A charvet fabric is woven of silk or acetate in warp-faced rib weave, of a reversed reps type[1] with a double ridge effect.

[2] The fabric's name derives from its frequent[3] and "clever"[4] use in the 19th century by the Parisian shirtmaker Charvet.

[7] The bindings create a herringbone effect parallel to the warp, which make this weave suitable for creating faint diagonal stripe effects for ties, for which the fabric is cut on the bias.

In the United States, at the end of the 19th century, the term was used in a broader sense, to describe either fabrics "extremely dainty in construction and effect"[11] or silk shirtings.

[12] Since the beginning of the 20th century, the weave is rather found in solid fabrics for semi formal wear.