Plate No. 133 · fabric

Marquisette

Marquisette is a sheer, open mesh fabric made by the leno weave, in which paired warp threads are twisted around each weft pick to lock the open spaces so the net cannot slip or fray. That twist gives it a stable, gauzy openness used for mosquito netting, curtains, canopies, and lightweight dress sheers. Woven from cotton, silk, or later nylon, marquisette is defined not by a pattern but by its structure: a deliberate, durable openness that a plain weave cannot hold.