Understanding texture in clothing

A designer recognises that different textures can affect interest in different ways. Some surfaces are inviting and some are repellent and so are the textures that suggest those surfaces. Using different textures can increase interest in a composition by adding variety without changing colour or value relationships.

Most of the research on texture deals with how the body physically senses texture and the emotional associations people have with various textures. It is a big deal to mention that various textures can activate various emotions and associations in people, and thus one can use this to their advantage if they wish to communicate a message with texture.

Texture, fabric and weave are three of the most misunderstood words in clothing. Part of the confusion lies in the fact texture has less impact on how a garment looks. It's more subtle than colour or the pattern of a garment - but to say it's unimportant is to ignore the human need to touch and interact. Texture brings in other senses beside sight - and when used properly can help a man look more approachable to a woman he's courting or more elegant to a group he's presenting in front of.

Texture is one of the first things we notice as humans. Babies are always touching, feeling and putting things in their mouth. Babies are like little scientists who test the world around them, since they haven't developed sight they must rely on their other senses. Texture tells babies whether something is safe and approachable (soft toys) or potentially dangerous (pavement). 

Texture and touch is one of the most primal, earliest ways that organisms learn who to cling to and who to reject. As adults, we still recognise that some fabrics are emotionally "warm", "nurturing"and give feelings of comfort, while others can give the opposite effect. 

"Texture refers to the physical surface of a piece of cloth. Sometimes it has a visible unevenness and sometimes it appears completely smooth. Texture can - but doesn't always - affect how the colour and pattern of the garment look."

 "Weave is the way the threads in a piece of cloth are bound into a solid whole. The weave and the size and quality of thread used in it affect the texture of the finished fabric."

"Fabric is the actual finish textile that gets cut up to make a garment. Confusingly, there is no standard system for how we refer to cloth. Marketers might use any combination of colour, weave, raw material, thread type, or other characteristics to describe a garment - it's entire possible to call the same coat "grey tweed"or "wool herringbone"if it is, in fact, a jacket made from grey tweed threads in a herringbone weave."

So while fabric and weave often affect the texture of the garment, they don't necessarily define it. You have to actually lay hands on the textile material to tell what the real physical texture is going to be like.

Why Texture Matters?

The most obvious effect of texture is, of course, its comfort on your body. No one likes to wear rough, scratchy fabric. That said, most jackets made with coarse fibres are lined, and the physical effect of texture is so obvious it bears little dwelling-on. 

Run your hand across anything you're thinking of buying (or better yet try it on), and if it feels unpleasant don't buy it. That one's simple. From a stylistic point of view it's the subtler effects of texture that are interesting. The texture of your garment can influence how its colour appears, how any patterns in it appear, and how formal it is.

Visual texture gives us a mental signal that makes us think about the person wearing it in a new way. In other words, the way a fabric looks can stimulate ideas of softness, warmth, approach-ability etc. even if we don't physically touch the material. 

• Consider fabrics that are considered "feminine": silk and velvet. These fabrics suggest softness, fragility etc.
• Leather is considered "masculine" because it's tough, rough and gives a mental image of a man who has been working out in the sun.
• Men and women can "soften" or "harden" their personas by adding fabric that is considered "opposite-sex". e.g. women who wear leather; men who wear silk.
• On the complex side - Denim is tough and hard at first, but can be quite comfortable when broken in. If you want a persona that says, "I'm tough on the outside, but warm and soft once you get to know me", denim might be able to give that off. 
• Laboratory research ha confirmed that fabric and texture can evoke emotions.

Using Texture in your Wardrobe

This is an easy sill to acquire once you are aware of it. Just remember the fundamental points:

1. Stick to one or two textured pieces at maximum. You can break this rule, but you should have a specific reason for doing it.
2. Textured fabric with coloured patterns make the "busiest" clothing. Pair them with simple pieces or you'll get too overwhelming.
3. Light texture adds interest and uniqueness to a dark solid, making them ideal for business wear that needs to stand out without breaking dress standards.
4. Textured accents can spice up an outfit that's otherwise smooth and simple.
5. Tall men/women and skinny men/women can wear more textures than short men/women and broad men/women. The lanky men/women benefit from a little extra "weight", while stout men/women want a sleek look with no distracting bumps and shapes on the way up.
6. A wardrobe that's completely free of texture is a dull wardrobe.