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Please help me define ruche

Discussion in 'PUBLIC Vintage Fashion - Ask Questions Get Answers' started by denisebrain, May 24, 2019.

  1. denisebrain

    denisebrain VFG Vice President Staff Member VFG Past President

    I am writing a VFG Fashion Parade which encompasses a runway trend to use ruching. I see so many definitions of ruching, shirring, and gathering—very overlapping.

    In my Fairchild's, ruche is defined as "A quilted, crimped, or pleated strip of lace, net, braid or ribbon 1 to 3 in. wide, usually with a flange. Used as edging, fringe, trimming in women's wear and upholstery. The process is called ruching."

    WWD says "Current fashion descriptions use the term ruching to refer to clothing with large areas of fullness gathered in to form a rippled effect. Historically, ruching was a trimming made by pleating bands of fabric and stitching the pleats in place. These bands were sewn onto various parts of the garment."

    The Business of Fashion: "Ruching is a gathered overlay of fabric strips that are pleated, fluted, or gathered together to create a ripple-like effect. The frill or pleat of the fabric, often lace, chiffon or muslin, has evolved from the 16th-century ruff."

    From the sewingdictionary.com: "Gathering the fabric, usually in a seam, to provide decoration, accent, or fullness."


    I think many now see the term as somewhat interchangeable with gathering, judging from runway images used to illustrate ruching. What is the best definition? Pictures also welcome!
     
    CatsLikeUs likes this.
  2. poppysvintageclothing

    poppysvintageclothing VFG Board Member Staff Member VFG Past President

    YvesSaintLaurentSilk2Piece4ruched.jpg

    I had this 2 pc outfit that sold by Yves Saint Laurent that I had used the term for.

    Also have the velvet and metallic lame cloak on now

    Vintage-1920s-Evening-Cloak-Black-Velvet-full-9o-2048-81-r-ffffff-fff9ef.jpg

    Vintage-1920s-Evening-Cloak-Black-Velvet-full-1o-2048-43-r-ffffff-fff9ef.png

    and had this dress which sold

    40sBlackTaffetaBallGown5_grande.jpg

    40sBlackTaffetaBallGown_grande.jpg
     
  3. lkranieri

    lkranieri VFG Member

    A simple definition from Webster's:

    Definition of RUCHE from Webster's dictionary. : a pleated, fluted, or gathered strip of fabric used for trimming.
     
  4. lkranieri

    lkranieri VFG Member

    ..and I found this distinction between ruching and shirring helpful:

    Ruching is made by creating two or more parallel lines of gathering. Shirring is a gathering technique done with elastic thread, which creates a stretchy garment. Elastic thread is used in the bobbin, causing the fabric to gather up when stitched.
     
  5. denisebrain

    denisebrain VFG Vice President Staff Member VFG Past President

    Thank you both! Those are gobsmacking pieces MJ!!

    Lynne, ruching, as you quote Webster's, is a gathered strip of fabric used for trim. I have the sense that this might have evolved, but I'm not sure.

    This piece is described by the MET as "1860s muslin fichu with ruched self-trim and long front tails."
    1394a23975827f44eb28f22df15644e1.jpg

    Some other pieces for which the MET uses the term:
    main-image-1.jpg restricted.jpg
    main-image.jpg


    It seems like the term is now used in a more general sense, like in your second definition Lynne, or even more loosely, as gathering.

    In the MET collection, the references to shirring don't always involve elastic, such as these items:
    restricted-1.jpg
    restricted-2.jpg
    They seem to be using shirring to describe parallel rows of gather, whether elasticized or not.

    Then there are the runway write-ups which call these items ruched:
    Givenchy.png Preen.png
    Screen Shot 2019-05-23 at 11.09.22 AM.png
     
  6. Ranch Queen Vintage

    Ranch Queen Vintage Administrator

  7. Linn

    Linn Super Moderator Staff Member VFG Past President

    I think of ruching as soft gathering that provides fullness as shown in this 1930's dress from the Historic Costume Collection at the University of Hawaii; not as a trim piece.

    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    I think that pleating whether done by machine, chemically or by hand is a hard(er) treatment as shown on the skirt and the right front (of the bodice as worn) in the modern light blue dress shown above. The left side of the bodice is gathered but I'm not sure it's full enough to be considered "ruched," The trim on the dress and the muslin fichu that the Met shows doesn't look like what I think of as "ruching." I'm not sure that I would describe the other two modern dresses as "ruched" either.

    Here's another example, also from the UH Costume Colection:
    [​IMG]

    It seems that the term is used differently now than historically. Interesting discussion, Maggie!
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2019
  8. denisebrain

    denisebrain VFG Vice President Staff Member VFG Past President

    Claire let me know that she prefers the WWD definition ( thank you @claireshaeffer ):

    The term has definitely evolved!
     
  9. Mozzy

    Mozzy Registered Guest

    Hello!
    Gathers are bunching up fabric to create volume.
    A Ruffle is a strip of gathered fabric, with the fabric flanging out from the gather. The gather can be in the center of the strip. A ruffle is used as trim or decoration.
    Ruching is fabric that is gathered on both sides, whether a strip, a tube, or pattern piece, such as a bodice.
    Shirring is fabric that is gathered with elastic in multiple parallel rows, creating a stretchy fabric.
    Pleats are consistently spaced folds of fabric at regular intervals to gather fabric, with the fold edges clearly defined.
    Tucks are pleats that are stitched down along the base of the fold.

    The terms have not "evolved," so much as people misuse the terms, believing them to be interchangeable, when they are not.
    Each one describes a very specific form of fabric manipulation, and although they are inter-related, they are still very separate and distinctive forms of gathering fabric.
    ~Mozzy
     
  10. GemGem

    GemGem Registered Guest

    3014383fc837c603a5db9e9d9e93cfd0.jpg

    Yes, it is a tricky one alright. I often use the term to describe shirring. There was a big media invasion of this term with the release and consequent frenzy around rats "ruched' leggings by sass and bide in the 00's. This seems to have compounded the confusion. I even include the term ruched to describe shirring, not because I am unaware but simply because that will be the term searched for in order to find an item.

    Rats Ruched leggings below

    GettyImages-544383088-1.jpg
     
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  11. Avantbo

    Avantbo Registered Guest

    I saw this thread and can't add much but did remind me when as little boy and had misbehaved I would have to stand outside my Granny's bungalow
    while she rehung her nets and Ruched! or I had to.

    Oh! I so hated those frickin" nets and she washed them every couple of months but I was such a rebellious child, that was my punishment, never really did learn but got good at ruching. :)
     
    Mozzy likes this.
  12. Mozzy

    Mozzy Registered Guest

    The key thing that defines ruching from ANY other form of gathering is the fact that the gathers are on both ends of the piece of fabric, be it a pattern piece (like the legs of Rats Ruched Leggings), or a fabric tube or insert. The leggings are not confusing, they are correctly labeled, because the shirring is on both of the seams for the legs. Even if the back of the pant legs is smooth, the fact that there are gathers on both sides is what makes them ruched.

    When the gathering is only on one end, if the gathers are not uniform, or knife edged, it is shirring.
     
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  13. GemGem

    GemGem Registered Guest

    Thank you for the clarification. If the ruching is elasticated does it retain the same term of ruched? Or could it be described as Shirred Ruching?
     
  14. Mozzy

    Mozzy Registered Guest

    Oh, for message notifications that get misplaced in e-mail!

    It is the elasticizing of the ruching that makes it shirring.
    All shirring is ruching, but not all ruching is shirring...

    Marketing and Search Engine hashtags aside. Speaking strictly from a technical definition.
     
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