The VFG believes that informed selling and buying communities are good for the vintage-fashion industry as a whole, and all visitors to the website have access to the VFG resources. These are continually updated and constantly evolving, thanks to a dedicated volunteer staff.
Our blog features our picks of the freshest vintage items, member news and articles. We have also created a growing series of articles on some classic designers.
The Vintage Fashion Guild™ (VFG) is an international organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of vintage fashion.
The Vintage Fashion Guild™ (VFG) is an international community of people with expertise in vintage fashion. VFG members enjoy a wealth of resources, avenues for promoting their shops and specialties, and camaraderie with others who share a common interest and passion.
With a name meaning “padded” in French, matelassé has a distinctly blistered, wadded or quilted look with raised areas of fabric. The texture is achieved in weaving, which is done on either a jacquard or dobby loom. The crepe-twist yarns used shrink in the wet finishing process, causing other yarns to puff out from the surface.
Matelassé may be silk, manufactured fiber, wool or cotton (the latter two mainly for upholstery and other household uses).
A cheaper matelassé-look fabric is made by shrinking the backing of a layered fabric—puckering the surface which is attached to the backing at regular intervals. Embossed fabrics can also achieve similar looks.
Uses: Dresses, eveningwear, outerwear, also home decorating
See also: Cloqué Crepon Embossed fabric
Matelassé
Matelassé achieved by shrinking the backing of a layered fabric