Non see-through fabrics for modest outfits, and how to test

Four tests to do at home

Do these with the fabric you plan to use, in a single layer, before you send it or approve it.

• The hand test: hold the fabric up to daylight and put your hand behind it. If you can see the outline of your fingers clearly, the fabric will show skin and underwear in bright light.
• The torch test: shine a phone torch through the fabric from behind. It mimics backlighting at a doorway or window.
• The flash test: take a photo of the fabric draped over your arm with the flash on. Flash is harsher than daylight and shows sheerness that eyes miss.
• The stretch test: pull the fabric gently across your fist, as it would sit over the bust or seat. Weaves open up under tension, and a fabric that is opaque when relaxed can become sheer where it is stretched.

Fabrics that lean opaque, and fabrics that lean sheer

Weight, weave and colour all matter, so treat these as tendencies rather than promises. The same name can cover a fine and a firm version.

• Usually opaque on their own: cambric, khaddar, karandi, marina, heavier linen, most jacquards, and dobby or slub cottons with a close weave.
• Sometimes: mid-weight lawn in prints and darker shades, viscose, and crepe, which can be opaque yet cling enough to show shape.
• Usually need a lining or inner: pale or white lawn, voile, chiffon, georgette, organza and net.

Colour and print change everything

White, cream, pastel and skin-toned fabrics show the most, because there is nothing to break up the shadow of the body underneath. The same lawn in navy or a busy print can be fine unlined. Prints with a dark ground and small, close motifs hide the most, while a white ground with a sparse print behaves like plain white.

Under-layers matter too. A nude-toned inner or slip close to your skin tone disappears under pale fabric, where a white one can outline itself. Keep that in mind if you plan to rely on a separate slip rather than a sewn-in lining.

Fixing sheer fabric: linings, inners and layers

A full lining sewn into the kameez is the neatest fix and never shifts. A half lining to the hip covers the bodice while keeping a summer kameez cooler. A separate inner or slip gives you flexibility: one good inner can sit under several sheer pieces. Trousers in fine fabric can be lined too, which is easy to forget until you stand in sunshine.

For dupattas and sleeves in chiffon or organza, a lining is not always wanted, because the airiness is the point. If you want the arms covered, ask for sleeves cut from the lining fabric, or a fuller sleeve lining. Our guide to choosing lining for an unstitched suit covers colours and quantities.

Asking for opaque results in your order

If you are sending fabric with Stitching Only, include a photo of it held up to daylight with your hand behind it; our guide to photographing fabric for a quote explains the rest. We confirm suitability and any lining needed before you post anything. Through the unstitched suit stitching service, lining can be part of the same order.

Customers in Bahrain and across the Gulf, where strong sun makes sheerness more obvious, often ask for full linings in summer cottons. Start with the Stitching Only quote form and write “opaque in sunlight” in your notes, so the lining is agreed in the written quote.