Weekend Read: Silk: Fiber, Fabric, and Fashion

by Lesley Ellis Miller, Ana Cabrera Lafuente, and Claire Allen-Johnstone

Silk has always travelled well. Long before it reached the ateliers of Paris or the runways of New York, it moved across continents, unspooling along the Silk Roads, carried as tribute, traded as currency, and guarded as a closely held secret of imperial China. It is a fibre that has shaped economies and aesthetics alike, prized not only for its lustre but for the knowledge embedded in its making.

Book cover of Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion by Lesley Ellis Miller, Ana Cabrera Lafuente, and Claire Allen-Johnstone.

Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion, drawn from the exceptional collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, captures this layered history with authority and elegance. Written by curators Lesley Ellis Miller, Ana Cabrera Lafuente, and Claire Allen-Johnstone, the book reflects decades of combined curatorial expertise in textiles and dress.

Wooden bobbins with sewing silk, various manufacturers, England, 1910-20. Given to the V&A collection by Miss Jane Gregory.

Miller, a leading scholar of silk and dress history, may be familiar to Selvedge readers for her feature Fashioning Silk: The Role of the Silk Trade in the Birth of Modern Fashion in Selvedge Issue 67: Migration. Her long-standing research into the global silk trade—particularly its role in shaping early modern fashion systems—brings a distinctive depth to this volume. Alongside her, Lafuente contributes an international curatorial perspective shaped by her work in Madrid and London, while Allen-Johnstone adds a new generation’s insight into material culture and collection-based research. Together, their voices are measured, informed, and deeply attentive to the relationship between technique and meaning.

Robe of tapestry weave silk with gold thread China, about 1600. Purchased with a grant donated by Lady Garner. Collection of the V&A.

Rather than following a strict timeline, the book is organised by technique, allowing the material itself to lead. The opening chapter, Plain and Simple, unpacks foundational structures such as plain weaves, satins, chiffons and crêpes, before Warps and Wefts moves into more complex figured textiles, from damasks and lampas to velvets and brocades. Twine and Twist, Net, Knot and Knit expands the field beyond weaving, while Paint, Resist and Print charts the evolution of surface design, from batik and ikat to digital processes. The final chapter, Stitch, Slash, Stamp and Pleat, explores manipulation and embellishment, revealing silk’s sculptural potential.

Brisé fan, painted plain weave silk (taffeta) cut in shape of feathers with horn sticks, Netherlands, 1820-1840. Collection of the V&A.

Case studies throughout anchor these techniques in specific objects, moving from historic Chinese and South American textiles to the spectacle of nineteenth-century international exhibitions and into contemporary fashion. Over 600 illustrations spanning furnishings, garments, accessories and unexpected objects, create a richly textured visual archive. Designs by Dior, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Oscar de la Renta demonstrate silk’s continued relevance and reinvention.

Engagement Ribbon, young woman's kimono of figured satin weave silk with digital printing. By Shigemune Tamao, designed in Tokyo, made in Kyoto, Japan, 2016.

A glossary and further reading list extend the book’s usefulness beyond its pages, reinforcing its role as both reference and inspiration. Bound in cloth, it is a fitting tribute to its subject. But its real achievement lies in its clarity of thought and breadth of content.

For a weekend read, it offers something deeper than visual pleasure: a way of understanding how silk has been handled, traded and transformed over centuries, and has come to embody both technical mastery and cultural exchange.

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Further Information:

Silk: Fiber, Fabric, and Fashion (V&A Museum), by Lesley Ellis Miller, Ana Cabrera Lafuente, and Claire Allen‑Johnstone is published by Thames & Hudson and is available now in the Selvedge Bookshop.

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Image Credits:

Lead: Silk brocaded with coloured silks and metal threads, France, 1745-60. Collection of the V&A, London.

All further images as credited in captions.