What Is Taffeta Fabric? How Taffeta Is Made and the Characteristics of Taffeta Fabric

Taffeta is the ultimate fabric for special occasions, forming iconic ball gowns and evening wear used frequently by iconic designers like Coco Chanel and Christian Dior. The crisp, shiny fabric, made from silk, polyester, or nylon, creates beautiful silhouettes and is considered an ideal fabrics for creating high fashion looks.

Taffeta is a crisp, plain-woven fabric made most often from silk, but it can also be woven with polyester, nylon, acetate, or other synthetic fibers. Taffeta fabric typically has a lustrous, shiny appearance. Taffeta can vary in weight from light to medium and in levels of sheerness, depending on the type of fiber used and the tightness of the weave.

Taffeta was first produced in the Middle East in the twelfth century, and the word taffeta comes from the Persian word “taftah” meaning “crisp, woven.”

What Are the Characteristics of Taffeta?

Taffeta is considered a high-end fabric, with a beautiful, smooth surface and unique characteristics.

Crisp. Taffeta fabric is crisp and holds it shape well as a result of the tightly twisted yarns woven together in a plain weave fashion.

Sheen. Taffeta has a lustrous shine that is unique to the fabric and comes from the innate qualities of silk or polyester.

Smooth. Taffeta fabric also has a smooth surface, and piece-dyed taffeta in particular is especially soft.

Sound. Taffeta, especially yarn-dyed taffeta, makes a rustling sound called “scroop” (combination of scrape and woop) when it rubs together.

How Is Taffeta Used?

Taffeta is a red carpet staple, but it’s also used often in costumes and home decor.

Home decor. The heavier, stiffer forms of taffeta create beautiful, flowing window curtains. Taffeta is also sometimes used for wallpaper.

Evening gowns. Taffeta really shines when used for dressmaking. From evening dresses to wedding dresses to prom dresses, taffeta is a staple of fashion thanks to its lustrous appearance and the beautiful shapes the texture creates.

Corsets. Taffeta is also frequently used for undergarments like corsets, where the stiff fabric is needed to hold in the waistline and create a silhouette.

Linings. Piece-dyed silk taffeta is great for lining jackets, as the fabric is both decorative and soft to touch.

Parachutes. Piece-dyed silk taffeta was used for creating parachutes in World War II.

6 Different Types of Taffeta

Shot silk taffeta. This is a type of silk taffeta where the warp and the weft threads are different colors, which creates a beautiful iridescent effect.

Warp-printed taffeta. This type of silk taffeta has the warp threads printed before weaving, which creates a pastel pattern of varied colors. It was very popular in France in the eighteenth century.

Paper taffeta. Paper taffeta is an extremely thin, lightweight form of taffeta that has a paper-like consistency.

Antique taffeta. Antique taffeta is woven from unevenly spun yarns, which leads to slight bumps in the material from the inconsistencies.

Faille taffeta. This type of made from staple fibers, which are are short-length fibers like cotton or wool.

Stretch-taffeta. Stretch taffeta is a type of fabric that incorporates spandex into the weave for added stretch and flexibility.

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