Common Types of Silk

There is a wide variety of silk fabrics. Here are a few of the main types:
Taffetas are a basic cloth made from intertwining the silk yarn. The fabric is usually shiny, yarn-dyed, fine-grained, and has a dry and rustling feel.
Poult and faille are soft, thick taffetas with clear cross-wise ribs. They can be treated as moiré fabrics by crushing during finishing.

Crepes are a group of fabrics made up of yarns which have been highly twisted before weaving, giving the fabrics the appearance of suppleness and flexibility. There are a number of varieties of crepe, including crepe de Chine, Moroccan crepe, and crepe georgette.
Chiffon, organdie, voile, and grenadine are light, matte fabrics made from fine twisted yarns, spaced out to make the fabric transparent. Silk toilles, pongees shantungs (heavy fabrics with an uneven grain) and tussah are also members of the taffeta group of fabrics.

Twills are woven to produces the effect of diagonal ribs and grooves. The main fabrics using this type of weave are serges, surahs, diagonals, herringbone, and diamond-shaped.
Satin fabrics usually have a shiny look; the warp and the weft intersections are hidden so the fabric has a smooth, brilliant surface, appearing to be made of yarns laid side-by-side. There is a wide range of satins: duchess satins, Lyons satins, double-faced radzimir satins, satin crepes with a weft made from twisted yarns, and charmeuses (heavy satin crepes with a very soft feel).

Composite or fancy weaves are various weaves combining satins, twills, and chiffons.
Reps, regencies, and piques are fabrics with straight vertical ribs.

Ottomans, grosgrains, and fluted fabrics are fabrics with transverse ribs of varying thickness.
Velvets are the most luxurious group of fabrics, characterized by yarns cut off at the same height to form a surface resembling fur.

Pattern-weave fabrics carry a pattern created by the interplay of the warp and weft yarns. They are also called a Jacquard fabric, and fabrics are known as Jacquard taffeta, Jacquard velvet, etc.

Brocades and Lamés have a pattern partially or totally made up of gold and silver threads.

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