A Guide to Lingerie Terminology
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Allover Lace
Lovely laces, always elegant, one of Triumph’s most successful fashion collections, refreshed with new colours and styles every season.
Amourette
Lovely laces, always elegant, one of Triumph's most successful fashion collections, refreshed with new colours and styles every season. *Called 'Pure Luxury' in South African Classics Collection!
Appliqué
Lace, embroidery or additional fabric is sewn or bonded onto the base fabric to create a three-dimensional finish.
Autosoft Concept
A new procedure in which very fine micro threads are worked into the edge of the lace, making lingerie invisible under tight-fitting clothes. Great elasticity adapts to the body's movements ensuring lingerie retains its shape throughout the day and guarantees a perfect fit.
Balconette Bra
Straps are positioned on the outside edge of the cup, revealing the décolleté. Perfect for wide necklines.
Bandeau Bra
A strapless bra with a straight silhouette, sometimes with detachable straps, excellent under off the shoulder dresses or T-shirts.
Body
One-piece garment that fits like a second skin, creating a smooth look under clothes.
Bra
Short for brassiere.
Bridge
Holds bra cups together. The higher the bridge, the greater the shaping and support.
Brief
Everybody knows they're knickers, but there are several shapes with different names. (see tai, string etc).
Charmeuse
Silky smooth lingerie fabric, different on each side.
Cleavage
Emphasised bust shape usually created by a push-up bra. Check out Triumph's Maximizer range - the ultimate, cleavage enhancing, push up collection!
Collection
As well as all ongoing ranges and best sellers, there are always two brand new collections each year, for Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. 'Spring' starts in January and 'Autumn' in August.
Cotton
Natural fibre from the cotton plant that’s easy to wear and care for. Cotton textiles are soft, cosy, fine and breathable, absorb moisture and don’t become `static´. Different qualities are dictated by how long and how fine the fibre is spun. The longer and finer, the more valuable cotton becomes.
Cottylene®
Triumph’s registered name for a stretch fabric with cotton content. Cottylene® combines the positive properties of synthetics and cotton with the cotton generally on the inside of the material, next to the skin.
Cup
The part of the bra that covers and supports the breast.
Décolleté Bra
See Balconette bra.
Dessous
French for “worn underneath”, now the fashionable description for ladies´ fine underwear.
Dorlastan
Registered name for an elastane thread from Bayer.
Elastane
Generic term for every synthetic stretch fibre, all extremely elastic with great shape retention and a long life. Triumph uses these properties to maximum effect.
Embroidery
Stitches embroidered onto a background fabric by a knitting machine.
Eyelet embroidery
Also known as Madeira embroidery. An awl creates holes in the fabric, then knitting machine needles embroider around the edges of each hole.
Fabulous F Cup
Did you know that Triumph caters for size F cup in the beautiful, minimalistic style - 'Soft Shaper'? Soft Shaper Underwire offers clean, easy wearing lines in a smooth moulded cup which is double layered for support. Shoulder straps feature light padding for comfort in this high pressure zone and 'comfort' wires cushion your busts movement. Visit an Edgars store near you to try it for yourself!
G-string
Assumed to be named after the finest string on a violin, g-string refers to any brief with a 'string' or thong back (see thong and string brief).
Galloon lace
Narrow lace scalloped on both edges. Can be woven, knitted or embroidered, stretchy or rigid.
Guipure embroidery
Created by covering the base fabric with stitching to form a continuous pattern then, using chemicals, heat treatment and washing, the background fabric is dissolved so that only the embroidery remains. Very time consuming and labour intensive, Guipure is very expensive.
Halterneck
Fastened by a single strap at the nape of the neck.
Hidden Wire
The underwire is hidden within the fabric, so it’s absolutely invisible and can hardly be felt.
Invisible underwear
Perfect fitting underwear that can hardly be seen, using, among others, the Autosoft concept where the finest micro stretch threads are woven into the lace, right up to the edge for the smoothest ever line under clothes.
Jacquard
Fabric with beautiful woven-in patterns. Using different yarns the pattern can be `lifted´ for a textured effect, a very time-consuming and labour-intensive process.
Jacquardtronic-lace
Lace created using modern machines with electronic steering that create the look of sophisticated woven lace.
Knitted fabrics
Produced on a knitting machine, they have a natural stretch.
Leavers lace
The first lace produced on machines, uses a twist or weaving technique resulting in an elegant finish. These machines are no longer made and those that still exist work slowly and are costly to run, so this luxurious lace is now very expensive to manufacture.
LYCRA®
An Elastane "stretch" thread.
Lace
The first laces came from Italy in the 15th Century and were quickly distributed throughout Western Europe, which became a global centre for lace-making that still exists, though on a much smaller scale, today. France is famous for woven laces, embroidery laces come mostly from Switzerland and Austria, while Germany became famous after the war for burnt-out-lace. Before then laces were made by hand which was so labour intensive, they were only available to the rich.
Maximiser bra
A bra that makes the bust appear bigger - usually a push-up style that enhances cleavage.
Mercerising
Super combed Maco cotton is treated with a cold caustic soda solution. The fibres expand and become tight so their profile becomes rounded and the surface smooth.
Meryl®
Fine fibre technology in polyamide, registered by Nylstar.
Micro fibre
Threads made from polyester and polyamide, finer than the finest silk thread. Light, superfine fibres that are particularly soft, pliable and pleasant on the skin, offering maximum comfort.
Micro modal
An extremely fine-spun cellulose fibre approximately 40 times finer than a human hair so that a 10,000-metre continuous fibre can weigh just one gram or LESS.
Minimiser
A minimiser bra reduces the appearance of the bust by one cup size.
Modal
Modified cellulose fibre made entirely from plants, feels similar to cotton.
Moulded cups
Cups without seams, invisible under clothes. A heat and pressure process moulds fabric permanently into shape. Triumph has many years experience using this technique and our environment-friendly process plays a leading role in the marketplace.
Multi-way straps
Also known as variable straps (see V).
Nickel
All components that Triumph uses, such as hooks and eyes, are nickel free.
Push-up-bra
Visibly increases the size of the bust, creating a cleavage and therefore guaranteeing a beautiful neckline.
Quality control
Second to none at Triumph. We pride ourselves on the very highest quality control standards.
Raschel lace
Made using a special process that creates knitted stitches. The more thread systems used, the more impressive the pattern. Can be stretchy or rigid lace.
Satin
Smooth fabric, shiny on the outside and with a silky drape, can be stretch or non-stretch.
Seamless
Innovative circular knitting techniques have allowed seamless production of briefs and tops that fit like a second skin.
Seamless cups
See Moulded.
Shapewear
Triumph’s high-tech, new generation of Shapewear offers minimalist styling in brilliant shapes to suit your figure and outerwear needs. Triumph Shapewear helps feminine curves `disappear´ under clothes with engineered panels for targeted support. Look out for our Seamfree ranges currently available and 'Sculpt 'n Shape' launching in South Africa in July 2009 ... A smooth silhouette in seconds!
Silicon
Used as a 'gripper' band to prevent slippage, especially in strapless bras.
Simplex
Reversible warp knit fabric that looks the same on both sides. Without elastane, so non-elastic.
Sports Bra
The breast is under extreme stress during sporting activities and as it has no muscles, can easily become stretched, so it’s vital to wear a sports bra. A dedicated sports bra is cut in such a way that the breasts are completely enclosed so they don’t move. Straps won’t restrict movement and at the same time won’t slip. Triumph International offers sports bras suitable for three different levels of intensity.
Straps
A key feature of a bra that offers support. Often an integral part of a pretty bra, straps have become a fashion statement. Triumph's straps adjust to ensure a perfect fit and they're designed to be comfortable all day long.
String brief
see G-string.
Suspender
Holds up stockings, sometimes detachable, increasingly popular since the launch of the hit movie Moulin Rouge.
Tactel
Fine fibre made from 100% polyamide, extremely kind to the skin, soft and breathable. Tactel® Aquator also regulates moisture.
Tai
Brief that fits up to the waist.
Tanga
Brief with very narrow fabric, elastic or ribbon side panels.
Textronic lace
Development following on from Jacquardtronic lace with plastic patterns that create an embroidery effect.
Thong
See G-string.
Trenslo stays
Pliable stiffeners sewn into the side of a bra - known as the wing - for strengthening and shaping, preventing the breast from moving sideways or the wing of the bra rolling or going out of shape. Also used in bustiers.
Tri-Action
Triumph’s famous range of sports bras designed specially to keep the bust properly supported during any form of exercise. The `Tri´ in Tri-Action comes from the triple action of each bra, giving support from above, below and each side.
Tulle
A fine open base fabric with a honeycomb structure. Can be woven or knitted.
Underbust width
Measured in centimetres or inches, this gives the bra size i.e. 70, 75, 80 or 32, 34, 36. The difference between the upper- and underbust width gives the cup size i.e. A, B, C etc.
Underwired bra
Underwire is sewn into the bra to lift and shape the bust. Particularly suitable for larger cup sizes.
Variable straps
Also known as multi-way straps, using a single set of straps in a variety of positions. A number of shapes can be achieved, for example halter, cross-back, standard and strapless.
Viscose
Made from cellulose, usually from beech or pinewood trees, this synthetic fabrics has a particular sheen and soft feel.
This information is brought to you by Triumph International Factory Outlets South Africa
Triumph Factory Outlet Atterbury
Triumph Factory Outlet Cape Town
Triumph Factory Outlet Park Meadows
Triumph Factory Outlet Springfield
