Taffeta (; archaically spelled
taffety) is a crisp, smooth,
plain woven fabric made from
silk or
cuprammonium rayons. The word is
Persian in origin and means "twisted woven." It is considered to be a "high-end" fabric, suitable for use in
ball gowns,
wedding dresses, and interiors for
curtains or
wallcovering. It is also widely used in the manufacture of corsets and corsetry: it yields a more starched-like type of cloth that holds its shape better than many other fabrics. An extremely thin, crisp type of taffeta is called
paper taffeta.