Glossary

Technical Fabrics

Supplex®

Specially engineered fabrics that are flexible, lightweight and soft with a truly natural, cottony hand. DuPont certified SUPPLEX® is as strong as it is soft- offering durability and performance advantages- as well as breathable and odour-, wind and water resistant. SUPPLEX® fabrics also dry demonstrably faster than cotton. When blended with LYCRA®, SUPPLEX® combines cottony-soft comfort with gentle support, superb fit and great freedom of movement.

Benefit: Cottony-soft comfort that it won't wrinkle, shrink or fade, fuzz or pill!

Coolmax®

CoolMax® makes sweat a non-issue. The specially-engineered DuPont fibers used in CoolMax® fabrics transport perspiration away from the body to the surface of the garment, where it can evaporate quickly, keeping the body cool and dry At the same time, the uniquely-shaped fibers provide great breathability, even when wet. The breathability (called air permeability by fabric techies) further enhances the thermoregulatory effect. You stay dry. You stay comfortable. And you have more energy and endurance.

Benefit: Cool comfort though moisture management.

We process returns as soon as they arrive, except during extremely busy periods when there may be a short delay of up to two working days. Please note that when sending a return, the parcel is your responsibility until it reaches us; we strongly recommend that you send it registered post.

Lycra®

More than superior stretch performance, LYCRA® fiber adds comfort and softness, improves body-shaping, enhances drape and shape retention, and can provide such combined benefits as chlorine resistance and comfort in swimwear, a terrific lasting fit in leather, and washable and wrinkle resistant linen.

Benefit: Comfort and freedom of movement.

Tactel®

Fabrics made with Dupont's dynamic speciality fibre that offer a wide range of innovative aesthetics including lightweight, luxurious drape and soft, silky touch.

Meryl® Microfibre

Thanks to the fineness of each filament, Meryl Microfibre is one of the finest mad-made fibres (finer than silk) and offers breathability, extreme comfort, easy care and dries three times quicker than cotton. Meryl also gives UV protection to a much greater factor than a polyester or cotton equivalent fabric. Meryl is a trademark owned by Nylstar.

Benefit: Comfort and breathability.

Tecnical Terms

Gusset

A triangular insert, as in the seam of a garment, for added strength or expansion.

Emmerized

An emmerized fabric has been treated in such a way to give it a 'peachskin' feel to it. All ONE STEP AHEAD garments are 'brushed' supplex.

Capri Pant

This refers to a particular length of legging/pant. In almost all cases the pant is cut just under the knee or mid way down the calf muscle.

Shimmel

The shimmel top is very similar in design to a vest but is a much tighter fit and normally comes with a bra built in for extra comfort and support. A shimmel top can either have a muscle back (x-back) or a regular back (u-back) and can be cropped or full length.

Jazz Pants

These pants were introduced many years ago and were designed specifically for Jazz Dancing. The pants are tight on the thigh and flare out from the knee downwards (hence the newer version:- the kick flare).

Bootleg Pants

Whilst the Jazz Pant tends to be not very flared at the bottom, the bootleg pant is much wider. This allows you to easily put on and take off your pants whilst leaving your shoes on.

Yoga Pants

Yoga pants tend to be more of a straight leg pant that is loose all over. They are designed for comfort.

Tank Top

A tank top is traditionally a looser fitting vest. It will either have a muscle back or u-back and will not come with an inner support.

Hipster Cut

Regardless of the style of pant (whether bootleg or regular legging) a hipster pant will be cut with a smaller rise so that the pant 'rides' on your hips. Probably the best selling hipster pant is the 260 or 261 from One Step Ahead. This style cut is also known as the low waist pant.