Types of Silk

[PrincessSara]

I'm in the planning stages of some costumes and I realized I don't know much about silk in the Middle Ages and Renaissance in England.  What types of silk were available?  What types of silk were used for what garments?  I know in the early AD years the "nobility" were still wearing wool, so when did they start commonly wearing silk?

[gem]

This discussion is strictly discussing the Elizabethan period, but it might have some general information you're looking for:

Tribes.net discussion on silk

I will say that silk garments have been found in graves dating to Roman Britain, so Western Europe had silk at least by the 5th Century.  And the Icelandic Sagas (written in the 1200s but discussing the events from a couple centuries earlier) tell us that Vikings were getting silk from the Holy Roman Empire.

This article from Smithsonian Magazine gives 550 ad as the date at which silk worms were first cultivated in the west (in Byzantium).

[Cilean]

Hey~

So I have a couple of book advice,

Again Tudor Tailor will give you some great information about the use of Silk in England or in the Tudor period.

www.TudorTailor.Com

Also a good referance on Silk Trade in Venice
Amazon of course! 
http://www.amazon.com/Silk-Industry-Renaissance-Venice/dp/0801861896/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244009428&sr=8-1

Sea of Silk
http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Silk-Geography-Medieval-Literature/dp/0812241541/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244009662&sr=8-7

Robin Netherton's Series is also an excellent read
http://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Clothing-Textiles/dp/1843832917/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b


I hope this helps!   
Cilean

Jen Thompson did some research and here is her information:
http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/silk.html

[operafantomet]

The change in draperies in antique Greek statues is said to be due to silk - going from coarser wool or linen peplos to finer silk or linen chitons in profane clothes greatly changed the draperies in art. Silk was at this time introduced from Persia (which back then covered a much bigger area than todays Iran), and it probably Europes first encounter with the material.

I think silk became (more) common in England the 14.th century sometime, by the same time Italy and Spain established a solid silk industry. Reason why silk remained a product for the overclass, is that there were limits to where it COULD be produced, temperature wise, and it was also expensive to make. Wool hemp and linen, on the other hand, could be produced locally, in most temperatures.

What KIND of silks were available...? Erm... I'm a bit more blank there. Silk dupioni and slubby silks might have existed, but were definitely not the preferred material. The ideal was smooth, thick silks. But their specific names and weaves... that's stuff I know little about.

[PrincessSara]

Thanks everyone so far!!  I think I must know a bit about Renaissance silk because what I've read so far of what you guys have given me is familiar.  Does anyone know anything about medieval silk?  And what type of silk would be used for what garments? (cyclas, cotehardie, surcoat, etc.)  How commonly was silk used before the "medieval" era, by the Saxons and early Normans?

[DonaCatalina]

"The remains of a ca. 55-year old female (ca. 300 AD, most likely of high-social status; actual location: Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Greece) shows the preservation of various soft-tissues, hair and part of a gold-embroidered silk cloth. This unique find allows multidisciplinary research on these tissues. In addition to macroscopic and anthropological analyses, electron microscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry examinations were also performed. These showed the presence of various embalming substances including myrrh, fats and resins, but could not demonstrate clearly a conservatory influence of the surrounding lead coffin from Roman period."
http://archaeoblog.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html

Earlier than this, inhabitants of Britain picked apart small pieces of silk cloth to use in embroidering their wool and linen clothing.
http://www.bayrose.org/wkneedle/Articles/silk_part2.html

http://www.chateau-michel.org/making_silk.htm
Silk reached Roman Britain by the 3rd century C.E., as a child's grave from the second quarter of the century contains a geometric twill damask silk, one of the earliest patterned silks woven in western Europe (Crowfoot, p. 82). Another piece of silk cloth found in a 4th century grave is thought to have been woven in China (p. 82). Little if any silk is thought to have made its way to Britain during the fifth and sixth centuries, and a few silk threads, thought to have been used for embroidery, are the first archaeological evidence of silk in Britain in the seventh century, although "by c. 686 Aldhelm, a West Saxon churchman, described men and women as wearing tunics with silk-trimmed sleeves" (p. 82).

-edited for clarity-