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Fabric-dyed garments have had color (dye) applied to woven or knit fabric after production. The fabric-dyed process allows manufacturers to produce garments at a lower cost and, at the same time, still create very vibrant colorations. Customers get the benefit of lower prices without sacrificing quality or style.
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Faille is a soft, semi-lustrous fabric with a ribbed texture. Faille is heavy in weight and very sturdy, but maintains a graceful, elegant drape. Faille is an outstanding fabric for dresses, skirts, slacks, tailored suits, home décor and much more. Faille also retains a light sheen without being too glossy.
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Fair Isle is a colorful knitting pattern characterized by geometrically shaped patterns. Originating in the Fair Isle of Scotland, the style became popular in the 1920s when it was worn by the duke of Windsor. The Fair Isle knitting pattern is often used in winter sweaters, caps and head bands.
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Fat Man and Ribbon sleeping bag drawcords feature one fat cord and one flat cord, which allow users to adjust the top or lower sections of hood by feel when it's dark outside. Fat Man and Ribbon drawcords help keep your bag snug around the head and face during cold outings.
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Unusually strong aluminum poles used for tents. DAC Featherlite tent poles use a system of three small metal sleeves to give the poles added strength and flex, while keeping them as lightweight as possible. Up to 15% lighter than aluminum poles of comparable strength, Featherlite poles are the strongest joint system built for tents.
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A high-performance sportswear knit that’s engineered to eliminate the stickiness caused by perspiration. Unlike other performance fabrics, Fieldsensor® manages moisture without clinging to your skin. Fieldsensor knit’s multi-layer structure continuously and rapidly absorbs perspiration, transporting it to the outer surface of the fabric for quick evaporation.
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In manufactured fabrics, a fine or thinly spun thread or fiber. Filament yarns consist of very long continuous fibers that are twisted or grouped together. Silk is a natural filament that falls under the filament category, and synthetic filament yarns can be manufactured to produce silk-like fabrics.
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Sleeping bag or garment insulation. Fill can be natural (such as down) or man-made (polyester or other synthetic materials). Fill preferences vary according to the activity for which the sleeping bag or garment will be used. Natural fill tends to compress better and retain heat longer than synthetic fill, but synthetic fill dries fast and will retain warmth even when wet.
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The number of cubic inches one ounce of down insulation occupies; also, a measurement of the down’s loft (fluffiness). The higher the fill power, the warmer it is. Choose the type of fill and use the fill power as a guideline to how warm or lofty you like your bedding. Lightweight warmth has a 500-550 fill power. 550-600 fill power offers medium warmth and 600+ fill power is very warm.
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The weight (measured in ounces) of down insulation inside a sleeping bag or comforter. The higher the fill weight, the warmer and heavier the sleeping bag or comforter will be. For example, a fill weight of 50 oz. will provide more insulation and warmth than a fill weight of 30 oz.
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A soft woven fabric, usually cotton or wool. Flannel is brushed on both sides to lift the fiber ends out of the base fabric and create a soft, fuzzy surface. This process also makes the fabric warmer by increasing its ability to trap body heat. Known for its soft hand and natural insulating abilities, flannel is often used in apparel and bedding.
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A pocket with a flap cover that conceals the opening beneath. Flap pockets can be conservatively tailored, like those used in men’s and women’s suit jackets. They can also be casual, as the flap pockets you find in cargo pants. Flap pockets can lay flat and open or can be fastened with snaps, buttons or touch-fasten closures.
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A type of wool found on sheep, alpacas, goats and other animals. In nature, fleece has interlocking scales that cause it to form a warm mat next to the skin, keeping the animal warm and dry. Synthetic fleece mimics natural fleece, using the same interlocking fibers to create a soft, insulating, and often windproof fabric.
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A trademarked term that applies to hats that stretch to fit. Flexfit® hats are woven with spandex throughout the moisture-wicking sweatband and crown, producing a comfortable, “one-size-fits-all” fit. Flexfit® hats require no straps or fit adjustments and also feature permanently curved bills to preserve the hat’s original shape.
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A strip of fabric covering the center-front opening of a pair of pants, originally designed to conceal the zip, touch-fasten or button closure. The original purpose of the fly front was to make pants easier to put on and take off. The most tailored type of fly front pant is the French fly, which secures the inside of the opening with buttons, a technique that flattens the opening of pants.
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A trademarked fabric produced by Obermeyer ski wear. Forecast fabric is soft nylon twill used in ski jackets and pants. Treated with a waterproof breathable polyurethane coating, Forecast fabric is flexible and highly weather resistant. Plus, Forecast is a less expensive alternative to high-end waterproof breathable fabrics and is therefore ideal for kids’ clothing that is quickly outgrown.
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A fiber available in a variety of configurations, such as EcoSpun®, which is a fiber made from recycled plastic bottles. Fortrel® EcoSpun® can be used by itself or blended with other fibers to produce products such as clothing, blankets, carpets and fiberfill. In the outdoor market, Fortrel® EcoSpun® is found mainly in fleece products.
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A construction feature in men’s trousers where the pleat openings face toward the outer edge of the pant. There are generally three types of pant constructions found in men’s pants: forward pleats, reverse pleats (pleat openings face the inside), and flat front. Pleated pants have a certain propriety that appeals to the traditional, grey-flannel sort of dresser.
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A fabric that stretches on both the crosswise and lengthwise grains of the fabric. Four-way stretch fabrics offer considerably more “give” than two-way stretch fabrics because of the unique construction of the yarns. Used in athletic clothing and other garments made for sports, four-way stretch fabrics offer maximum mobility.
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Similar to a liner lock, this mechanism is designed to keep a folding knife from closing accidentally. A frame lock is part of a knife’s frame (rather than a separate liner) and is typically engaged and disengaged near the blade’s pivot point.
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A formal pant closure technique that secures the pant with hidden buttons on the inside, a zipper and an outside button or flat-hook closure. The French fly is almost always found on higher-end trousers and dress pants for men. A desirable feature for the well-dressed man, a French fly keeps the front of the pant flat and smooth.
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An attribute of a fine, handmade necktie, French tipping refers to the finishing on the inside ends of the tie, where the material (usually silk) utilized on the front of the tie is also used in the tipping instead of a lining material, which is usually a less expensive acetate. French tipping is commonly found on high-end tie brands.
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Odor-neutralizing fabric treatment. FreshGuard® is embedded in fast-drying dri-release® fabrics to block odor-causing body oils from attaching to the fabric. Unlike other products that use a topical anti-microbial finish to control odors, FreshGuard® keeps clothes fresh even after repeated washings.
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A construction technique used in high-end, hand-tailored suits. A full canvas interlining is a free-floating material that resides between the jacket’s exterior and the interior lining. The benefits of full canvas construction is durability (as opposed to fused linings that break down over time), and a more distinguished, smooth and natural drape.
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A phrase used to describe the finely tailored dress pants you’ll find in prestigious brands of men’s suits. When a pant is advertised as a full dress make, you can generally expect a French fly, a front lining that extends from the waist to the knee, and an alterable waistband and seat. Pants with a full dress make can be customized for a proper fit.
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The relative distance of pants pockets from the side seam to the fly. A full top pocket is a measurement on which other pocket types are based. For example, a 1/4 top pocket spans one quarter of the distance from the side seam to the fly. A 1/8 top pocket spans one eighth of the distance from the side seam to the fly.
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An exclusive, more expensive method of circular knitting in which the complete garment (sweater, hosiery) is machine-knit at once, instead of sewing several pieces together, so it fits the shape of the body. Fully fashioned knitting machines use a punch card or computer to “instruct” the needles to add or drop stitches, creating two-dimensional shapes that ultimately define the finished garment’s structure.
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A type of leather that retains the top or outer texture of the hide. Full grain leather is made up of dense, tight fibers that are water-resistant and supportive. When used to make shoes and boots, full grain leather conforms to the foot over time. It can also be waterproofed, is abrasion-resistant, and will last for years when properly cared for. If this surface faces outward, it’s called smooth-out. When facing inward, rough-out leather protects the tighter fibers of the top grain from abrasion (giving the leather a longer functional life). Full grain leather can vary in thickness, depending on the starting thickness of the hide, and from which part of the hide the leather is taken.
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In tailoring terms, fusing applies to the process whereby a bonding chemical or glue is applied to interlining of a jacket and then “fused” or welded to the underside of the surface fabric with pressure and heat. Fused interlinings help shape the front of a man’s sport coat or suit coat. Used in less expensive men’s sport coats and suits, fused interlinings are more economical than full canvas interlinings but do not “float” as freely or naturally under the fabric of the coat.