For this week’s Skirt Factsination post, I decided to research the history of silk. Silk is a gorgeous fabric, with the history founded in Ancient China. Silk history is about as sumptuous as the fabric itself! The legend goes that the Empress Leizu, who was only fourteen and the wife of the Yellow Emperor, was drinking tea when a silk-worm cocoon fell into her tea. When she pulled it out, the cocoon began to unwind from association with the hot liquid, and she got the idea to spin the cocoon. The empress became the goddess of silk in Chinese mythology. At the earliest point, only women were allowed to work with and spin silk. It was reserved to be worn by only the emperor and the highest dignitaries. Silk eventually left China with a princess who was promised to be married to a prince of Khotan, who broke the ban on silk exportation. Sericulture remained a great secret of China until it finally leaked out to Korea, Japan and India. With the rise of fabrics like nylon, silk became less prevalent throughout the world, but is now again a luxury good, although much less important than in its heyday. Silk is valued for wedding dresses, and many clothes for special occasions. We, however, prize gorgeous silk skirts, several of which we have shown below.
- Long Nude Silk skirt.
I like the idea of a silk skirt with a leather jacket. I would not wear the particular jacket or scarf shown on the model, but I love the idea of the particular look.
2. Vintage Purple skirt.
This skirt is adorable!!! I like the lace shirt and the brown leather belt. This is a particularly sumptuous looking skirt.
3. The Pink Ruffle skirt.
Soooo cute!!! I love the ruffles on this skirt, and how they are alternated high and low on the skirt! This would be cute with a plain white blouse and black heels.
I hope you find silk history as exciting as I do! In the very near future, we’re going to be refashioning a silk skirt, so keep your eyes peeled for it!
Always be Exciting,
Allegra.
Skirt Fixation 