Fabrics in Fashion: v. Silk

What is in this article?

i. The origins of silk manufacture

ii. Silk in fashion

iii. Varieties of silk

i. The origins of silk manufacture

• Silk production, know as sericulture, originated in ancient China. The first evidence is a fabric fragment from the Yangshao culture site, dating to about 3630 BC. For centuries, China closely guarded the secrets of sericulture, creating a monopoly and making silk a highly valuable and covetable commodity. Silk quickly became a symbol of wealth and status in China and was even colour coded to denote social class during the Tang dynasty.

• The Legend of Leizu describes how the Empress Leizu observed a silk worm spinning a cocoon, which then fell into her tea. She noticed the long, delicate thread and realised its potential for weaving. On the recommendation of her husband, the Yellow Emperor, she began to instruct her entourage in the art of raising silkworms - sericulture.

• Although, fragments of silk were also found in ancient Egypt and the Indus Valley from around 1000BC, silk from China eventually spread via the Silk Road in 114 BC, partially over arid deserts on the back of camels and yaks via Asia to Europe and beyond.

• By the eleventh Century, silk production was widespread through Europe, particularly in the Italian city states, such as Lucca, Venice and Florence and eventually spread to France and Spain. Silk production is now concentrated in a few countries, predominantly China and secondly, India.

ii. Silk in fashion

• Silk is known for its luxurious feel and lustrous appearance and is often used to create evening gowns, bridal dresses, lingerie, loungewear, blouses, shirts and scarves, as well as suits and ties.

• Silk was popular with the aristocracy and nobility in the seventeenth and eighteenth Century Europe. In the nineteenth Century, Queen Victoria's white silk wedding dress set a trend in bridal fashion. Silk scarves, also worn by royals, became fashionable.

• In the 1930s, long bias-cut silk gowns with low draping backs were a popular evening dress, as worn by Hollywood stars such as Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, on camera. Couture designers, such as Norman Hartnell, created show stopping evening gowns and bridal dresses from silk.

• Throughout twentieth Century fashion, silk scarves remained popular. Iconic square designs, often worn neckerchief style and emblematic of post-war elegance, were produced by couture houses such as Jean Patou, Givenchy and Hermes and photographed on stars such as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly.

  
  

• The 1990s saw the rise of the minimalist bias-cut silk slip dress, as famously worn by Carolyn Bessette on her wedding to John Kennedy Junior in 1996. Designed by Narciso Rodriguez, she wore pearl coloured silk crepe dress with a subtle cowl neck.

• Perennially in fashion, there is now a growing demand for traceable, eco-friendly silk; for example, the 'Silk Mark' guarantees mulberry tree origin and traceability for silk produced in India. However, ecologically, silk is one of the cleanest textile industries as the mulberry trees used do not need fertilisers or pesticides.

• Animal rights organisations such as PETA continue to protest silk production because silkworms are killed in the process. Some of the major brands, including fashion retailer ASOS, have pledged to no longer sell silk (2018).

iii. Varieties of silk

• Silk Chiffon is ultra light, soft and matte. It is used by designers for ruching, pleating and shirring to create a light, airy ethereal effect. It can be used for transparent or graceful, feminine designs.

  
  

• Crinkle Chiffon is ultra lightweight and has a micro-pleated texture. It has a slightly more casual look than silk chiffon.

  
  

• Silk Organza is crisp and transparent. Heavier organzas are perfect for creating lightweight sculpture and volume in a garment. Satin Organza has a higher gloss than ordinary organza.

  
  

• Silk Georgette is made from twisted yarns that give a pebbly look. It is semi-opaque and has micro crinkles. It is used in drape-y blouses, bias cut trousers and skirts and can be used in conjunction with digital printing and dyeing. Double georgette is a heavier version.

  
  

• Crepe de Chine is widely used in fashion and has a matte sheen or very slight shine. Similar to georgette but slightly denser and more opaque. Very high quality clothing can be lined with crepe de chine.

  
  

• Silk Habotai is an ultralight fabric, often used in linings. It has a paper-y or cotton-y feel and is relatively cheap, compared to other silks.

  
  

• Charmeuse is a glossy silk with a liquid mirror shine, used to create luxurious garments, such as nightwear, bridal and evening wear. A slightly heavier weight, it still drapes gracefully over the body.

  
  

• Satin Crepe looks similar to charmeuse but has a twisted yarn structure and a dull underside.

  
  

• Duchess Satin is a full-bodied, structured and heavier silk fabric with a pearl-y shine. It can hold large volume, crinkles and folds and is used to make large gowns in the bridal and couture industries.

  
  

• Mikado Silk resembles duchess satin, but has a twill weave. It is less glossy and more fluid than duchess satin, but still heavy weight. It is used to create exaggerated silhouettes, without folds or creases, such as wedding gowns. It is a very expensive fabric.

  
  

• Silk Faille has horizontally raised micro lines, providing structure to the garment, whilst remaining lightweight. It has a subdued sheen making it good for casual wear and can also be blended with cotton.

  
  

• Silk Taffeta was worn in the nineteenth Century by nobility. It is lightweight and slippery, but holds its shape well. Classic taffeta has a two-tone iridescent appearance.

  
  

• Silk Dupioni, from Italy, resembles tafetta with its iridescent tone, but has a slubby texture. A mid-weight fabric, dupioni looks more fluid and uniform in appearance than taffeta.

  
  

• Silk Shantung, from the Shandong province of China, it is also iridescent like taffeta, but subtler and dupioni, but smoother. It has a paper-like structure and is used to make garments with a sharp silhouette or some volume.

  
  

• Tussah Silk is made from silk cocoons harvested from the wild, after the silkworm has eclosed from the cocoon, leaving behind silk fibres of different lengths. The shorter fibres create a slubby and uneven fabric texture, which is more difficult to standardise. From fine to rough, tussah silk creates an imperfect, artisanal aesthetic.

  
  

• Raw Silk is similar to tussah silk with an uneven, nubby texture. It has not been 'de-gummed' (which gives silk its shiny texture) and is therefore more matte in finish.

  
  

• Silk Noil is made from the leftover silk fibres that have been through the de-gumming process. It has a matte finish and nubby texture. Heavier versions of silk noil are coarse and good for rugged outerwear; finer versions are good for shirts and jumpers.