What does passementerie mean?
Passementerie is ornate trimming used to decorate clothing and other fabrics. It may consist of braid, lace, cord, fringe, metallic thread, beads, or related materials arranged along edges, seams, fastenings, and openings. Gold and silver versions were especially associated with ceremonial uniforms, court dress, ecclesiastical garments, and other richly made clothing. The word can refer either to an individual piece of such trimming or, collectively, to the ornamental technique and materials as a whole. In modern English it is relatively uncommon and chiefly occurs in fashion, costume history, textiles, and decorative arts. Although passementerie can sound like a general term for any embellishment, it more precisely denotes the applied or sewn-on decorative elements that finish a fabric object. The word is useful for describing both the materials and the elaborate craftsmanship involved in embellishing fine garments.
nounDecorative trimming, such as braid, lace, cord, or metallic ornaments, used on clothing and other fabrics. The term may also refer collectively to such ornamentation.
- Decorative braid, lace, cord, fringe, or similar material used to trim clothing and other fabrics.
- The ornamental trimming itself, especially when regarded collectively as a design feature.
"The ceremonial coat was finished with elaborate gold passementerie along its cuffs and front opening."
"Gold passementerie edged the velvet collar of the portrait."
"The costume designer added delicate silver passementerie to the sleeves."
The plural is grammatically possible but uncommon; the word is normally used in the singular or as a collective or mass noun.
"The exhibition displayed several contrasting passementeries from eighteenth-century court dress."
Passementerie is the art of turning an edge into a statement: think ornate braid, metallic cords, and jewel-like accents sewn onto fine clothing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does passementerie come from?
The word was borrowed from French passementerie, a collective term for decorative trimming or lace. French passementerie derives from passement, meaning braid, lace, or ornamental edging, and the related forms passementier and passementière belong to the same French vocabulary of trimming and its makers.
How passementerie is actually used
A specialized fashion and textile term, used chiefly in historical costume, ceremonial dress, luxury clothing, and decorative arts. It is often treated as a singular collective noun rather than as a count noun.