Darts
Darts are a dressmaker’s punctuation marks. They are a technique used for shaping garments by curving straight fabric to the body. Darts are created by stitching a long, thin pinch to a point, which is then pressed down to one side. They vary in width and length, as a garment requires, and can insert shape at the shoulder, neck, bust and waistlines by being tapered at one or both ends.
Dégradé
Dégradé is where a fabric’s colour, or the fabric itself, fades like a sunset, from the densest pigment or thread to the finest. It is a popular technique in couture, with all the colours of the spectrum, from the deepest to eh lightest, are often used in velvets or silks. But in a barber’s shop, un dégradé (coupe de cheveux) is the light layering of hair.
Diamond Smocking
Diamond Smocking is the diamond shaped form of smocking, which is an embroidery technique used to hold gathered cloth in even folds. Smocking was used to create a stretch long elastic was invented and enabled fabric to be fitted as well as flexible. It dates back to the cuffs, bodices and collars of the Middle Ages.