Fabric · Fibre
Silk
Silk is a fibre reeled from the silkworm's cocoon as one long thread, so it is smooth, strong and shiny, and used in ties and linings.
Silk is spun by the silkworm as a single continuous filament, sometimes over a kilometre long, and reeled off the cocoon rather than cut and spun. That is why it is smooth, strong and lustrous. In menswear it appears in ties, linings, evening-wear facings and, blended, in summer jacketings.
Filament, not staple
Every other natural fibre comes in short lengths that must be twisted together. Silk arrives as a filament, which is why silk yarn is smooth and strong and why silk fabric has that particular liquid drape and reflective surface.
The triangular cross-section of the filament refracts light like a prism, producing silk's characteristic depth of colour.
Where it appears in menswear
- Ties: woven or printed. A good tie is cut on the bias from a woven silk and constructed around a wool interlining, which is what gives it body and lets the knot spring.
- Evening wear: the lapel facings, the trouser braid and the covered buttons on a dinner jacket are traditionally silk, in either grosgrain or satin.
- Linings: silk or cupro; both are smooth enough to let a jacket slide over a shirt.
- Summer jacketing: blended with linen and wool, silk adds lustre and a slubby texture.
- Pocket squares: where hand-rolled edges are the mark of a good one.
Weights and weaves
Tie silk is measured in ounces or by the weight of the woven piece; heavier silks make a fuller knot and hang better. Grenadine, a leno-woven, openwork silk from a small number of Como weavers, is the tie cloth most prized in classic menswear, because its texture reads as interesting without a pattern.
Shantung and dupioni have irregular slubs from double cocoons; they are decorative rather than fine, and the irregularity is the point.
Care
Silk is weakened by sunlight, by perspiration and by water spotting, and it is one of the few fibres where dry cleaning is generally the right answer. Ties should not be washed, should be untied rather than pulled off, and should be rolled or hung rather than folded.
A creased tie usually recovers if rolled and left overnight. A tie that has been pulled apart at the knot repeatedly will eventually twist permanently, because the slip stitch has been stretched beyond its return.
At a glance
Who works with it
Houses and mills on this site with a documented connection to Silk.
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Drake's
Brand · London · 1977
Drake's is a London tie maker turned full menswear brand, known for relaxed, softly made clothes in English cloth with little shoulder padding.
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Stefano Ricci
Brand · Florence · 1972
Stefano Ricci is a Florence menswear brand at the very top of the price range, known for ornate pieces in crocodile, heavy silk and gold hardware.
What it is used for
Picture credits 2
- Silk tie cloths in oxblood, green and navy: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art
- A dinner jacket with a grosgrain lapel: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art