In Fashion, What Is a Drape?
A drape in the fashion world refers to the way fabric hangs in a piece of clothing. Draping involves loosely hung material that creates a flowing or relaxed semblance of cloth. It includes a number of free-forming folds appearing throughout the garment and is often used as an adornment or embellishment in a fashion designer's creation. Perhaps most popular in dresses, draping can be employed in a variety of garment styles including blouses, skirts and slacks.
Draping is often used as a dramatic effect in fashion design. It allows the piece to form to the contours of an individual’s body. This particular style of design is often used for drama and to draw attention to the human shape.
Draping requires a certain set of skills. Not all good designers can drape well. To drape, a fashion designer typically loosely hangs the material over and around a dress form. Bias tape may be used to guide the draping fabric to the intended design.
Draping has been a key component in fashion design for centuries. In fact, it's probably most closely associated with ancient times, and more specifically ancient Greece and ancient Rome. The toga is probably draping's most popular example of the style.
Though it is often associated with ancient times and places, draping is heavily used in more modern fashion. A drape effect appeared in evening gowns, skirts, dresses and shirts. Chiffons, satins and silks were quite frequently utilized in drape-style clothing, but many other fabrics were also used. Some more rigid types of fabric however are not suitable for creating a drape effect. Fashion designers continue to experiment with draping in a variety of textiles.
The term drape, or more accurately, drapes also refers to another use of fabrics — window coverings. Window curtains are also known as drapes, and the free flowing and excessive fabric used to cover windows may have been the inspiration for the fashion style.
Draping is at times considered by some industry experts to be a lost art among fashion designers. It takes skill and attention to detail to develop the appearance of a drape in a garment. Often, it's an offered course in fashion design schools.
Written by Katie Kelley
