Dresses have always been an all-time favorite garment to wear. If you look back in time, people created them more as a necessity than a fashion statement. That way, cavewomen (and cavemen!) could do all their daily activities without being uncomfortable. 

It’s amazing how that changed over the years. After that, and as time passed, dresses were a synonym of femininity, used principally by women.

Dresses show the best of a woman’s attributes, and in all humanity’s history, they have been a woman’s favorite garment. As with any other type of clothing, the style, design, and fit of a dress had changed depending on society’s standards. Yes, society changes, and fashion changes with it. The clothes people wear at any time in history depend on whatever is trending at a particular time. That includes the type of fabric used.

Some centuries ago, designers started to use silk for a woman’s attire, and its fashionability has always prevailed for a long list of reasons. Silk it’s one of the most breathable fabrics while also maintaining fresh skin. 

It’s a fabric that does not lose its form, keeping a smooth and slightly bulky surface even after using it for a while and after several washes. Silk is strong, resistant, and elastic by nature. All of that, plus its texture that makes us look elegant and classy, makes the silk a timeless fabric classic.

However, a poor choice of a dress can turn a silk garment into a fatal slip. Maybe you didn’t know it, but there are some things you need to know before going on the search for a new silk dress.

That is why today, we will talk about the best silk dress ideas, including which ones are the best, and why picked them. We will also tell you everything you need to know about this ageless type of fabric. Now, let’s go ahead and get started!

Who invented Silk?

The production of silk originates in China in the Neolithic (Yangshao culture, 4th millennium BC). Silk remained confined to China until the Silk Road opened at some point during the latter half of the first millennium BC. China maintained its virtual monopoly over silk production for another thousand years. Not confined to clothing, silk was also used for a number of other applications, including writing, and the color of silk worn was an important guide of social class during the Tang Dynasty.

Silk cultivation spread to Japan around 300 AD, and, by 522 AD, the Byzantines managed to obtain silkworm eggs and were able to begin silkworm cultivation. The Arabs also began to manufacture silk during this same time. As a result of the spread of sericulture, Chinese silk exports became less important, although they still maintained dominance over the luxury silk market. The Crusades brought silk production to Western Europe, in particular to many Italian states, which saw an economic boom exporting silk to the rest of Europe. Changes in manufacturing techniques also began to take place during the Middle Ages, with devices such as the spinning wheel first appearing. During the 16th century, France joined Italy in developing a successful silk trade, though the efforts of most other nations to develop a silk industry of their own were unsuccessful.

The Industrial Revolution changed much of Europe’s silk industry. Due to innovations in spinning cotton, cotton became much cheaper to manufacture and therefore caused more expensive silk production to become less mainstream. New weaving technologies, however, increased the efficiency of production. Among these was the Jacquard loom, developed for silk embroidery. An epidemic of several silkworm diseases caused production to fall, especially in France, where the industry never recovered. In the 20th century, Japan and China regained their earlier role in silk production, and China is now once again the world’s largest producer of silk. The rise of new fabrics such as nylon reduced the prevalence of silk throughout the world, and silk is now once again a rare luxury good.

The eggs must be kept at a temperature of 18°C, increasing to 25°C. The resulting silkworms are fed on Mulberry leaves and during their short lives of a single month, increase in size 10,000 times. Once they have enough energy, they spend 3-4 days spinning a cocoon around themselves.

After a further 9 days, the cocoons are ready. First, they are dipped in hot water to loosen the filaments and then unwound. Each cocoon amazingly produces around 900 meters of a single thread, of which 5-8 are spun together to produce a single silk yarn.

Silk takes dye like no other fabric because in cross-section the thread is more triangular than round and this intensifies the effect of any color. Silk appears to be almost alive because no single fiber is uniform, this provides the designer with a huge variety of options as it can be gossamer-thin or a thick upholstery weight.

The farming and weaving of silk is a lengthy and laborious process. In fact, the total number of people directly dependent on sericulture is 34 million worldwide. It provides a buffer against poverty in rural communities. The main silk producing countries are China and India, however it is also important in Brazil, North Korea, Thailand and Vietnam amongst others.

What Are The Best Silk Dress and Their Options?

Silk has come a long way until it became mainstream. Now, everyone is free to wear it if they want, and that includes all types of dresses. Today, we made a selection of our favorite silk dresses below:

1. Spring Summer Backless Side Slit Long Silk Nightgown

Deep v neck and backless design, matching side slit at hem, show women's unique charm and beauty well. The cross spaghetti straps are also very sexy. 

2. Mint Green Pleated Sexy Silk Dress

The shirt-like V-neck of the silk dress modifies the face and reveals the neck. Symmetrical folds modify the charm of female figures, and the exquisite workmanship highlights the quality of the silk dress.

3. Solid Chic Hem Purple Silk Dress

The fabric of the silk dress has a certain degree of skin protection and contains many kinds of amino acids that are good for our bodies. Mulberry silk fabrics that contact our skin can increase the vitality of cells in our body.

4. Gathered Design Gray Silk Dress

The pleated design of the silk dress breaks the limitation of contours and modifies the lines, shaping the waist curve to reflect the proportion of the figure, and the side slits are full of layering to show the shape of the legs.

5. Spring Summer V Neck Polka Dot Silk Slip Nightgown

Polkadot silk nightgown is fresh and elegant. The spaghetti shoulder straps show feminine beauty and slenderness. The V-neck design is sexy and charming.

6. Ginkgo Leaves Jacquard Silk Dress

A V-neck silk dress with bubble sleeves is made of 19 mm silk jacquard fabric. An A-line dress with French bubble sleeves is elegant and nifty.

7. Flora Pink Slip Silk Dress

The tiny floral print series silk dress is the main series for this spring and summer. The red interlaced star print allows you not only to have the romantic feelings exclusive to early spring but also to reveal a beautiful girlish temperament while being sexy.

8. Polka Dot Drawstring Waist Silk Dress

Even Hepburn can not resist the charm of polka dots; this time launching a polka dot lace-up silk dress, breaking the black and white impression, rendering beige and red with a strong retro charm! The beige polka dot print on a red background is more elegant than regular black without losing the temperament.

9 Bubble Sleeve Black Lacey Silk Dress

This is an elegant and sexy silk dress. Lace matching silk, front and back sides are both V-neck. Bubble sleeves design and see-through lace stitching silk fabric make it a very eye-catching dress.

10. Ruffled Trim Blue Short Sleeve Silk Dress

Ruffled trim short sleeve silk dress, multi-layered and complicated ruffled decoration is delicate and romantic. A V-neck embellishes your beautiful neck. The A-line dress with the collect waist is vintage and elegant.

11. Long Sleeve See-Through Red Belt Silk Dress

The jacquard polka dot design has a sense of layers. This silk dress can embellish your body shape well. The see-through sleeve design is mysterious and elegant. It is suitable for the daily look as well as formal occasions.

12. Vintage Blooms Hollowed-Out Cuffs Silk Dress

This is a handmade hollowed-out embroidered silk dress. The neckline and cuffs are made by traditional embroidery techniques, combined with handmade hollowed-out design, to combine traditional and modern elements and show the high-end and exquisite garment effect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What goes best with silk?

Answer: The short answer: it depends. Silk has been associated with glamour and feminine clothes. So, of course, most of the time, the silk type of clothing will go well with something with the same style. 

Silk blouses are sophisticated, and you can pair them with jeans and heels. If we are talking about dresses, they were usually used with high heels, but fashion has adapted to a more casual usage in those last few years. Women now wear dresses with sneakers, and it looks nice. 

However, if high heels are too much and you think sneakers are too casual, sandals are also a good option. And remember; don’t let this advice discourage you. You can always try and improvise whatever you think will look best in the end.

Question: What do you wear with a silk dress?

Answer: That’s an excellent question! You see, it depends on the place you’re going to go. If we’re talking about shoes and for more casual wear, sandals and sneakers are a great choice. For other types of clothing, you can also use a jacket above the dress because it adds texture and makes the outfit look effortless and chic. 

The main problem with pulling off a silk dress is to make it look elegant instead of looking like you just got out of bed. So if you can overcome that barrier, you’re almost all the way done. (Either way, the pajama clothes are still a trend, so maybe you shouldn’t worry that much about that).

Question: Are silk dresses comfortable?

Answer: Short answer, yes! Silk garments outperform other fabrics by far if we talk about comfortability. Silk has a smooth surface that makes it very comfortable.

Silk is also lightweight and gives the skin a soothing sensation, long-lasting transience, and comfort. Besides, its natural temperature-regulating properties provide the silk a paradoxical ability to cool and heat simultaneously.

Question: What do you wear under a silk dress?

Answer: Whatever you are wearing, you always have to pay attention to the underwear. Still, when wearing tight dresses, there are specific rules you have to pay attention to. 

Some of these include using a strapless bra and a seamless bottom. About the color, black and nude colors usually work best. 

Question: Are silk dresses flattering?

Answer: Yes, they can be flattering for any woman regardless of her size and body type. Don’t get intimidated if someone tells you otherwise! Remember you have to wear the dress with attitude for it to work. 

One of the first steps is to know which colors are better for your skin tone and which cuts fit you better. For example, designers recommend pink colors for tan-skinned women and red colors for fair-skinned women. It all depends.

Neutral colors like beige and black work well for everyone. After you’ve known all of this, it’s easier to go on the look for the perfect silk dress.