A plain-weave fabric with a fine horizontal rib, made from cotton, silk, or wool—utilitarian in origin, indispensable in practice, and distinguished by its exceptional ratio of durability to weight.
Poplin was originally a silk-and-wool blend produced in Avignon, France, for the papal court—the word comes from the French papelaine, meaning papal, referring to the city’s association with the Pope. It became popular in England in the nineteenth century as a fabric for shirts and summer clothing, valued for its smooth surface and resistance to wrinkling.
Poplin’s defining characteristic is its weft-faced rib: the weft threads are thicker than the warp threads, producing a subtle horizontal texture that catches light differently from a flat plain weave. This rib gives poplin its crisp hand and its ability to hold a crease, making it the preferred fabric for men’s dress shirts and women’s tailored blouses.
