Drape is a general term referring to cloths or textiles. It can refer to cloth used for decorative purposes, such as around windows, or to the trade of retailing cloth, originally mostly for clothing, formerly conducted by drapers. Draping, or fabric drape, is the property of different textile materials and how they fold, fall, or hang over a three-dimensional body. Draped garments follow the form of the human body beneath them.
As a verb, to drape means to cover or hang with cloth or other fabric, especially in graceful folds, or to adjust curtains, clothes, etc. into graceful folds. The drape of fabric or material is the way it looks, the shape it takes, when its hanging.
In interior design, drapery refers almost exclusively to window treatments. Drapes are often lined with heavy fabric to block all outside light, and they are a more ornate window treatment often made custom to specific windows. Drapes are the best choice for rooms that require window coverings offering room darkening or insulation qualities, and they may better fit an ornate or formal space as well.
