Describes the effect on fabrics that reflect flickers of light, particularly with slightly ruckled weaves. Other fabrics are woven with just enough metallic thread to create an attractive shimmer, which in a dark room subtly picks up that bit more light, and in a clean cut setting strikes a good balance between the hard and the soft materials. Another side benefit of metallic thread is the strength running through the fabric, giving it structure–if you scrunch up a section it will keep its shape, which can be really good fun in the right environment.
In pale grays and silver tones, shimmery textiles become almost invisible in direct sunlight, and when ornamented with rows of beads, especially bugle beads and sequins, will shimmer even in half-light.