Wool fabric guide
Wool Dress Design with AI
For a wool dress, most mills quote wool crepe at 180 to 260 g/m²: a classic pairing.
Of the 14 cloths this guide lists for this cut, it sits between lightweight denim and cashmere knit in weight.
Next to lightweight denim, it is more fluid, warmer to wear and more demanding to care for.
Wool Dress at a glance
- Cloth to ask your mill for
- Wool crepe
- Typical weight
- 180 to 260 g/m²
- Drape
- Soft
- Stretch
- Slight
- Breathability
- High
- Warmth
- Warm
- Care
- Dry clean
- How common
- A classic pairing
- Typical cloth price
- $15-80/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 $33 to $260 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 wool behaves on a dress
Cut into dresses, it skims rather than clings, and gathers, pleats and wrap fronts settle without stiffness.
At this length a soft cloth moves gently at the hem and falls in loose folds.
It wears warm, which places it in autumn and winter collections.
The finished piece is usually labelled dry clean only.
It recovers from creases overnight and resists dirt, but it felts if washed hot and moths eat it in storage.
About wool
Wool is the fleece of the sheep: springy, warm even when damp and naturally resistant to odour. Fine merino feels soft against skin, while coarser wools give tweed and melton their body.
Fine merino comes mostly from Australia and New Zealand; Biella in Italy and Yorkshire in England are known for fine worsted cloths.
Wool dresses, skirts and tailoring are usually lined in viscose or cupro so they slide and do not itch.
Cutting, sewing and color
An 80/12 needle; wool shapes with steam, so ease a sleeve head or a curve with the iron rather than with extra seams.
It takes acid dyes evenly, and heathers and marls come from blending dyed fibres before spinning.
Its surface is matte, so it photographs evenly under flat light.
A description to start from
A dress in wool crepe, 180 to 260 g/m², with a soft drape and a matte surface, for autumn and winter.
If wool is not quite right
- Lighter: Jersey, in viscose jersey
- Heavier: Cashmere, in cashmere knit
- Cooler: Cotton, in cotton poplin
- More structure: Linen, in midweight linen
Also: how the studio works, prices and questions and answers.
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