Dupion Silk

Also spelled as ''douppioni'' or ''dupion'', An elegant fabric woven with slubbed yarns of dupioni silk. This type of silk is used in a number of fabrics, but the classic dupioni silk cloth is made with a tight plain weave, fine warp yarns and heavier, slubbed filling yarns that form prominent, irregular crosswise ribs. Dupioni has a crisp, scrunchy hand, a rough, uneven texture and a dull luster. It is usually dyed brilliant colors and is often iridescent or plaid, but it may also be natural in color or bleached white. Dupion Silk (meaning double) is produced when two or more silkworms spin their cocoons closely together. These slightly tangled cocoons produce filament that is rough, uneven and not as strong as cultivated silk. It is usually reeled and used to make fine or heavy yarns with pronounced irregular slubs at random intervals. Dupion silk usually comes from cultivated, rather than wild, silkworms because their living quarters are more crowded, increasing their chances of tangling the cocoons. Like cultivated silk, dupion is easy to dye, so fabrics are often brightly colored.