crepe

crepe

, crape

a. a light cotton, silk, or other fabric with a fine ridged or crinkled surface

b. (as modifier): a crepe dress

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

crepe

[krāp]

(textiles)

A silk, polyester, wool, rayon, or other fabric with a crinkled surface obtained by using yarns twisted alternately right and left in the filling.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Crepe

 

a group of fabrics, primarily silk, made from threads with a very large (crepe) twist, and also, in some instances, special (crepe) interweavings. The most common types are crepe de Chine, chiffon crepe, crepe Georgette, and satin crepe.

Crepe is usually made with threads twisted to both the right and left in a specific alternation; this twisting of the threads, which gives them greater elasticity, causes the fabric to shrivel quite a bit, which in combination with the different directions of the twists, creates a slightly rough, shaded effect.

Crepe is made not only from silk, but also from silk mixture, cotton, wool, and wool mixture, and also with artificial and synthetic threads. The crepe effect is achieved in these fabrics primarily by using crepe and other somewhat patterned interweavings, frequently without the crepe twist. The advantages of crepe are that it drapes well and is crease resistant. It is used for women’s dresses and suits.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.