Sunday, August 06, 2006
Polyester is stayin' alive
Don't dust off those leisure suits just yet. The fabric is making a comeback, but it's been revamped and blended with other materials to make it more fashionable.
The latest from The Ticker blog
Stefan Green steps out of a dressing room and slides in front of a full-length store mirror.
He squints his eyes and turns in half circles, admiring the blue pin-striped suit he's modeling on a shopping trip with his parents.
"I like it a lot," he says quietly, fidgeting with the oversized white collar.
Diane Green looks on approvingly at her 15-year-old son. She rearranges his collar, the way any mother might, privately harboring dreams that he'll one day strut down the runway of a fashion show, perhaps adorned in a Versace or Armani suit.
But Stefan won't be sporting such well-known collections, because the student at Radford High School looks perfectly hot in his polyester-blended suit.
Polyester?
Flashback to Roanoke County's own disco haven, GD Graffiti's, boogieing under glaring lights, minimum of two buttons unfastened.
But, worry not, because the man-made stuff in Stefan's suit is not the same thick, scratchy fabric from your daddy's dancing heydays.
Chemical blends and manufacturing techniques are allowing clothing makers to vary the colors and improve the quality of their polyester offerings, helping Roanoke retailers revitalize that popular '70s disco-cloth in the form of business suits and package deals, appealing to just about everyone -- from churchgoing teenage boys to business professionals.
And the fabric's qualities are transcending gender barriers as well.
Polyester blends are "extremely" popular in the women's market for the same reasons men love it, according to Debbie Madonna, vice president of merchandising for B. Moss Clothing Co.
"They've definitely had a resurgence in the last several years," Madonna said. "I would say it's at least 40 [percent] to 50 percent of the business."
Can you dig it, man?
"Technology has come to the point where manufacturers are able to produce with a better hand than previously," added Allison Levy, a specialist in tailored clothing from the Doneger group, a national fashion consultant located in New York City.
The revamped polyester, once the preferred garb of lounge lizards, has been blended in the past five years with a handful of other materials -- cotton or wool or the nonfibrous stain resistant Teflon -- making the fabric easier to wear and, in some opinions, quite fashionable.
"Old fabric, new interpretation," said Cheryl Nowak, an expert in menswear from Doneger.
Local retailers are taking advantage of the poly technology, offering ways for middle class Americans to avoid the pokes and prods of tailoring pins and needles, and for high-end professionals to stay wrinkle-free.
Harry's Menswear, on Towne Square Boulevard in Roanoke, is stocked with a variety of men's suits.
Customers browse the hangers -- some say 100 percent poly, others 63 percent. Extra long, bright-colored sport coats sit adjacent to the Steve Harvey Collection.
"Nowadays, you can have a polyester suit that feels just like wool," said owner Rana Maghera.
The suits illustrate the ability of polyester fabric to appeal, through low prices and durability, to a variety of customers, Maghera said.
"They sell well because they are low cost," he said. "Like any type of retail, expense is one of the major factors."
But customers are candid about their intentions to buy the cheaper polyester suits, some of which are knock-off brands of what the latest NBA star is wearing to the arena.
For Diane Green, the low cost helps Stefan -- who like any teen boy grows faster than a beanstalk in a fairy tale -- stay clothed.
And it still looks pretty groovy, Stefan's dad, Josh, insists.
"I grew up in the '70s," he said. "I wore those clothes. It's a lot different, better quality."
The man-made fabric techniques also appeal to business professionals who can buy a wrinkle-resistant suit and still look fashionable for that 10 a.m. conference call, Nowak said.
Because of polyester's durability, blended suits wrinkle less than, say, cotton, pleasing business folk who are on and off planes and phone calls all day.
The blends are also well-liked by men buying suits for the first time -- younger professionals might not be familiar with the ins and outs of men's fashion, Nowak added.
They might not realize, for example, that "shiny fabrics are more formal and matte-finish fabrics are considered more casual," according to Donna Dilley, a local men's fashion wear expert.
But don't be afraid of poly being too informal, because upper-end clothing stores acknowledge the advancements in poly fabric blending and its high-class appeal.
"The technology of making man-made fibers has improved significantly to the point where they do have the thermal qualities, they do have the wicking qualities and they do have the ability to color beautifully," said Larry Davidson, owner of Davidson's in downtown Roanoke.
Davidson's walls are decorated with blends of cotton and wool, bright silk pink ties and some good-feeling polyester blends.
Sorry, guys, no white buck loafers or double-knit leisure suits here.
Patrons can find a pair of trousers that are 53 percent cotton, 46 percent polyester and 1 percent spandex. The lining of the pants is 100 percent polyester. All that for $135, a little more than the suit package deals at Harry's -- $129.99 for the suit, a shirt, tie, handkerchief and shoes -- but poly nonetheless.
Davidson said that even those who refuse to wear anything less than 'au natural' come back for more of the man-made blended materials.
Polyester has made its advancements through mixing and finishing techniques, creating better thread, according to fabric manufacturers.
By altering polyester at its molecular level it is possible to make permanent changes to the fabric, said DAK Americas spokesman Ricky Lane.
"Its being shown that it's not just a commodity filler product, it can deliver functionality and value," Lane said.
The national fabric maker, based in Charlotte, N.C., focuses its efforts on improving two qualities older polyester was known for -- stench and sweat.
And they, like many others in the fabric making business, have been successful.
Better thermal and wicking qualities are two of the biggest differences from that polyester suit sitting in the attic.
"Even a little bit of blend goes a long way," Maghera said.
In fact, fabric strides have gone beyond the walls of factories.
In Australia, some wool producers are breeding their sheep to produce finer fabric. The animals are draped with a white sheet, which looks much like a cape, to protect the sheep when the weather gets cooler.
But Stefan's future is looking much less sheepish, because he's diggin' his new look.
The Greens were successful on this trip and Stefan is well on his way to turning heads in the pews, and maybe even down the runway.
Maghera readies the suit bag, while Stefan and his parents browse the racks for accessories.
And although polyester reminds the young man of what he has seen and heard of the '70s, there's no doubt his fashion sense is a far cry from Saturday Night Fever.
"Nowadays, it's just something I'd probably wear."
