Plate No. 093fabric
Reeled from double cocoons; slubs ridge the shot-color surface.
- First documented
- 1900s
- Origin
- South Asia, India
- Fiber
- silk
- Weave
- plain weave, slubbed
- Family
- plain
Plate No. 093 · fabric
Dupioni
Dupioni is crisp, lustrous silk shot through with slubs, woven from yarn reeled off double cocoons, two worms that nested together and spun one tangled, uneven filament. Those irregular thicknesses ridge the surface in random horizontal slubs and give dupioni its dry rustle and sharp body. Often woven with one color in the warp and another in the weft, it flashes shot colors as it moves, which made it a favorite for structured evening gowns, drapery, and the crisp silk wedding dress.
Named for
From the Italian doppione, a double cocoon: dupioni silk is reeled from the irregular thread of two silkworms that spun together.