I Fell in love with this scarf through variety of posts on Scarf of the Day, and also followed the slow slog of discovery on threads on Fall Winter Scarves 2012 and Exceptional Scarves. Decided it would be much easier to collect information in one spot for the brave few who have collected and wear this “whisper of a cloud,” or who are just curious about the production of “mud silk” for this scarf and a variety of kimonos, etc.
I hope those who have posted their delightful photos elsewhere will share new ones here, as well as tying tips as this gauzy confection appears to defy gravity.
To sum it up: Our exceptional Cavalcadour Claire de Lune 90cm silk reflects centuries of treating Chinese silk in the rich oxides of the mud in the Pearl River delta of Guangdong Province, China. What we handle so delicately served BC Canada’s hardworking Chinese immigrants as their daily work garments.
Although I can’t reproduce every mention and photo here, I am starting off the thread with what I think is the first glimpse of this ethereal silk from the Fall Winter 2012 scarf thread: May 2012, when it was mistaken for a leathery Brides de Gala and appears to be featured in an article about the Hermes museum pieces. I’m open to correction on the latter.
A couple links are very helpful and will hopefully work:
http://curious.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/clear-as-mud-conserving-chinese-mud-silk-in-british-columbia/
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/show-us-your-exceptional-scarves.864042/page-4
The last one is a video previously posted by @xincinsin. That link now goes to the written research by the BC scholar. A simple Google search for “mud silk” will turn up this video as well as several others equally fascinating.
I hope those who have posted their delightful photos elsewhere will share new ones here, as well as tying tips as this gauzy confection appears to defy gravity.
To sum it up: Our exceptional Cavalcadour Claire de Lune 90cm silk reflects centuries of treating Chinese silk in the rich oxides of the mud in the Pearl River delta of Guangdong Province, China. What we handle so delicately served BC Canada’s hardworking Chinese immigrants as their daily work garments.
Although I can’t reproduce every mention and photo here, I am starting off the thread with what I think is the first glimpse of this ethereal silk from the Fall Winter 2012 scarf thread: May 2012, when it was mistaken for a leathery Brides de Gala and appears to be featured in an article about the Hermes museum pieces. I’m open to correction on the latter.
A couple links are very helpful and will hopefully work:
http://curious.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/clear-as-mud-conserving-chinese-mud-silk-in-british-columbia/
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/show-us-your-exceptional-scarves.864042/page-4
The last one is a video previously posted by @xincinsin. That link now goes to the written research by the BC scholar. A simple Google search for “mud silk” will turn up this video as well as several others equally fascinating.
Apparently the orangey-brown color comes from dying the fabric (up to 30 times!) with yam juice, then it's covered with mud. It's so funny to watch the workers dragging huge bolts of silk across the ground, laying them in the grass, and covering them in mud, considering how gingerly we treat them, lol. This video shows the whole fascinating process: 
