Apparel Search Glossary  C  (Page C1)

Next Apparel Glossary Page (C2)     Textile Glossary

cabretta leather is leather made from sheepskins that grow hair rather than wool.  This type of leather is often tougher than other sheepskins. Cabretta leather is often used for gloves and shoes.  Learn about different types of leather.

caddis  worsted yarn specifically a worsted ribbon or binding formerly used for garters and girdles.

cady precious silk fabric, slightly fulled, originally produced in the French region of Languedoc, for couture and evening gowns. Generally produced in 2 plies. Some manufacturers will use a high-quality 3-ply cady, which is finished to create a denser, heavier, pre-washed effect, increasing the fabric's luxurious feel.

cafau lait the color of coffee w/ milk.

caftan  a usually cotton or silk ankle-length garment with long sleeves that is common throughout the Levant

calender cotton fabric is passed through heat and pressure (rollers) so that the a glossy appearance or luster is added.

calico  cotton cloth imported from India; a plain white cotton fabric that is heavier than muslin; any of various cheap cotton fabrics with figured patterns.  Originated in Calcutta, India, and is one of the oldest cottons.  Rather coarse and light in weight.  Pattern is printed on one side by discharge or resist printing.  It is not always fast in color.  Sized for crispness but washes out and requires starch each time.  Designs are often geometric in shape, but originally elaborate designs of birds, trees, and flowers.  Similar to percale. 

calotte  skullcap, especially zucchetto

calpac  a high-crowned cap worn in Turkey, Iran, and neighboring countries

calyptra a Greek veil 

cambric  soft, closely woven, light. Either bleached or piece dyed.  Highly mercerized, lint free.  Calendered on the right side with a slight gloss.  Lower qualities have a smooth bright finish. Similar to batiste but is stiffer and fewer slubs.  Launders very well.  Has good body, sews and finishes well. Originally made in Cambria, France of linen and used for Church embroidery and table linens.

camise  a light loose long-sleeved shirt, gown, or tunic

camisole  a short negligee jacket for women; a short sleeveless garment for women

camel  a light yellowish brown.

camel hair  hair from the camel. Sometimes blended with wool or imitated in wool.  Twill or plain weave.  Underhair is best.   It is light weight, lustrous and soft.  It ranges from a light tan to a brownish-black color.  Usually left its natural tones but can be dyed-usually navy and some red.  It has quite a long nap and is warm.  Better grades are expensive.  Sometimes blended with wool to reduce the cost and increase the wear.   All wool camel hair is not as lustrous and is spongy.  Can have either a rich nap or a flat finish.  Wears fairly well, particuarly if blended.

camlet a medieval Asian fabric of camel hair or angora wool; a European fabric of silk and wool; a fine lustrous woolen.  A garment made of camlet fabric, namely a fine lustrous woolen made of camel hair, angora wool, or silk

camp shirt  a woman's shirt having a notched collar and often patch pockets

canary yellow  a light to a moderate or vivid yellow.

candlewick  a soft cotton embroidery yarn.

candlewick fabric  an unbleached muslin bed sheeting (also called Kraft muslin) used as a base fabric on which a chenille effect is formed by application of canlewick (heavy plied yarn) loops, which are then cut to give the fuzzy effect and cut yarn appearance of true chenille yarn.  May be uncut also. (True chenille is a cotton, wool, silk, or rayon yarn which has a pile protruding all around at slight angles adn stimulates a caterpillar. Chenille is the French word for caterpillar).  Used for bedspreads, drapes, housecoats, beach wear.

canton flannel  made of Cotton.   Four harness warp-faced twill weave.  The filling yarn is a very loosely twisted and soft and later brushed to produced a soft nap on the back, the warp is medium in size.  The face is a twill.  Heavy, warm, strong and absorbent.  Named for Canton, China where it was first made.  Comes bleached, unbleached, dyed, and some is printed.  Used in interlinings, sleeping garments, linings, coverings, work gloves.

canvas  a firm closely woven cloth usually of linen, hemp, or cotton used for clothing and formerly much used for tents and sails.  Plain weave.  Mostly rugged, heavy material made from plyed yarns. Has body and strength. It is usually manufactured in the grey state but some is dyed for different uses.

cap  a head covering especially with a visor and no brim; a distinctive head covering emblematic of a position or office, as a cardinal's biretta; mortarboard

cape  a cloth that fits closely at the neck and hangs loosely over the shoulders by itself or as part of a garment

capelet  a small cape usually covering the shoulders

capote  a usually long and hooded cloak or overcoat

capri pants  close-fitting women's pants that end above the ankle [Also called capris]  Generally worn in warm weather climates.  Leg opening starts approximately 3 or 4 inches above the ankle. Capri is a type of pant.

capuche  hood, especially the cowl of a Capuchin friar

capuchin  a hooded cloak for women

carbonising      the removal of vegetable matter, such as burrs and seeds, from wool and wool fabrics by chemical treatment. Also used to remove vegetable fibre in recovering the wool in union and mixture fabrics. Mechanical, chemical process for removal of vegetable matter from wool. The usual agent for converting the fault to carbon is sulphuric acid. Most wools suitable for the woollen trade, such as lambs, locks, and crutchings carrying fault, are treated by this method.

carcanet  [Archaic] an ornamental necklace, chain, collar, or headband

car coat  a three-quarter-length overcoat.

cardigan  a usually collarless sweater or jacket that opens the full length of the center front

cardinal  a woman's short hooded cloak originally of scarlet cloth

card waste the left-over virgin cotton fibers that accumulate in and around the machinery used in the cotton carding process.

caribbean basin economic recovery act (CBERA) 

carmine  vivid red.

carnation  a pale to grayish yellow; a moderate red.

carpet  a heavy, often tufted fabric used a floor covering.

carroty  having the color of carrots.

cartridge belt  a belt worn around the waist for attaching various equipment, as a cartridge case, canteen, or compass

cashmere (Kashmir)  from the Kashmir goat, a hair fibre found in Kashmir India, Tibet, Iran, Iraq, and South west China.   Often mixed with wool or synthetics to cut costs and improve the wear.  All weaves but mostly plain or twill.  All knits.  Fibre is cylindrical, soft and silken.  More like wool than any othe hair fibre.  Has a very soft silky finish; very light in weight.  Doesn't stand up to hard wear on account of extremely soft downy finish.  True color is brownish, but can be dyed any shade. Comes in different weights.

casque  a piece of armor for the head, helmet

cassimere a closely woven smooth twilled usually wool fabric (as for suits).

cassock  a close-fitting ankle-length garment worn especially in Roman Catholic and Anglican churches by the clergy and by laymen assisting in services

cast is the underlying colors or tones in indigo denim.  Depending on dye or technique, denim can have a variety of casts.  Such as red, green or yellow.

castor  a beaver hat

category (relevance to customs clearance) means a grouping of textile or apparel goods defined in the Correlation: Textile and Apparel Categories with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, 1992 (or successor publication), published by the United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Office of Textiles and Apparel, Trade and Data Division, Washington, D.C.; and general import statistics means statistics of the U.S. Bureau of the Census or its successor.

cavalry twill  woolen or worsted.  63 twill weave; right hand twill.  Pronounced narrow and wide wale, in groups of 2.    Strong rugged cloth.   Quite elastic.  Similar to U.S. elastique but elastique is smoother in rib, feel and effect, - (made of worsted yarn and a firmer weave).  Also resembles tricotine but tricotine is much finer with a double diagonal.

ceinture  a belt or sash for the waist

celadon  a grayish yellow green.

cerecloth cloth treated with melted wax or gummy matter and formerly used especially for wrapping a dead body.

cerise  moderate red.

cerulean  resembling the blue of the sky.

cestus  a hand covering of leather bands often loaded with lead or iron and used by boxers in ancient Rome

Next Page (C2)

Textile Glossary

Apparel Search   Add Your Company  Services   Contact Us   About Us   Advertise   News Letter   Legal   Help
Copyright © 1999-2023 Apparel Search Company.  All Rights Reserved.