What Is Charmeuse?

How is charmeuse made?

Charmeuse is made by weaving fine yarns, most often silk, in a satin weave, which gives one side a smooth shine and leaves the other side dull. Merriam-Webster defines it as a fine, semi-lustrous crêpe in satin weave. It is used in women’s clothing such as lingerie, evening gowns and blouses.

1. Fibre. The yarn can be silk, polyester or rayon.
2. Weave. In a satin weave, each warp thread floats over four or more weft threads before it interlaces. Those floats form the shiny face.
3. Yarn choice. Britannica notes that most satins use smooth, lightly twisted yarns to heighten the shine. Merriam-Webster, however, classes charmeuse as a crêpe, so sources differ on how it should be described.

Britannica notes that a true satin needs at least five warp and five weft yarns in each repeat of the weave. Charmeuse is lighter in weight than plain satin. It is used especially for bias-cut garments, where the fabric is cut diagonally to the grain so it falls close to the body. The Museum at FIT, for example, holds a bias-cut slip dress in silk charmeuse by Muriel King, dated about 1935.

What are the properties of charmeuse?

Charmeuse is light, soft and fluid, with a lustrous face, a dull back and a surface that snags easily.

• Two-sided look. The face is smooth and shiny; the back has a dull finish. The Sewing & Craft Alliance describes charmeuse as a lightweight silk that is soft and drapes well.
• Drape. Its weight and softness let it hang and move rather than hold a shape, which is why it suits bias cutting.
• Snagging. The long floats that make the shine also make satins vulnerable to wear from rubbing and snagging.

How is charmeuse graded or measured?

Silk charmeuse is measured by weight in momme, a Japanese unit equal to 3.75 grams; the higher the momme number, the heavier the fabric.

The Sewing & Craft Alliance describes momme as the unit used for the weight of silk fabrics, with numbers that rise as the weight increases. A momme figure therefore tells you how much silk is in the cloth, not how good the fibre is or how well it was woven. Compare momme only between fabrics of the same type and fibre.

How does charmeuse appear on a clothing label?

Charmeuse never appears as a fibre on a compliant label: in both the US and the EU the label must name the fibres themselves, such as silk, polyester or viscose, with their percentages by weight.

In the US

Under the FTC’s textile rules, natural and manufactured fibres must be identified by their generic names and listed by percentage of weight, largest first. Fibres under 5 per cent are generally grouped as other fibres rather than named. A single-fibre garment may say “All” instead of “100%”, and a trademark must not imply that a product is made entirely of a fibre when it is not.

In the EU

Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 allows only the fibre names listed in its Annex I. There, “silk” means fibre obtained exclusively from silk-secreting insects. The name is reserved for that fibre and cannot be used for any other, whether on its own, as a word root or as an adjective. “100%”, “pure” and “all” may be used only for products made of one fibre.

What the percentage tells you

A label reading “100% silk” (or “All silk” in the US, or “pure silk” in the EU) describes silk charmeuse. “100% polyester” on a charmeuse slip means a polyester satin, whatever the swing tag says about feel or shine. A blend lists each fibre in descending order of weight, so the first name is the main fibre.

How is charmeuse different from satin and sateen?

Charmeuse is a lighter type of satin-weave cloth than standard satin, while sateen is a weft-faced satin, with the weft rather than the warp floating on the face.

How do you tell good charmeuse from poor charmeuse?

Good charmeuse has the fibre you are paying for on the sewn-in label, an unbroken lustrous face over a clearly duller back, a soft drape, and no pulled floats.

1. Read the sewn-in label first. Look for the fibre name and percentage, not the word charmeuse. In the EU, “silk” on a label can only mean insect silk.
2. Turn a seam allowance or hem over. Charmeuse has a shiny face and a dull back and should feel soft; two equally shiny sides or a stiff hand mean it is not the cloth sources describe as charmeuse.
3. Hold a corner up and let it fall. Charmeuse should drape softly and swing, not stand away from the hand.
4. Tilt the fabric under a lamp. Look along the face for pulled or broken floats, which show as raised threads or dull streaks. Check high-rub areas: underarms, seat, hip and hem.
5. Ask for the momme on silk. Use it to compare two silk charmeuses, remembering that a higher number means more weight, not better fibre.

Red flags: a label that says only “satin” or “charmeuse” with no fibre content; a brand name sitting where the fibre name should be; snags already visible on a new garment.

How do you care for charmeuse?

Follow the sewn-in care label: charmeuse can be silk, polyester or rayon, and each fibre needs different handling, so the label is the instruction to trust for the garment in your hands.

• Care labels. In the US, the FTC requires care labels on clothing under a rule separate from its fibre-labelling rules.
• Read fibre and care together. Fibre content may appear on the same label as the care instructions, so check both before washing or pressing.
• Protect the face. Satins’ long floats are vulnerable to rubbing and snagging, so keep charmeuse away from jewellery, hooks and zips when wearing, cleaning and storing it.

Is charmeuse sustainable?

Charmeuse has no single environmental profile, because it names a weave rather than a fibre: its impact depends on whether it is silk, polyester, rayon or a blend.

Check the fibre content first and judge the fibre, not the word charmeuse. Lifespan matters too. Because satin floats snag, a charmeuse piece lasts longest when it is kept away from rough surfaces and cleaned as its care label says.