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flak jacket a jacket containing metal plates for protection against flak; broadly, a bulletproof vest. [Also called, flak vest]

flame  a strong reddish orange.

flaxen  resembling flax especially as in a pale soft strawy color.

flannel  Soft twilled wool or worsted fabric with a loose texture and a slightly napped surface; a plain or twill woven  cotton fabric napped and of soft yarns simulating the texture of wool flannel; a stout cotton fabric usually napped on one side.  [Plural] flannel underwear; outer garments, especially men's trousers, of flannel, namely soft twilled wool, cotton, or worsted fabric with a loose texture and a slightly napped surface.  The cotton flannel must be made from cotton with a fiber long enough to hold in the yarn, otherwise the fibers will shed from the flannel or pill into little balls on the surface.

flannelette  a cotton flannel, soft material with a napped finish, usually only on one side.  It may be bleached, dyed, printed, or woven in colored stripes.  Plain and twill weave.

flat a shoe or slipper having a flat heel or no heel

flat crepe   also called French Crepe or Lingerie Crepe but not exactly the same.  It is the flattest of all the crepes with only a very slight pebbled or crepe effect hard twist alternating 25 x 22 in filling; warp has ordinary twist.  It is very soft and pliable, which makes it good for draping.  It is very light weight - 2 times as many ends as picks. It may be white, colored, or printed. Most of it launders well.

flax  is often considered the oldest fiber used in the Western world.  Remnants of flax fabric (linen) have been found in excavations at the historic lake regions of Switzerland, which date back to about 10,000 B.C.  Although the archaeologists dispute the origins of flax , some believe that it came from the region of Tepe Sabz, Iran (Mesopotamia), ca. 5500 - 5000 B.C. By 4,000 B.C. the Egyptians were cultivating and processing flax and ancient wall carvings show laborers harvesting flax.  Examples have been found that were spun so fine that more than 360 threads joined together to form one warp thread. The rather incredible characteristics and properties of flax are once again being recognized.  Although linen has been primarily considered as a fashion fabric in modern times, the industry and the markets are beginning to understand its potential as a performance fiber, delivering high strength and durability, abrasion resistance and high moisture regain, as well as a luxurious hand and appearance.

fleece  a soft bulky deep-piled knitted or woven fabric used chiefly for clothing.  Has a deep, soft nap or pile, obtained by heavily napping with wire brushes or with a pile weave.  This provides air space giving good insulating properties without too much weight.  The interlacings are covered by the nap.  The nap wears out in time, but good quality cloth gives good wear.  Range from cheap to expensive clothes.  Material is often cumbersome and bulky, therefore it may be difficult to manipulate.  Also, the name for the entire coat of wool taken from a sheep at shearing time. Check out women's fleece clothing.

flight suit a usually one-piece garment especially of fire-resistant fabric worn especially by military aircrews

flip-flop a rubber sandal loosely fastened to the foot by a thong

flipper a flat rubber shoe with the front expanded into a paddle used in skin diving

Flocking is the application of fine particles to adhesive coated surfaces. The majority of flocking done worldwide uses finely cut natural or synthetic fibers. A flocked finish imparts a decorative and/or functional characteristic to the surface. The variety of materials that are applied to numerous surfaces through different flocking methods create a wide range of end products. The flocking process is used on items ranging from retail consumer goods to products with high technology military applications. Historians claim that flocking can be traced back to circa 1000 BC, when the Chinese used resin glue to bond natural fibers to fabrics. fiber dust was strewn onto adhesive coated surfaces to produce flocked wall coverings in Germany during the middle ages. In France, flocked wall coverings became popular during the reign of Louis XIV.  (Check out the American Flock Association)

florid  tinged with red; ruddy.

flush  of a ruddy health color. 

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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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