the.com/chiffon
fabric so sheer it's basically structured air with delusions of being a curtain
means A light, sheer, gauzy fabric made from silk or synthetic fibers, often used for delicate dresses, scarves, and overlays — and also the name for similarly airy desserts like chiffon cake and pie.
from Straight from French chiffon, meaning 'rag' or 'piece of cloth,' a diminutive of chiffe ('old rag, flimsy stuff'). The irony is delicious: a word that started life meaning a worthless scrap got promoted to the height of feminine elegance. The deeper root of chiffe is uncertain, though it may be related to the same fuzzy family of words that gave English 'chip' — small bits and tatters. The dessert sense came later, borrowing the fabric's reputation for being almost weightless.
- name origin
- from French for rag or cloth scrap
- original fiber
- once made entirely from silk
- weave trick
- tightly twisted yarns give its faint pucker
- sewing nightmare
- slips and frays, despised by tailors everywhere
- red carpet
- favorite for gowns that float when you walk
chiffon cake — light sponge cake invented by harry baker in 1927, combines oil and egg foam for unique texture
chiffon pie — dessert with whipped egg white and gelatin filling, popularized in 1950s american home cooking