Silky Lust

Many times when new trends or concepts come into fashion old trends fade out.

Silk was one of several common textiles found in clothing during the Eighteenth Century. It was an exotic import from trading with Asia. Throughout time, it has been understood that pieces made out of silk must be carefully taken care of.

Due to the responsive (to the environment) quality it absorbs dye, all while giving the pieces luster. The same quality can ruin and deteriorate the textile. For example, too much light exposure can fade the color. Therefore, many fashion pieces in museums are not on display, but rather kept in a dark, temperature controlled space.

Today silk is mostly worn for evaluated reasons such as, a special event. Most of modern everyday clothing is made out of cotton. Cotton is a breathable fabric and requires less care. It is simple to machine wash and dry, requiring far less care than silk.

Even though silk does not hold the same heavy commerce value as it once did it is still a desirable textile. Is it the luster in color that has captured the human eye throughout the centuries?