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Look Great in Pure Silk By Jiawei He Ming's sister is our resident fashion expert!

It’s hard to believe that many thousands of years since it was discovered in China by princess Hsi Ling Shi, silk is still made by worms.

Actually, they’re more like caterpillars, but you get the idea. Either way, they’re kind of icky.

But the fabric made from their delicate cocoons is not icky at all. In fact, the lightest of all the fibers used to make clothing may also be one of the most treasured.

The story goes that Hsi Ling Shi, who was only 14 when she married Emperor Huang Ti, was asked by her husband to find out why all of Emperor Huangdi’s beautiful mulberry trees were getting ruined.

Hsi Ling Shi found out that little caterpillars were munching on all the leaves. So, in an effort to kill them, she dipped one of their cocoons into hot water, and discovered that the cocoon was woven from a single, fine thread.

China kept a lid on the secret of silk for about 3,000 years before the rest of the world figured out how to produce it.

Today, it takes about 5,500 silkworms to produce a little more than two pounds of raw silk.

Silk is treasured for the way it feels against the skin and because its natural fibers allow your skin to breathe through it during wear. Itssuse is particularly popular in the making of lingerie.

The Chinese are still experts at producing silk clothing, evidenced by brightly colored, form-fitting dresses seen on many Chinese celebrities.

But despite its sometimes steep cost and association with wealth and happiness, silk is not as difficult to care for as you might think. Here are some tips:

• If you stain it, you can do a quick cleaning by squeezing a little lime juice into cold water, dipping the garment into the water and gently rubbing it clean. Wring it gently and hang it, but not in the sun.
  

• If you must use soap, use a mild, natural soap containing no chemicals.
  

• I don’t suggest you wash your silk clothing in a washing machine, but if you must, remember to wash dark colors separately and use Woolite or a similar mild detergent. And hang it to do out of the sun. Do not put it in a dryer.
  

• To remove wrinkles, steam is the best method. If you must iron, turn the garment inside-out first.
  

• Of course, dry cleaning is best.