Luxury Lingerie Shopping

Browsing through the lingerie stores and print catalogues, I noticed that “charmeuse” is in almost every description for a piece of lingerie. Charmeuse on the cuffs of pyjamas, charmeuse robes for both men and women, long and short charmeuse gowns and corsets, bustiers and chemises made from charmeuse.

What is charmeuse exactly and why is it so popular as a material for lingerie, I wondered. According to Merriam-Webster, the exact definition is “a fine semilustrous crepe in satin weave”. Apparently charmeuse comes from the French “to charm”.

Traditionally charmeuse was sewn as complements on wedding gowns. It actually has no structure or rigidness, which leaves it lying in a puddle at the bottom of the feet. For some gowns, this is the effect that is required but for the same reason, charmeuse would not be used completely in fitted or shaped clothing. Hence, the reasons so many bath robes and long dressing gowns are seen in charmeuse.

Charmeuse became popular because of its drapability and the shiny lustre. The material is glossy on the side that is seen while the underside is matte in finish. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as “crepe-backed satin”. While it is considered the lightweight version of satin, it does have a luxurious and rich feel, which helped add to its popularity as a fabric.

Charmeuse can be made with a soft wool, cotton, silk, or rayon yarn. It is quite fragile and as such should only be hand-washed or dry cleaned to avoid tearing in the washing machine’s agitator. Because of its property of rich, satiny lustre, it is quite often sewn on as accent pieces, for example, on the cuffs of sleeves or as bodices on nightdresses. Other uses are in combination with stretch lace on tight fitting lingerie such as corsets.

One of the most sexy and luxurious ways in which charmeuse is sewn is in bustiers. This look is so fabulous that it would be a shame to cover the bustier with a blouse or dress. Wearing it to be seen is dramatic and stunning.