Where does Moire come from?

Moire comes from France, first documented in the 1600s.

Plate No. 091fabric

The rippling watermark is pressed into the rib, not woven.

First documented: 1600s
Origin: France, France
Fiber: silk
Weave: ribbed plain weave, calendered
Family: plain

Plate No. 091 · fabric

Moire

Moire is the watered silk: a ribbed cloth like faille run through engraved rollers under heat and pressure so the ribs are flattened unevenly, throwing a rippling, woodgrain-like figure that shifts as the cloth moves. The watermark is a finish, not a weave, pressed in rather than woven, and historically it could not survive wetting, which is half why watered silk read as luxury. It clothes ceremonial sashes, academic and ecclesiastical robes, and the lining of opera capes, anywhere a surface should seem to move in the light.

Illustration: a French silk-finishing workshop, a length of dark watered silk emerging from a great engraved calender roller, brass machinery, gaslight — A French silk-finishing workshop, a length of dark watered silk emerging from a great engraved calender roller, brass machinery, gaslight.

Named for

From the French moire, itself an alteration of English mohair; the verb moirer means to water, for the watered finish.

Also known as

moiré, watered silk

Common questions

What is Moire made of?: Moire is the watered silk: a ribbed cloth like faille run through engraved rollers under heat and pressure so the ribs are flattened unevenly, throwing a rippling, woodgrain-like figure that shifts as the cloth moves.
Where does Moire come from?: Moire comes from France, first documented in the 1600s.
What is Moire named after?: From the French moire, itself an alteration of English mohair; the verb moirer means to water, for the watered finish.