern detail and saturated color make for an exceptional shirt. A specialized finishing is always added to make the fabric feel soft and the color shine.
  • Knit - A process of making a fabric or garment with hand- or machine-made interlocking looped stitches.
  • Lambswool - Soft, resilient wool yarn from the first shearing of a sheep.
  • Leather - The skin or hide of an animal with the hair removed.
  • Linen - The strong, coarse, absorbent, cool fibers gathered from the flax plant, or the cloth made from these fibers.
  • Long Staple Cotton - Cotton whose fibers are over 1 1/8 inches long. Longer staples cottons create increased durability and hand (how pleasing the fabric feels) of the garment because they can be spun into finer threads than shorter lengths of cotton.
  • Lycra - A trademark DuPont fiber that has incredible stretch and recovery. Lycra® is a brand-name spandex that is usually woven with other fibers to provide ease in fabrics.
  • Mercerized Cotton - A term used to describe a thread, yarn or fabric that has undergone a finishing process that increases its luster and smoothness.
  • Merino Wool - A better-quality wool yarn made from the fleece of merino sheep.
  • Microfiber - An extremely fine synthetic fiber unusual in that it is extremely breathable and warm. Often, and legally, referred to as its generic/parent name, polyester.
  • Modal - Fiber made by spinning reconstituted cellulose from beech trees; a variety of rayon.
  • Non-Iron Cotton - Enjoy the comfort of cotton without the wrinkles for a clean, crisp presentation. Garments which are 'non-iron' have seams which are taped to prevent puckering. The completed garment is [then] treated with an ammonia process, pressed and baked to make the entire garment wrinkle free. Paul Fredrick dress shirts are machine washable and should not be dry cleaned.
  • Nylon - A synthetic fiber that is silky, strong, resistant to creases and stains and washable.
  • Pima Cotton - A high-quality, very strong, extra-long staple cotton named after the Pima Native Americans, who first cultivated the plant in Arizona in the early 1900s. Pima cotton is considered one of the most superior blends of cotton.
  • Pique - A durable woven or knit fabric that is characterized by an allover textured pattern, the most popular of which are the cord, diamond and honeycomb.
  • Pinpoint Oxford - A finer yarn and tighter weave than oxford. A weave in which the warp (horizontal) has two fine yarns paired together and one heavier softly-spun weft (vertical) yarn, which gives the fabric a subtle basket-weave look and a lustrous finish.
  • Plain Weave - The simplest of fabric weaves in which length and crosswise yarns interlace over and under, alternately.
  • Polyester - A man-made fiber resistant to shrinkage, wrinkling and moths.
  • Rib Knit - A knitted fabric with alternating raised and lowered rows. More elastic and durable than plain knits.
  • Seersucker - A midweight fabric that has a permanent puckered striped effect created through releasing the tension on the loom during weaving.
  • Silk - Fiber produced by the silkworm; soft, luxurious and the strongest natural fiber.
  • Spandex - Lightweight fiber with unique elastic properties.
  • Suede - The interior side of a hide that is finished by buffing, thus producing a smooth, velvety nap.
  • Supima Cotton - A trademarked, long staple American cotton. Supima® is a highly durable, absorbent and luxurious cotton known for its strength, luster and superior softness.
  • Tencel - A trademarked brand name for Lyocell, a fiber made from wood pulp. Lyocell is durable and moisture absorbent.
  • Virgin Wool - Wool that has never been processed in any way.
  • Worsted Wool - Woolen yarns made from long-staple fibers that have been carded and combed to remove all the short and irregular fibers, creating a smooth, hard surface.
  • Wool - Fiber obtained from the fleece of sheep or other animals.