Shine in Lamé! Discover our new fabric

The Fauve Romance collection emphasises colors and light. The color palette of the collection ranges between very soft pastel tones, and more intense and bright tones such as sulphur which will enhance the look, and also bring a luminous note.

For the Diabolo Fauve capsule, we offer you a new fabric that highlights our designs. Let me introduce you to our lamé fabrics.

Lamé by Maison Fauve

The inspirations

The inspirations

Our Lamé Lyocell twill fabrics

What is lyocell?

Lyocell is an artificial fiber obtained from a natural raw material: wood pulp (the term lyocell is a contraction of the terms lyophilisation (freeze-drying) and cellulose). Lyocell is extracted from eucalyptus wood or hardwoods such as birch or oak, which are trees that require little water.

It is not a natural fiber because it does not exist as is in nature like linen or cotton, but it is not synthetic like polyester because it is not made from petroleum.

The terms lyocell and Tencel® refer to the same material, but Tencel® is the trademark name registered by the Austrian company Lenzing for the process of creating its lyocell fiber.

Lamé effect

Our fabric contains 79% lyocell, which gives it its beautiful drape and soft weave on the reverse side (it is woven like a twill), and 21% polyester threads which is the origin of its shiny and  lamé appearance. It is not a metallic lamé, the fibers which provide its shine are the same color as the fabric, the lamé is therefore tone on tone.

Yellow Sulphur lamé

Mint lamé

How to sew lamé?

Our lamé fabric is easy to sew: it irons very well (we sewed it using a “cotton” setting without any worries), so you can make patterns with pleats and darts that will be well defined.

When sewing, you will handle your work a lot, creasing it through your manipulations. Once your article is finished, iron your garment meticulously, and you will see that your lamé project will have a beautiful hold and will not crease a lot when you wear it.

To sew lamé, I recommend universal needles of gauge 70 or 80 (this is not a fabric that risks pulling threads easily when sewing). It does not fray excessively, it will not be necessary to overlock your pieces before sewing.

The fabric has a very slight transparency, but this will not pose a problem when worn with suitable underwear. To line your jackets, choose plain fabrics that are fairly slippy, like our cupro linings.

You can easily iron-on your lamé fabric with our iron-on interfacing: use G700 for parts of the garment that require strength such as a collar, cuff, button placket or belt. The G710 will also be very good if you want a less rigid final result.

How do I finish my seams?

Our lyocell fabric is lamé, and it is the synthetic fibers that give it this appearance. If you are sewing lined garments, you will not need to take any special precautions. Likewise, for trousers or shorts, an overlock finish will be perfect for a garment that will remain strong over time.

For a dress, a blouse or a top, the back of our fabric is soft, but the lamé fibers can get in the way in the assembly areas because the seam allowances will leave the edges of the fabric "raw", and this could be uncomfortable if you have sensitive skin. For this type of work, I recommend these different finishes:

• A French seam

• Or by binding your seams with a bias cut from cotton or viscose

These 2 types of finishes require seam allowances of 1.5 cm. Take this into account when you transfer your sewing pattern to your fabric.

How to take care of your lamé clothes?

Our lamé fabric creases very little and is easy to maintain. Machine wash your clothes on a delicate program and leave to air dry. You will then be able to iron your makes without problem.

What patterns are best to sew with lamé fabric?

Our lamé fabric has a beautiful hold: it drapes well, it has a nice, slightly heavy drape, and I find that its “behavior” resembles a medium-weight and fairly supple linen.

I want a lamé jacket

I sewed a Dandelion jacket in this fabric, because I imagined a very soft, very summery version. My jacket is fully lined, as indicated on the pattern.

A casual, slightly nonchalant jacket would also be very interesting: a Mimosa or a Manhattan jacket will have a renewed relaxation in this fabric, and the lamé aspect will be the sophisticated note which will counterbalance the suppleness of the material. For this type of pattern, again, you must follow the instructions: add iron-on to the bottom of the sleeves and the hem, add a lining to structure the whole thing and put the shoulder pads in place for a pretty shoulder line.

 

Trousers or shorts which shine subtly

For this type of fabric, you need patterns that provide ease and clothes that will not be constrained on the knee or thigh at the risk of weakening the material.

We present the pattern of the Grand Bain shorts to you in our visuals, and it is a real gem in this new fabric. I also made Belem trouser with our lamé and the result is superb: they have a lot of flexibility, a real soft summer trouser (Belem will be suitable both in its main version and shortened into shorts as indicated in the brochure and the pattern video tutorial is available here). The Brooklyn trousers could also be a nice alternative, the wide cut of the leg and its pretty pleats will be well highlighted by the fabric.

Is a blouse or a dress a good idea?

Our lamé fabric will be perfect for this type of clothing provided you follow the information given above if you are sensitive to textile finishes. Once the seam allowances are finished as shown, it is a comfortable fabric, and its weight allows you to sew lots of little tops and summer dresses.

In the visuals, Julie is wearing a Bellini blouse: the pleats are well highlighted, the cuff and button placket are perfectly executed in this easy-to-work with fabric. I can also imagine a beautiful Spritz tank top in lamé: the clean cut would go very well with this material, and the finishing touches on the pattern already include bias and French seams.

And what about the Daïquiri blouse… This pattern can also be sewn using French seams and I am sure that the beautiful cuts and pleats will be even more spectacular in lamé.

How to wear lamé clothes

Although this pretty fabric attracts attention, it is not necessarily as show-off as its name seems to suggest. As the finish is not metallic, you can easily integrate it into your daily wardrobe. It's up to you to decide whether you like the total lamé look, or whether you'd rather opt for touches of shine in all nuances.

The brightest at the Yacht Club

The elevated sportswear look, but definitely not suitable for running tournaments hehehe. I'm wearing my Dandelion jacket and the Grand Bain shorts sewn in the Mint lamé fabric, and I complete the outfit with my Malibu polo shirt in matching stripes. The polo adds a more relaxed note, and the reminder of color between the pieces is a very fashionable statement but also quite fun.

The touch of lifht in your outfit

A jacket, blouse or shorts sewn in our lamé will easily match the rest of your wardrobe. This fabric captures the light but it remains subtle, you don't have to fear the disco ball effect. It will go easily with similar colors, pastel tones, and neutral tones like sand or grège.

Preppy in Dandelion lamé jacket and Malibu polo shirt

Retro in Bellini lamé blouse, sand Grand Bain shorts and Sorbet Mimosa jacket