Silk Products Glossary

Brocade: It is a jacquard weave with an embossed effect and contrasting surfaces. Brocade can also be woven with synthetic or man-made fibers.

Canton Crepe: It is a soft crepe woven fabric having small crosswise ribs. The fabric is very similar to crepe de chine but is heavier.

Chiffon: It is a very popular silk fabric and is transparent, soft and light silk. The fabric can also be woven of cotton or man-made fibers.

China Silk: It is basically a plain weave silk of various weights. There are various weights of China silk from light to heavy. The lightweight fabric is used for linings and many "washable silks" with the wrinkled look, whereas the heavy one is used for shirts and dresses.

Charmeuse: It is a satin weave silk with a crepe back sometimes referred as crepe backed satin.

Doupioni: This is a silk fabric reeled from double cocoons nested together. The threads are uneven and irregular. There is a wide variety of the silk. Amongst all, Italian Doupioni is the finest, followed by Chinese Doupioni and Indian Doupioni. Silk Doupioni is commonly used in men's and women's fine suits and also dresses in lighter weight.

Faille: It is a soft ribbed silk with wider ribs as found in grosgrain ribbon. The fabric is slightly glossy and used for making mens and womens garments.

Georgette: It is a sheer crepe silk, heavier than chiffon and with a crinkle surface.

Noil: The fabric is created by short fibers, usually from the innermost part of the cocoon. The fabric is quite soft and is sporty in appearance.

Organza: It is silk blend and is similar to cotton organdy except it is made with the difference that it is silk and is transparent.

Pongee: It is a plain woven, thin, naturally tan fabric with a rough weave effect.

Peau de Soie: The fabric is also known as paduasoy and is a strong, soft silk with fine cross ribs. It looks slightly corded.

Poult de Siue: The fabric is sometimes called faille taffeta and has heavy cross ribs. Silk Broadcloth: It is a plain weave silk, which is crisper than China silk. The fabric comes in various weights and is often used in shirting.

Silk Shantung: It is a dupionni type of silk that is reared in the Shantung Province of China.

Silk Satin: The fabric has a satin weave with a plain back.

Silk Linen: The fabric has a nubby yarn in a plain weave. Its weight varies from light to heavy. The nubby of the fabric runs both lengthwise and crosswise.

Tussah Silk: It is a plain weave silk fabric from obtained from "wild" silk worms. The fabric characterizes irregular thick and thin yarns creating uneven surface and color. Tussah silk resembles Shantung silk. The colour of the fabric is often uneven; and is generally referred to as "Raw" Silk.