Viscose Crepe, my favourite fabric

Written by Sarah Garrett-Hodoniczky

• 

Posted on March 28 2013

I just love wearing Viscose crepe. When i saw this fabric available again, I just had to do some styles in it. Like all Viscose fabrics, it is a plant based fabric that is processed to give a great feel because of the weight and drape. You can achieve looks that are hard to get with natural fibres like cotton, as it does not stick to under layers and the weight makes it hang close to the body and not bulk out. 
It does have one drawback though, a lack of dimensional stability when washed. 

Most labels who use it put 'dry clean only' care instructions on their garments to get around the problem. I do not dry clean any garment, not liking the smell or the chemicals on my skin. I also want all my clothes easy care, gentle machine wash and no iron. So the way around this is to prewash all the garments so any change to shape is done before the customer even gets to try it on. When a new style is sampled, it is then washed, tried on again and any adjustments are then added to the pattern to allow for shrinkage. 

Ink Cezanne pants
(ink Cezanne pant - left, ink Cezanne tunic - right)
When a crepe fabric is being made, it uses a high twist yarn to get that nice texture and it also gives a slight stretch to the fabric even though it is not knitted. I find it really comfy to wear and it loosens up with body warmth like many natural fibres do e.g.  denim. When trying on the pants, know that they will be a little more fitted when you first put them on and will give a little, soon after wearing. They will shrink back a little again when next washed. This fabric can be ironed with a dry iron on the reverse side if you want a smoother look, but steam does make Viscose crepe 'grow'. So do not use steam, unless you want to gain some extra room. If you do steam by mistake, a simple wash will return the garment to it's original size. 

     

    (black Cezanne pant - left, charcoal Cezanne tunic & pant - right)
    The two styles available now in my favourite fabric, are the Cezanne tunic and Cezanne pants. They can be worn together or matched with many of the 'Bamboo Layers'.

    The Cezanne tunic is perfect over leggings as it is not sheer and a good length. It has nice bust shaping and two handy pockets. The back also has two seams to add shape and there are cotton grosgrain ties that can be tied to pull in as much as you require to make it the most flattering shape for you. This tunic will be perfect for all weather and can have any top under it, from singlets to long sleeves. 
    The Cezanne pants have the same leg pockets as the Triumph pants. Everyone who has the Triumph pants love these pockets as you can put things in them, yes functional pockets. They sit a little more slimmer in the leg than the Triumph pants and they have a fold over waist band that can be worn further up or folded low on the hips. They are great under most tops and tunics.

    Enjoy the Cezanne styles,

    Cheers

    Sarah

    Comments

    1 Comments

    • Comment author

      I love it too, but have a hard time finding where to buy it. Where do you get yours from?

      Posted by natalie riskas | February 28, 2018
    Leave a Comment