“You can never be too rich or too thin—or own too many silk shirts.”[1]
As a twenty-something fashion fanatic, I took this saying to heart. And while the part about being rich and thin was—and still is—terrible, I always think of this quote when I think of silk.
There was a time when silk was the thing to have in your wardrobe. It spoke of luxury and elegance then, and it still does today. We use silk as a point of reference to describe all things shiny, soft, flowing, and opulent.
It turns out that silk, while still luxurious, is not as rare and unattainable as I once thought it was. Silk has a reputation for being difficult to work with and expensive to obtain, but that has rarely been my experience as a crafter, and now that I make my own yarn, cloth, and clothing I have several silk shirts. While quality silk yarns are pricier than their synthetic counterparts, many silks cost little more than the equivalent amount of a good hand-dyed wool yarn. And I consider that added cost worth it for the shine and drape that silk brings to our cloth.
[1] The first part of this quote is attributed to Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor; the second part was anonymously added later.
All photos by Michelle Boyd.
