In terms of wedding dresses, the brides have a wide range of fabrics to choose from. Lace fabric, velvet fabric, and even silk fabric might all be suitable options up to the bride’s preference and season. Among the more famous bridal fabric options, taffeta and satin are two of them.
Both of them are similar weave’s kind used in making several textile products. Apart from wedding dresses, they are also popular for other formal wear due to their characteristics of shiny fabrics. In this article, the chief aim is on differentiating taffeta and satin.
Taffeta vs Satin
The main difference between taffeta and satin is that most often from silk, taffeta is produced while it can also be woven with nylon, acetate, polyester, or other synthetic fibers. On the other hand, satin was originally produced from silk, but modern satin can be manufactured from rayon and polyester.
Taffeta is a crisp fabric that is generally used to make a range of high-end women’s apparel kinds. Traditionally, it was manufactured from silk but with the synthetic fiber’s advent textile manufacturers switched to polyester and rayon to make this fabric.
Satin can be considered as any fabric manufactured by the weave method of satin, one of three chief textile weaves. Satin is specified by a smooth surface and generally a dull back and lustrous face. Satin is made in a wide range of weights for several uses like upholstery, bedspreads, etc.
Comparison Table Between Taffeta and Satin
| Parameters of Comparison | Taffeta | Satin |
| Origin | Dates back to France mainly in 1782 | Dates back to medieval China’s port city namely, Quanzhou |
| Appearance | Matte appearance | Silky and shiny appearance |
| Feel | Coarser compared to satin | Soft and smooth feel |
| Weight | More lightweight | Comparatively heavier |
| Types | Shot silk, paper, warp printed, faille, stretch, and antique taffeta. | Charmeuse, Messalina, gattar, sultan, slipper, faconne, and many more. |
What is Taffeta?
Taffeta Is a smooth, plain woven, and crisp fabric manufactured from acetate, polyester, cuprammonium rayons, and silk. It tends to yield a starched or stiff-like cloth that holds its shape better in comparison to many other fabrics and also fails to drape or sag.
Taffeta is generally of two kinds namely, piece-dyed or yarn-dyed. The yarn-dyed is often used in evening dresses due to its stiffness. Meanwhile, due to the softness of piece-dyed taffeta, it is used in linings. Shot silk Taffeta was a highly sought Byzantine silk’s sought forms.
Taffeta fabric is mainly manufactured by twisting yarn and also many other fabrics manufactured with this method which simply means shape-retaining and starched. Taffeta’s qualities are more representative of its particular attributes than its name. During the 18th century, taffeta was used in certain aviation experiments.
Taffeta is described to be a luxury fabric and also relatively prone to damage. As a result, it is not in usage in clothing on an everyday basis. On the contrary, it is frequent to see satin’s usage in big-ticket apparel such as wedding dresses.
What is Satin?
A satin weave is a kind of fabric weave that generates a characteristically lustrous or smooth material, particularly with the surface top as glossy. It is one of three fundamental textiles types weaves alongside twill weave and plain weave. It is characterized by more than three wefts or fills yarns.
These yarns float over a warp yarn, while four warp yarn generally floats over a single weft yarn. Missed interfacing or described as floats. These floats explain the high sheen and luster as unlike in other weaves where light is not scattered when hitting the fibers leads to a stronger reflection.
In case fabric is formed through satin weave with the help of filament and fibers like nylon, polyester, and silk, the corresponding fabric is defined as satin. If short-staple yarns are used like cotton, the fabric formed in mentioned sateen.
Fabrics made from satin weaves are generally more flexible with draping characteristics compared to plain weaves and allowing them to be formed around compound curves. The filling yarn in this passes over multiple warp yarns even before interlacing under one yarn’s warp.
Main Differences Between Taffeta and Satin
- When it comes to stiffness, taffeta is stiffer compared to satin and also has a shape retention quality in a good amount. It can hold the volume and shape better in comparison to satin. Meanwhile, satin is perfect for form-fitting dresses.
- The origin of the word namely, taffeta is in Persian which generally means “twisted woven.” On the other hand, satin is a word ultimately origin of Chinese which is a derivative of the Chinese place name, Tsinkiang.
- Taffeta is mostly used for making corsets, blouses, evening gowns, coats, curtains, skirts, interior decorations, and many more. On the contrary, satin is generally used in lingerie, boxer shorts, nightgowns, bed sheets, upholstery, etc.
- The care tips comprised for Taffeta are gentle detergent usage, low heat iron usage, avoiding twisting or wringing, and washing with cold water. On the flip side, usage of chemical-free detergent or cold water, protection firm direct sunlight, squeeze avoiding are some of the care tips for satin.
- Taffeta is produced most often from silk while it can also be woven with nylon, acetate, polyester, or other synthetic fibers. In contrast, originally through silk, the satin was produced but modern satin can be made from rayon and polyester.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that both taffeta and satin are similar weave kinds used in making several textile products. The feel of taffeta is coarser and the texture feels compared to satin. In contrast, the satin feel is mainly soft and smooth. When it comes to appearance, taffeta gives a matte appearance, whereas a silky and shiny appearance is given by satin.
The origin of the taffeta dates back to France mainly in 1782. Meanwhile, the origin of satin dates back to medieval China’s port city namely, Quanzhou. In terms of types, shot silk, paper, warp printed, faille, stretch, and antique are some of the types of taffeta. On the contrary, the types of satin available in the market are charmeuse, Messalina, gattar, sultan, slipper, faconne, and many more.
References
- https://leicester.figshare.com/articles/chapter/Colonial_Consumption_and_Community_Preservation_From_Trade_Beads_to_Taffeta_Skirts/10127528
- http://www.openbibart.fr/item/display/10068/1021144