taffeta

plural taffetas · alternative obsolete taffata · alternative obsolete taffaty · alternative obsolete taffety

1. countableuncountableA crisp, smooth woven fabric made from silk or synthetic fibers.

   I met her at lover's park / One rainy April Monday / Smiling soft and warm as on / A clear December Sunday / Wearing taffeta and lace

   1985, Stevie Wonder, “Never in Your Sun”, in In Square Circle

   3 more examples

   Could a Taff'ta ſcarf, a long Eſtridge vvhing, / A ſtiffe Iron Doublet, and a Brazeel Pole / Tempt thee from Cambrick ſheets, fine active Thighs, / From Caudles vvhere the precious Amber ſvvims?

   1634 (first performance), William D’avenant [i.e., William Davenant], The Wits: A Comedie; […], published 1636; republished in Two Excellent Plays: […], London: […] G. Bedel, and T[homas] Collins, […], 1665, →OCLC, Act I, page 1

   For a festive dinner, the belles pull out the stops. “Pull it tighter,” one urges as her corset is laced. Having unearthed their taffeta gowns from deep storage, they show off pinched waists, bare arms, throats and shoulders.

   2017 June 30, Ruth La Ferla, “In ‘The Beguiled,’ Pretty Confections Whipped Up to Seduce”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   His signature color was ruby; his suits were made for the charity luncheon, his sweaters for Gstaad and his gowns for the opening night at La Scala. They offered the protection of taffeta and chiffon — of taste, that elusive weapon — against the eyes of the ogling world. […] Billionaires wear hoodies and sneakers, not taffeta and bugle beads.

   2026 January 20, Vanessa Friedman, “The Way ‘Rich’ Once Looked”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC