Chiffon, wispy, light and dramatic, becomes an everyday fabric
One of the most feminine feeling of fabrics, chiffon is no longer reserved for the billowy gowned Hollywood glamour queen floating down a long staircase in an early talkie.
Today, there are all kinds of chiffon fabrics, including pure silk, silk blends, poly-chiffon in seemingly endless colors, prints, patterns and sizes. Wispy and light, chiffon also can crank up the level of sexiness and drama of even a basic daytime or date night spring or summer look. Silk chiffon, originally a French word for cloth or rag, had been used in fabrics for centuries until 1938 when nylon was invented.
“I love the sheer and languid element that chiffon silhouettes offer,” says fashion designer Rebecca Taylor, who often uses the fabric in her line. “It’s soft and feminine in vibe. And it’s become a much more versatile fabric, seen in so many silhouettes such as blouses, T-shirts and throw-on day dresses. There are also so many different silk fabric treatments today which lends itself to more versatility.”
However, avoid an NSFW moment in a chiffon top by wearing a bra, tank, camisole, slip or shell underneath the chiffon top. And to be strictly office appropriate, opt for a shirt, blouse, vest, T-shirt or dress to add a fashionable layer over your chiffon.
“I think [chiffon has] become part of a modern women’s everyday wardrobe as you can pair it back to denim or sneakers for a more modern urban vibe,” says Taylor, whose line is sold at Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and other retailers and on her website rebeccataylor.com. “Wearing a long chiffon dress [or blouse] with sneakers is very much considered casual today.”
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