Where does Marquisette come from?

Marquisette comes from France, first documented in the 1900s.

Plate No. 133fabric

The locked open mesh of the leno weave.

First documented: 1900s
Origin: France, France
Fiber: cotton, silk, nylon
Weave: leno-weave open mesh
Family: lace

Plate No. 133 · fabric

Marquisette

Marquisette is a sheer, open mesh fabric made by the leno weave, in which paired warp threads are twisted around each weft pick to lock the open spaces so the net cannot slip or fray. That twist gives it a stable, gauzy openness used for mosquito netting, curtains, canopies, and lightweight dress sheers. Woven from cotton, silk, or later nylon, marquisette is defined not by a pattern but by its structure: a deliberate, durable openness that a plain weave cannot hold.

Illustration: a colonial veranda at dusk in the tropics, a bed draped in pale mosquito netting stirring in the air, an oil lamp glowing, palms and louvered shutters beyond, no identifiable figures — A colonial veranda at dusk in the tropics, a bed draped in pale mosquito netting stirring in the air, an oil lamp glowing, palms and louvered shutters beyond, no identifiable figures.

Named for

From the French marquisette, a diminutive linked to marquise, an awning or canopy; the cloth was used for nets and canopies.

Common questions

What is Marquisette made of?: Marquisette is a sheer, open mesh fabric made by the leno weave, in which paired warp threads are twisted around each weft pick to lock the open spaces so the net cannot slip or fray. It is traditionally made of cotton, silk, or nylon.
Where does Marquisette come from?: Marquisette comes from France, first documented in the 1900s.
What is Marquisette named after?: From the French marquisette, a diminutive linked to marquise, an awning or canopy; the cloth was used for nets and canopies.