A lightweight satin-weave fabric with a lustrous face and a duller back.
Charmeuse is a lightweight fabric in satin weave, usually of silk or a manufactured fiber, with a lustrous face and a dull, crepe back. The luster comes from the weave. In satin, each warp end generally passes over four or more weft picks before going under one, and those long floats give a smooth, shiny surface. The Getty vocabulary lists charmeuse’s usual uses as lingerie, evening dresses, blouses and linings.
The common confusion is with satin itself. Satin is a weave, one of the three basic weaves in the CottonWorks glossary, though some people use the word for satin-woven silk. Other fabrics are woven in it too, such as sateen, which uses spun yarn rather than filament. Charmeuse is one fabric in that family, light in weight and marked by its crepe back. Nor is it crêpe de Chine, which is a plain weave whose texture comes from twisted weft yarns.
In job listings
Charmeuse is seldom named in luxury listings. Fabrics of this kind are handled by tailors, alterations specialists and couture product developers, whose listings ask for experience with delicate or luxury fabrics, and by fabric teams in the design studio. See current delicate fabrics roles.
