Fabric made with metallic or metallic-looking yarns that give it a reflective surface.
Lamé gets its reflective appearance from metallic or metallic-looking yarns. In woven examples, flat metallic threads are interlaced with silk or other yarns and can form the ground or the pattern. The name therefore describes a textile effect rather than a single fibre composition or weave. Metallic-looking yarn need not be solid gold or silver. The Fashion History Timeline describes Lurex as aluminium-coated plastic used to imitate more expensive metal thread. Museum examples show the range of surfaces possible, including a silver lamé wedding dress and a Schiaparelli evening cape with a looped pile texture.
In job listings
Lamé belongs to eveningwear, costume and fabric development. A role handling it would have to account for a reflective surface that can mark and scratch, and advisors may need to pass on care advice. Search local jobs for “fabric”.
