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Valenciennes is a variety of pillow lace. Originally it was made by hand at Valenciennes, it was later largely manufactured by machines at Nottingham. At its height in the 18th century, the craft employed about 4,000 workers in Valenciennes in 1750, but in 1851 only two lace-makers survived. The meshes, made of two threads partly twisted at the top, form an irregular hexagon.
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A Vandyke was an 18th century broad collar of linen or lace with the edge cut deeply into large points in imitation of a style of collar frequently depicted in paintings by the 17th century painter Vandyke.
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A Vandyke beard is a short beard cut to a V-shaped point.
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A varsity jacket is an American blouson, usually made of heavy woollen fabric, with leather sleeves with knitted cuffs and waistline and with a collar. Typically they have the name of a college football team embroidered on them.
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A veil (from the old French veile, from the Latin velum, cloth) is an article of feminine dress, used as a covering for the head, especially the face. In the ancient world, as in modern India, a mantle wrapt round the head was, when so desired, drawn over the face as a veil. In Islam custom requires the veiling of women in public or in the presence of men. The Turkish yashmak, when worn, veils the face from below the eyes.
In the Roman Catholic Church a woman is admitted into a religious order takes the white veil of reception on entering her novitiate. When she is fully professed and takes the life vows, she receives the veil of profession, which is usually black, though in some orders it is white.
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Velcro is a proprietary form of fastener comprising two sides, one side a mass of tiny plastic hooks, the other side a furry material into which the hooks grip when pressed together. Velcro is very easy to fasten and release, and is widely used in garments designed for children.
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Originally, veldskoen were light shoes made of untanned hide. Now the term is applied to walking boots made of strong, but light leather or suede.
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Velour is a pile fabric woven from woollen or cotton yarns or from a mixture of these yarns. It is similar to felt but with a pile like velvet or plush, that is finished to present a raised, smooth, furry pile. The term is also applied to a material made from rabbit furs, largely employed in the manufacture of hats and upholstery.
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Velvet is a silken textile fabric with a short, thick pile, formed by interweaving silk threads to form a nap or pile. It was first manufactured in Europe in the 14th century. France learned the art of velvet-weaving from Italy, and at the revocation of the E'dict of Nantes, in 1685, French Protestant refugees brought it to Spitalfields and so it was introduced to Britain.
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Velveteen is a textile fabric formed by interweaving cotton threads to form a nap or pile. It is similar to velvet.
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A vertugado skirt is a women's bell-shaped skirt from Spain. The shape is maintained by the presence of cane strips, known as aro, inserted at regular intervals.
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A visite is a woman's sleeveless, or short-sleeved cape or mantle, formerly fashionable in Britain in the late 19th century.
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Viyella is a trade name for a woven fabric of wool and cotton, invented by William Hollins and Company in the late 19th century and used for making nightshirt's and underwear. During the 20th century the material became popular for also making pyjamas, jumpers and shirts.
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Voile is a fine, sheer, semi-transparent plain-woven fabric of tightly-twisted yarns, traditionally made of wool, silk or cotton, and more recently synthetic fibres. Voile has been used since the 19th century to make blouses and dresses.
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Abbreviations
Costume
