Polyester fabric guide
Polyester Dress Design with AI
Mills make polyester dresses regularly, usually in polyester crepe at 110 to 170 g/m².
Of the 14 cloths this guide lists for this cut, it sits between cotton poplin and midweight linen in weight.
Next to cotton poplin, it is heavier, shinier and stretchier.

Polyester Dress at a glance
- Cloth to ask your mill for
- Polyester crepe
- Typical weight
- 110 to 170 g/m²
- Drape
- Medium
- Stretch
- Slight
- Breathability
- Low
- Warmth
- Neutral
- Care
- Machine wash at 30 to 40 °C
- How common
- Common
- Typical cloth price
- $3-12/yard
Typical trade ranges, not one mill's figures: confirm them with your mill.
The dress, in numbers
- Typical length
- 90 to 120 cm, from the high point of the shoulder
- Defining details
- Waist seam or princess seams, neckline, sleeve, zip or buttons
- Cloth needed
- about 2.0 to 3.0 m of 150 cm cloth, roughly $7 to $39 of cloth at typical prices
Typical figures for an adult size M. The pattern tier is set from the real piece count when you order.
How polyester behaves on a dress
Cut into dresses, it holds a clean A-line or shift shape without looking stiff.
At this length a medium-weight cloth hangs straight and moves a little at the hem.
It is neither warm nor cool, so it works across most of the year.
Care is simple: a machine wash at 30 to 40 °C.
It barely creases, dries fast and keeps its color, but it holds odour and can pill on brushed surfaces.
About polyester
Polyester is a synthetic fibre made from petroleum or, more and more, from recycled bottles. It can be engineered to imitate silk, wool or cotton, and to wick, stretch or shed water.
Recycled polyester is widely available and certified under recycling standards; ask the mill for the certificate, not only the claim.
It is itself the usual lining cloth; a polyester piece is lined only when it is sheer or when the face would cling.
Cutting, sewing and color
A microtex needle and polyester thread; it resists pressing, so seams are set with heat and a clapper.
It is dyed with disperse dyes at high heat or printed by sublimation, so bright colors stay fast.
It has a soft sheen that shows the folds without glare.
A description to start from
A dress in polyester crepe, 110 to 170 g/m², with a medium drape and a soft sheen surface, for most of the year.
If polyester is not quite right
- Lighter: Cotton, in cotton poplin
- Heavier: Velvet, in silk and viscose velvet
- More drape: Silk, in silk charmeuse
Also: how the studio works, prices and questions and answers.
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