Fashion

[Pearlee]

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@151949 wrote:

Maybe YOU can't tell the difference - I can. 

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Sure, sure, sure.  Whatever you say, 151949.

[Kachina624]

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@151949 wrote:

And , in the end of it all, it is all the same cheap, cheesy, awful polyester double knit. Some heavier, some lighter and clingier, some have spandex and some don't but basically they are laughing all the way to the bank about the prices they are getting for this cheap fabric.

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Some of these knits are quite different from others.  SG's liquid knit is absolutely unlike a double knit which is very substantial rather than silky.  There are obviously many different machines and techniques used to make what appear completely different fabrics.  Many also use other fibers with or without polyester, like rayon, acrylic, and nylon or even wool and cotton.

Thank goodness we have these knits because as a rule they're very comfortable, wash well and are wrinkle resistant so are great for travel.  Definitely not the same cheap, cheesy, awful polyester.  As with everything else, there are different qualities of fabric.  I personally much prefer wearing synthetic knits to fibers like cotton and wool which require a lot of special care.

[wilma]

All the different knit names can be quite confusing.  I know they are trying to distinguish between them all, but that doesn't really help me until I feel the fabric.  Some knits I will wear and others I won't - just depends on how it feels against my skin.  I definitely think that poly has come a long way since the 70s.  Whoa!  That is the second time tonight I referenced that decade.

[GingerPeach]

@Gemspirit and @Pearlee

Per the US Trademark website, Chico's has abandoned its trademark "Passport" for clothing.  It only now owns rights to the term for "retail clothing store services."  That is probably why SG and her team were advised they could use it for SG clothing since it appears Chico's is letting it go.  it may eventually let it go for the "store services" as well.

That's the way of trademarks.  You have to continue to use them or you lose the rights to them.

[Pearlee]

@GingerPeach  Hi, Homegirl.  I never shop at Chico's and had never heard of Passport knits before Graver's.  But really, that was just one of many examples I was giving about the different knits - to the extent there really are differences - that QVC peddles.

[GingerPeach]

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@Pearlee wrote:

@GingerPeach  Hi, Homegirl.  I never shop at Chico's and had never heard of Passport knits before Graver's.  But really, that was just one of many examples I was giving about the different knits - to the extent there really are differences - that QVC peddles.

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Hi @Pearlee

I was writing in response to gemspirit's comment ("Actually, Chicos has an entire category of the knit that launched the store~called "passport knit"/travelers collection. I'm surprised that SG gets away with it.").

I should have quoted it all so the trademark explanation would have made more sense.

SG would be infringing on (illegally using) Chico's trademark "Travelers" if SG used that term for any of her clothing since Chico's is actively using the term "Travelers" as a trademark for clothing.  Chico's is no longer using "Passport."  Sorry, I can get carried away with trademark info!

[Venezia]

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@Pearlee wrote:

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@151949 wrote:

My cousin worked in a factory where they make polyester fabric - they basically melt down a block of plastic in a machine - stir in the dye while it is melted then press it through extruders where it comes out in thin strands and is cooled and rolled onto a spool then goes to another machine where it is woven or knitted. i saw it being made . Don't you wonder why it doesn't ever fade or wrinkle? Did you ever use too hot an iron on polyester - it melts because it is plastic. That is why it doesn't breathe and people complain it is too hot and makes them sweat.

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Polyester wrinkles, so no I haven't wondered that.

You are describing poly in a very negative light.  So what if it's made the way you say? That isn't necessarily negative.  Nobody claimed it was cotton or linen.  There are many grades of polyester.  Some of it I can't tell from silk and of the two fabrics in that case I prefer the polyester.  It's much easier to care for and much less fragile.  There are some really nice polyesters and I like the easy care.  I've never expected it to have the qualities of a natural fabric.  I know what I'm buying when I buy it.

Why do you have to constantly be so negative about so many things?  

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I've wondered the same thing.  Astonishing how some posters continue to frequent the Q's boards, when they don't have a good word to say.  Seems such a waste of time and energy.

[UpTooEarly]

In some cases, polyester is the best way to go. Athletics for example. If you go to any kind of sporting event you won't see one person in cotton or linen. Why? because synthetics are best for wicking and staying cool. I do not understand people who think polyester is warmer to wear than cotton or linen unless they have been spoiled by early synthetics, which I believe were pretty plastic-like. The new microfibers are wonderful to wear. And if they come from plastic bottles, I feel all the better about it! 

That said, price is often in the name. You can buy a big name sports bra for $50. Or a small name sports bra for $15 and they are likely the same fabric. Or you can make one in the same tech fabric for about $3 if you have the time!

[violann]

Whether it is "cheap" in price or not it is unnecessary to pile on the nonsensical invective.

No one receives any prizes for number of unpleasantries per post.

There are some of us who wear synthetic knits because of issues with other fabrics.

No bait, no hook, no line, no sinker. Just choices. We're all different, we're ALL entitled to enjoy what we choose to enjoy.

[Nonametoday]

JMHO, but there are knits and then there are knits.

All the high-end stores are now selling expensive clothing in knits, something that was not happening a few years ago.  Most people can no longer afford real silk or wool.  Cottons and linens have come down in recent years with the overproduction of the crops in India, but the butterflies have not overproduced silks and the sheep and goats have not been generous so cashmere and wool are becoming luxury items as has silk.  Go ahead and complain about knits if you can  afford the finer things in life but most of us cannot.

A couple days ago I was looking at some knit T-shirts at Lafayette 148 that started at $178 and went up to about $400.  That is not your grandmother's knit.

As with cheap silks and expensive silks, cheap wools and/or cashmeres and expensive wools/cashmeres, there are cheap knits and better quality knits, and I have seen some brushed knits that looked exactly like raw silks.  I still own some raw silks and I have the new brushed knits that imitate raw silk and I cannot tell them apart, except that I know and can read the labels.