Silk Dupione. Other fabrics are sold under this name, but the correct use of "dupione" signifies not just any type of raw silk, but a particular type woven from the cocoon of two silk worms that have nested together. The double strand is spun together, so that the diameter varies greatly, which creates huge slubs and irregularities when the fabric is made in a plain weave (as here). A very beautiful fabric much in favor amongst designers since Claude Montana, Romeo Gigli and Christian Lacroix made lavish use of it in the 1980s.
