What Does Silk Feel Like? (And Why Does Silk Feel so Good)
What can be more luxurious than the touch of silk against bare skin? Smooth, soft (but never slippery in the way that artificial fabrics sometimes are), silk feels like a second skin. Not all silks feel exactly the same (some silks feel like liquid cream, others have a slightly nubby surface) but the one thing they all have in common is pure, unadulterated luxury.
With superb breathability and an almost magical ability to feel cool in summer and warm in winter, silk has a deserved reputation as one of the most sumptuous, sensuous fabrics available.
Silk Feel 101
Does Silk Feel Like Satin?
It really depends on what kind of satin we’re talking about. While silk is a fiber, satin is a weave known for its glossy, lustrous finish.
Satin can be made from just about any type of yarn that can be woven, including silk, cotton, and polyester. As you’d probably imagine, silk satin looks, feels, and functions exactly like silk. Other types of satins have that same shiny, lustrous appearance, but how they feel will depend on the type of fabric they’re made from.
Polyester satin, for instance, looks remarkably like silk satin – but as anyone who’s ever slept in both silk satin sheets and polyester satin sheets will know, there’s no mistaking polyester satin for silk satin once you’ve experienced the real thing.
Whereas silk satin is soft, polyester satin is slippery. If your skin is rough, silk satin will glide against it like butter; polyester satin will catch. Equally, while silk satin “breaths” (and lets you do the same), polyester satin doesn’t. If you sleep in silk satin sheets, prepare to wake up feeling like royalty. If you sleep in synthetic satin sheets, expect to wake up hot, sticky, and more than a little uncomfortable.
So, yes, silk feels like satin… providing the satin is made from silk. If it’s made from anything else, then no, it really doesn’t.
Why Does Silk Feel Cool?
If you’ve ever worn a silk blouse on a hot summer’s day, you’ll remember that gorgeously cool feeling of the silk against your skin. It’s rare that you find anything that functions as well as it looks, but silk is a delightful exception.
The natural fibers that go into silk give it an amazing ability to regulate temperature, dispersing excess heat when temperatures start to rise and keeping it in when they start to drop. Paradoxically cool in summer and warm in winter, silk is one of the few fabrics that can be worn 365 days a year and never miss a beat.
What Does Ice Silk Feel Like?
Before we touch on what ice silk feels like, a brief explanation of what it actually is… after all, most of us have heard of damask silk, charmeuse silk, and mulberry silk (those of us with our ears to the ground may even have heard of milk silk) but how many of us can truthfully claim to have heard of ice silk?
The truth is, even if you’ve never actually heard the term before, you’re probably well acquainted with the fabric itself. Ice silk is simply the trade name of a type of denatured polyviscose fiber that can be fashioned into pretty much every type of garment and soft furnishing you can think of.
Typically, ice silk goes by the name of rayon, viscose, or nylon… at least one of which you’ve got hanging in your closet right now. Like silk, ice silk has a smooth, cool touch – and unlike certain other synthetics (polyester, we’re talking about you) it’s antistatic and breathable.
A true connoisseur won’t have too much trouble in telling the difference between real silk and ice silk, but if you want a fabric that offers an affordable alternative to the real deal, this is one of the better of the synthetic options.
What Does Milk Silk Feel Like?
Silk may be soft as butter, as light as air, and as luxurious as a diamond ring, but the one thing it’s not is environmentally friendly. Silk is derived from the hard labor of millions of silkworms – and for anyone with a passion for animal rights, that’s a big problem.
Fortunately for eco-crusaders who still want a bit of luxury in their lives, there’s now a solution.
Milk silk is the all-new, all-natural alternative to silk from silkworms that’s taking the world by storm. Or if not the entire world, then at least the fashion community.
If you’re not in the know, milk silk is made from sour milk (yes, really). The milk is reduced, its liquid is eliminated, and its protein is extracted, solidified, and ground into threads. The threads are then woven into a fabric that for all extents and purposes, is silk.
Milk silk drapes beautifully and has that same wondrous softness and silkiness as real silk. It’s also much cheaper – apparently, cows charge a lot less for their labor than silkworms charge for theirs.
What Does Raw Silk Feel Like?
If you’re used to the creamy smoothness of most silks, the slightly textured, nubby feel of raw silk might come as something of a surprise. In some ways, raw silk feels similar to cotton – albeit the softest type of cotton imaginable.
With a wonderful drape (unlike cotton which can cling to the body, raw silk will hang and give a fabulously figure-flattering look) and a lightweight quality, raw silk is supremely durable, with excellent breathability and moisture absorbing qualities. Even after repeated washing, it retains that magical softness that makes silk so desirable.
What Does Mulberry Silk Feel Like?
If you want to experience a true taste of luxury, invest in a mulberry silk dress. Or skirt. Or blouse. Or whatever else takes your fancy. Whatever it is, you’ll be amazed at just how exquisite the fabric feels against your skin.
To understand what makes mulberry silk just so desirable, you need to understand a little about how it’s made. Originally, mulberry silk was produced in China, where local farmers decided the best use for all the mulberry trees populating the area was to harvest their leaves and feed them to their silkworms.
The tradition has continued, and today, mulberry silk is recognized as one of the best in the world. The thread of mulberry silk tends to be more refined than other varieties and is noted for its fineness, strength, and silkiness. Touching mulberry silk is like touching an angel’s wing– soft, yielding, gentle, and as buttery soft as can be.
What Does Spider Silk Feel Like?
Silk is made from worms, right? Right – expect when we’re talking about spider silk.
Spider silk, as the name suggests, is (at least in principle) made by spiders. However, unlike worms that can be easily domesticated and will rub shoulders with thousands of their fellow kind without raising an eyebrow, spiders are an altogether different proposition. Put two spiders side by side, and soon enough, one’s going to kill the other. And quite possibly eat it. Farming techniques may have come on in leaps and bounds over the last century, but no-one’s quite figured out a way to farm cannibalistic carnivores just yet.
Fortunately, there’s an alternative – synthetic spider silk. The process sounds like wizardry (sugar, water, and yeast are infused with spider DNA and then left to ferment in huge, stainless-steel tanks. The liquid is then centrifuged, turned into a powder, and combined with a solvent to produce a glue-like substance identical to the protein produced from a spider’s silk gland. The protein is then spun into long threads of synthetic spider silk) and the results smack of the same: despite being technically a “synthetic”, spider silk has all the same qualities of a natural fiber.
Touch spider silk, and you’ll feel that same silky softness you’d feel from the silk produced from silkworms. Like “normal” silk, it offers great breathability, is non-static, and has a cooling effect in summer, and a warming one in winter.
Why Does Silk Feel So Good?
There aren’t that many immutable facts in the world, but that silk feels good is surely one of them.
Much of the reason for silk’s immensely pleasurable feel can be attributed to the fact that it’s made from all-natural fibers.
Unlike synthetics that lack breathability, cling to the body in all the wrong places, and make you sweat as soon as you slip them on, silk drapes, breathes, and feels divine. What’s more, as one of the most hypoallergenic fabrics around, it’ll never irritate, scratch, or chaff your skin in the way that certain other fabrics can.
Warm and cozy in winter, wonderfully cool in summer, and delightfully sumptuous all-year-round, silk has everything you could want from a fabric – expect, perhaps, an affordable price tag.
Can Silk Feel Rough?
We’ve talked a lot about how silky-smooth silk is. And it’s true. But for every truth, there’s an exception.
While the vast majority of silks have a liquid butter feel, a few have a slightly rougher texture (although note that when we say ‘rough’ in this context, we’re using it more in the way that cotton can be said to be a little rough – if you feel a silk that’s rough in the way of sandpaper, ignore what it says on the label. Whatever it is, it’s not silk).
Spun silks and broadcloth silks are two of the most common varieties to have a slightly rougher feel, which can largely be attributed to the very short fibers that go into their making. Typically speaking, the shorter the fibers, the rougher the feel.
Sometimes, there’s another reason silk can feel rough. No matter how soft silk starts its life, it can eventually take on a rough quality if it’s not taken care of correctly. The fibers in silk are made from proteins, and like all proteins, they don’t take kindly to being washed in alkaline detergents or in water with high levels of calcium carbonate.
If you want to preserve your silk’s silkiness, choose your detergents wisely and add a dash of vinegar to your washing water to help soften it.
Can Silk Make You Itch?
Silk is incredibly hypoallergenic – even those with extremely sensitive skin should experience no problems when they’re wearing it. Providing that is, we’re talking real silk. Real silk will glide against your skin with a soft, light touch that’s impossible to replicate. But that hasn’t stopped people trying to do that exact same thing.
‘Silk’ made from synthetic materials like polyester lack the same soft, breathable qualities of real silk, and can easily leave you feeling, hot, irritated, and slightly disappointed.
Polyester silk might be cheaper than the real thing, but make no mistake – it’s as different from real silk as night is from day. For anyone with sensitive skin, the only real choice is real silk.
Silk That Feels Like Cotton
Silk that feels like cotton might seem a misnomer, but it does exist – and yes, it’s still real silk. Typically speaking, silks made from shorter fibers tend to have a slightly rougher, more ‘cottonesque’ feel than the liquid softness of silks made from longer fibers. Of these, silk broadcloth and spun silk are probably the two that you’re most likely to come across.
Silk broadcloth is a mediumweight fabric with a dull luster and a smooth touch. Although it’s soft, it’s soft more in the way of 100% cotton than in the way of other silks. It also handles likes cotton, making it a popular choice among those who like the idea of making their own clothes, but would rather not deal with the challenges involved in handling the slinkier varieties of silk.
Spun silk is made from the short fibers taken from damaged cocoons or from filaments that have broken during processing. They’re then spun together to make a yarn that has a slightly rough texture and that feels remarkably like cotton.
Silk That Feels Like Suede
If you want a silk that feels like suede, there’s one type in particular that’s going to tick all the boxes- fuji silk. This medium weight fabric has a soft luster, fluidity, and opulence that makes it remarkably reminiscent to suede – perfect if you want the look of suede but not the expense. As an added bonus, it’s also one of the easiest varieties of silk to care for.
What Does a Silk Rug Feel Like?
What could be a more luxurious way of adding some warmth to your floor than with a silk rug? Sumptuously soft and as suitable for summer as it is winter, the soft, silky feel of a silk rug will positively invite you to dig your toes in.
By now, you should be an expert on how silk feels - if you're not, the only thing left to do is go and dig your fingers in at your local fabric store. If you know anyone else who's keen to learn more about the wonderful world of silk, please feel free to share the post.
