What are Gauze Clothes?

Gauze clothes are thin, loosely woven cotton garments. They are typically women's clothing items, but do include men's shirts. If you're familiar with gauze medical bandages, you'll have a good idea of what this clothing fabric is like, although not all of these clothes have quite as loose of a weave. Due to their extremely thin texture and light cotton construction, gauze clothes are popular in hot climates and for travel.

Both the pros and cons of gauze clothing include its extreme thinness. The thin quality of cotton gauze makes it comfortable in even the hottest weather, but it typically requires an extra layer underneath to avoid a completely see-through look. Cotton or silk camisoles as well as slips can be layered under gauze clothes such as blouses and dresses. Some cotton skirts and dresses have a cotton, polyester or silk lining sewn into the garment.

Peasant blouses with ethnic styles of embroidery as well as flowing or puffed sleeves are classic looks for gauze fabric. These types of gauze shirts are available in men's and women's varieties; many of these can be purchased in tropical countries. Some men's gauze shirts have short sleeves, while others are long-sleeved in design. While men's gauze tops may have embroidery details, women's styles may include a drawstring neck and/or waist. Gauze shirts made for men and women may fall at the top of the hips in length or be a longer tunic style.

Both men's and women's gauze tops may be solid or patterned. White, ivory and blue are popular colors for gauze clothing, but there are many color as well as style options for sale in these travel and hot weather clothes. For resort and vacation wear, gauze clothing is typically sold in bright colors such as lemon yellow, true red and brilliant turquoise. For women, long gauze sundresses are often favorite travel clothing pieces as they may be worn over swimsuits by the pool or ocean as well as dressed up with fancy sandals and jewelry for going out to dinner.

Gauze pants are popular in both regular and shorter, or capri, lengths. Some gauze pants are sold with matching shirts. Button front shirts are popular gauze clothes for men and women, as they can be worn over tanks to give these casuals sleeveless tops a dressier look for resort wear. Gauze button front shirts may have checks or other pattern details or be solid in color.