Plate No. 078 · fabric

Crepe

Crepe is any cloth whose surface is deliberately pebbled, classically by weaving yarns twisted so hard they buckle when released, throwing the face into a fine, matte crinkle. The texture scatters light, drapes heavily, and resists wrinkling, since the surface is already, by design, all wrinkle. Crepe de chine, georgette, wool crepe, and crepe-backed satin are all members. Black silk crepe carried a second meaning for a century: it was the fabric of Victorian mourning, worn by widows in prescribed stages and supplied by entire mills devoted to grief.