Habutai (from the Japanese , literally "feather-two-layer", also spelled habotai or habutae) is one of the most basic

plain weave Plain weave (also called tabby weave, linen weave or taffeta weave) is the most basic of three fundamental types of textile weaving, weaves (along with satin weave and twill). It is strong and hard-wearing, and is used for fashion and furnishin ...

s of

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

fabric. While it was traditionally woven in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, most habutai is today woven in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It is normally a lining silk but can also be used for

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a ''crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are general ...

s, lampshades, summer blouses or very light

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

. It is quite easy to dye and can be found in many stores. Like other kinds of silks, habutai comes in a variety of weights (thicknesses) which is measured in

momme Momme may refer to: * Momme Andresen (1857–1951), German industrial research chemist * Momme Peterson (1771–1835), Danish-Norwegian businessperson and politician * A Japanese historic unit of weight: Japanese units of measurement#Momme; or un ...

s (abbreviated ''mm''). A lightweight and sheer habutai silk might be 8 mommes ("8mm"); a 16mm habutai is considered quite thick. Habutai is a lightweight, shimmering material once used mainly for making silk

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...

. It is sheer and often has an ivory color.

References

Silk Woven fabrics {{Textile-stub