Piqué (weaving)

Piqué, or marcella, refers to a weaving style, normally used with cotton yarn, which is
characterized by raised parallel cords or geometric designs in the fabric.[1] Piqué fabrics vary
from semi-sheer dimity to heavy weight waffle cloth.[1] Twilled cotton and corded cotton are
close relatives.

1830s white cotton marcella skirt

Name
The name piqué is derived from the French word Piquer, meaning 'quilt'; late 18th-century
piqué fabrics were considered to imitate a hand-made quilt.[2]
Piqué weave
The weave is closely associated with white tie, and some accounts even say the fabric was
invented specifically for this use. It holds more starch than plain fabric, so produces a stiffer
shirt front; piqué shirts would go on to replace earlier plain-weave fronts, which remain a valid
alternative. Use of piqué then spread to other parts of formal dress code, and it is now the
most common fabric used in the tie and waistcoat of white tie dress.

Piqué weaving
Piqué weaving was developed by the Lancashire cotton industry in the late 18th century as a
mechanised technique of weaving double cloth with an enclosed heavy cording weft. It was
originally used to make imitations of the corded Provençal quilts made in Marseille, the
manufacture of which became an important industry for Lancashire from the late 18th to the
early 20th century. The term "marcella", another name for piqué, is one of a number of
variations on the word "Marseille".[3]

Fabrics

Woven piqué
Piqué fabrics are a type of dobby construction. Piqués may be constructed in various
patterns such as cord, waffle, honeycomb and birdseye. These fabrics require the addition of
extra yarns, called stuffer yarns. These stuffer yarns are incorporated into the back of the
fabric to give texture and added depth to the fabric design. Some piqués may be made using
the Jacquard attachment on the loom. Although made of 100% cotton today, cotton-silk
blends and even pure silk versions were made in the past and in a variety of weaves. [4]
Knitted piqué

A Lacoste tennis shirt

Piqué knit is a double knit that forms a structure with pronounced wales. The knit type is
possible with warp and weft, both knitting techniques. The texture is used in polo shirts.[5][6]

Structure
Knitted piqué has a grained surface on the face and plain single jersey on the other side. The
construction is open and prone to shrink more than single jersey. The knit can produce many
variants such as single pique, double pique and more; it is also known as Lacoste piqué for
the company's use of the fabric in its signature polo shirts.[7][8][9]

References

1. Nielson, Karla J. (2007-07-10). Interior

Textiles: Fabrics, Application, and Historic
 Style (https://books.google.com/books?id
=1wRk1gaOK0QC&q=Piqu%C3%A9+weavi
ng&pg=PA75) . John Wiley & Sons.
ISBN 9780471606406.

2. Montgomery, Florence M. (1984). Textiles

in America 1650-1870 : a dictionary based
on original documents, prints and
paintings, commercial records, American
merchants' papers, shopkeepers'
advertisements, and pattern books with
original swatches of cloth (https://archive.
org/details/textilesinameric00mont) .
Internet Archive. New York ; London :
Norton. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-393-01703-8.

3. Atkins, Jacqueline M. (2001), "From lap to

loom: The transition of Marseilles white
work from hand to machine" (http://findar
ticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3983/is_2001
 03/ai_n8942593/) , The Chronicle of the
Early American Industries Association,
Inc, retrieved 2010-05-02

4. Davis, Rebecca; Tuntland, Carol (1996).

The Textiles Handbook. Plycon Press.
ISBN 9780916434113.

5. Reichman, Charles (1961). Double Knit

Fabric Manual (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=dhBHAAAAYAAJ) . National
Knitted Outerwear Association. pp. 75–
147. ISBN 978-0-598-48380-5.

6. The Indian Textile Journal (https://books.

google.com/books?id=f2DsyFPm6xEC) .
Indian Textile Journal Limited. 2013.
p. 108.

7. Bixler, Susan; Nix-Rice, Nancy (1997). The

New Professional Image: From Business
Casual to the Ultimate Power Look (http
 s://books.google.com/books?id=N_t8-pcy
ubsC) . Adams Media. p. 143. ISBN 978-
1-55850-729-6.

8. The Bulletin (https://books.google.com/b

ooks?id=uNAxAQAAIAAJ) . J. Haynes
and J.F. Archibald. March 1993. p. 72.

9. Schwartz, Peter (2019-08-15). Structure

and Mechanics of Textile Fibre
Assemblies (https://books.google.com/b
ooks?id=3YmpDwAAQBAJ) . Woodhead
Publishing. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-08-
102769-1.

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