How Jersey came into Fashion & why this Fabric is still a good Choice

How Jersey came into Fashion & why this Fabric is still a good Choice

The story of jersey (fabric) & an amazing dress by Belle Couture

This blogpost contains pr samples (marked with c/o) and affiliate links

A fabric that is super comfortable, doesn’t wrinkle, looks beautiful, is easy-care, and also affordable – sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? But you know what, such a fabric really exists! Jersey has all these features. In this blogpost, I’m going to show you how beautiful this fabric can look, where it is from, and how Coco Chanel is involved in this story.

Jersey (Fabric) & it’s Story

Before diving deeper into the story of jersey, we are going to find out, what exactly this fabric actually is.

Sandra vom Vintage-Blog RetroCat in einem roten Retro-Kleid aus Jersey in Kroatien

What is Jersey?

The word jersey is used to describe a soft, elsastic knit fabric that is used predominatnly for clothing manufacture. Jersey usually is made of wool, cotton, and synthetic, sometimes even silk fibres. The fabric can either be very stretchy (single knitting), or heavier with less stretch (double knitted).

The name of the fabric comes from the largest of the Channel Islands: Jersey.

RetroCat in einem roten Kleid aus Jersey von Belle Couture

Story of Jersey (Fabric)

Since medieval time, Jersey (Channel Islands) was an important exporter of knitted goods. It is said, that there, the knitted fabric was first produced. However, in fashion industry, jersey definetely wasn’t the first choice. Silk and satin were the prefered materials. It was Coco Chanel who made jersey so popular.

Fashion-Bloggerin RetroCat mit rotem Kleid und schwarzem Retro-Mantel

How Coco Chanel made Jersey fashionable

“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” – Coco Chanel

Mademoiselle Chanel’s intention was to create elegant, wearable, and comfortable women’s wear for every day and night. She got inspired by sportswear and the striped fisher sweaters. So it is no wonder, that jersey, during this time mainly used for men’s underwear, was the perfect fabric for her designs. Especially, as it was even affordable during World War I. Her collections were a real revolution in women’s fashion. She banned corsets, made the litte black dress fashionable, and she even used the comfortable fabric jersey for evening dresses!

“I make fashion women can live in, breath in, feel comfortable in and look younger in.” – Coco Chanel

RetroCat in einem roten Jersey-Kleid im Vintage Stil von Atelier Belle Couture

How Jersey is used nowadays

Coco Chanel changed the image of jersey for the better. And even until after World War II, this fabric was the first choice for sportswear and jerseys (clothing). However, by now, jersey mainly got replaced in sports industry by synthetic fibres like nylon, polyester, and elastane. Nowadays, jersey mainly is used for T-shirts, women’s tops, draped garments, underwear, and bed linen.

My beautiful red dress by Altelier Belle Couture, though, proves that this comfortable fabric can still look super elegant.

Vintage-Mode-Bloggerin RetroCat in einem roten Petticoat-Kleid von Belle Couture

Chic & comfortable: The jersey dress “Audrey” by Belle Couture

As I’m travelling a lot, privately and for business reasons, I need comfortable, non-wrinkling, light, but still beautiful clothing. The jersey dress “Audrey” by Atelier Belle Couture meets all these requirements. Although it has been packet into a suitcase for many hours – wee took those photos in Croatia, Krk Island – “Audrey” still looks amazing and freshly ironed. As this dress is tailor-made, it fits perfectly and enhances the waist. Nevertheless, due to the elastic fabric, it still feels great and is absolutely comfortable. I especially love the circle skirt, under which I’m wearing a matching petticoat, and the pretty back-neckline.


More beautiful jersey dresses by Belle Couture:


Vintage-Fashion-Bloggerin RetroCat in einem roten Kleid mit schwingendem Tellerrock in Kroatien (Krk)

And if you are now wondering how I managed it to pack a petticoat into a small suitcase, I have a tip for you: Use vacuum bags! They are inexpensive, reusable, super easy to use, and space-saving.

As it is pretty cold in winter, even in Croatia, I teamed the dress with thermal tights and wore sparkly finshnets on top. My shoes are by Miss L-Fire, and the warm retro coat is by Hell Bunny. A colour-matching hairflower by Miranda’s Choice as well as earrings by Glitter Paradise finish this comfortable but super elegant vintage inspired outfit.

More Styling Tips:

  • Jersey dress in combination with (ballet) flats are perfect for everyday life, as they are very comfortable but still look good.
  • Teamed with sparkly jewellery and an elegant clutch, a jersey dress is also perfect for evening occasions, find an outfit example in this blogpost.
  • If you prefer an extraordinary and very glamorous look, team your jersey dress with a fascinator, nylons, as well as elegant accessories. In this blogpost, I show you how such an outfit can look.

RetroCat in dem Jersey-Kleid "Audrey" von Atelier Belle Couture


Outfit Details:

Dress: c/o Belle Couture

Petticoat: c/o Belle Couture

Coat: Hell Bunny, very similar here

Thermal tights: Calzedonia

Sparkly fishnets: Calzedonia, similar here

Shoes: Miss L-Fire, similar here

Hairflower: c/o Miranda’s Choice

Earrings: Glitter Paradise


If you want to learn more about fashion and the story of fashion classics, make sure to check out my page Fashion Know-how (click)!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *