You learn something new every day, lol. If you are familiar with fabrics and textiles, you probably already knew this – but most brides don’t and are often confused by this. How can you have a Silk Satin and why are there so many types? What is Duchess Satin and why are some called Silk Duchess Satin and not others? I get asked that a lot, so I thought I would share some info:

What is SATIN? – satin is not a type fabric: it is a type of weave. In fact, the type of fabric we generally refer to as Satin is a polyester fabric in a satin weave! If a dress/fabric is listed simply as Satin – it is probably the polyester satin.
So what is SILK SATIN? – I bet after reading the above, you can answer this already – but just in case: Silk Satin is a fabric made from pure silk fibers in a satin weave! (Just to confuse you more, silk in itself is not a fabric – it is a type of fiber that has to be weaved into a fabric of some sort – that’s why there are so many different types of silk)

Why are there so many Silk Satins? – There are PURE SILK Satins – which are pure silk in a satin weave. Then there are mixed Silk Satins which combine synthetic and pure silk fabrics in various degrees. These are more luxurious then polyester satins, but not as expensive as pure silk satins.

And What about DUCHESS SATIN? Well, duchess satin is a heavy satin weave with a more luxurious finish and is very common in wedding gowns today. It is also available using pure silk, a silk/synthetic blend or completely synthetic and of course, the price varies. For brides on a budget, the silk/synthetic blend is fairly affordable but still very luxurious. The pure silk version is very popular in Couture Designer Collections this year as well.

So, hope you learned something interesting, lol.