Complex Numbers

Charmeuse

Another entry for "Journalistic Intentions"  [18+] today:

Charmeuse

Unlike some people, I'm not proud of my ignorance. Nor do I pretend I don't have any. It's always a great moment for me when I learn something new, even if it's about a topic I don't have a lot of interest in... such as fashion, which is the theme of this month's JI.

So until these prompts were posted, I don't think I'd ever even seen or heard the word "charmeuse." And I also restrained myself from looking it up, just in case it became one of the eight out of sixteen prompts that I'd end up picking at random and I could proclaim my ignorance in public.

And behold, it was.

So let's see. Before I look it up, I have some guesses.

The word "Charmeuse" is in the section of Fabrics prompts, along with nylon, silk, and wool—all of which I am familiar with, so why couldn't I have gotten one of those... oh well, I'd have less material (pun absolutely intended) to work with. So I will start out by assuming (and shut up about "ass-u-me" already; we all make assumptions all the time just to get by) that charmeuse is a fabric.

Easy enough. What else? Well, the word seems French, so my next assumption is that the initial sound is more like sh as in shit than ch as in chit. Look, even after three and a half years of French lessons, I don't consider myself fluent, but I see patterns (though I have no idea, as yet, if charmeuse is a patterned fabric or not). And if I had to take a stab at "charmeuse," I'd guess it's the feminine word for "charmer" or "one who charms" (the masculine version being most likely "charmeur" if it indeed exists in the language). This is like how "singer" (the vocal thing, not the fabric sewing machine company) can be translated as chanteur or chanteuse.

I should emphasize that I'm using masculine and feminine in their linguistic meanings, not the sociopollitical meanings, which have become a minefield.

Alternatively, it refers to someone who prefers Charmin toilet paper, much as "bounty hunter" refers to someone who was searching for paper towels during the pandemic supply shortages.

It being French tracks, because when you think of fashion, you think of Italy, France, and maybe Mobile, AlabamaNew York City, the latter of which uses Italian and French names for fashion to make themselves seem superior.

I can also provisionally rule out nylon, silk, and wool as being synonyms, so it's probably a completely different material... though my confidence level on that isn't very high, as you also have, say, felt (the fabric, not the past tense verb), which is a different form of wool in much the same way as graphite is a different form of carbon.

And that's the limits of my guesswork. Let's see how I did, courtesy of Wikipedia:  

Charmeuse (French: [ʃaʁmøz]), from the French word for female charmer...

Il est d'accord. Point pour moi.

...is a lightweight fabric woven with a satin weave, in which the warp threads cross over four or more of the backing (weft) threads.

Another thing I learned fairly recently: satin isn't a base material, like wool or silk, but a particular kind of weave. But satin is, as I understand it, most closely associated with silk. So deduct a point for me guessing it didn't have crossover with the other prompts.

I have a vague idea what warp and weft are in relation to fabric, but only vague, and there's only so far I'm willing to go down a Wiki rabbit hole this morning.

Charmeuse differs from plain satin in that charmeuse has a different ratio of float (face) threads, and is of a lighter weight.

"Plain satin?"

Charmeuse may be made of silk, polyester, or rayon.

Cue the "one of these things is not like the others" earworm.

It is used in women's clothing such as lingerie, evening gowns, and blouses, especially garments with a bias cut.

See? I told you bias was everywhere.

It is occasionally used in menswear.

And yet it's still called charmeuse in that context.

There's more detail at the Wikipedia link, though I shouldn't have to remind anyone that I wouldn't use it as a definitive source (and I can't be arsed to follow all those links at the bottom).

Any day when I learn something new is, in my opinion, a good day. Especially when it's source material (yes, I used that pun before) for comedy.