Catalina silk swimsuit?

[zannew]

Hi All,

I have a Catalina Masterpiece swimsuit and I feel pretty certain it's made of silk. I don't think I've ever seen a silk swimsuit. How common were these suits? Is it possible to actually swim in them?

 

[Pinkcoke]

It may be more of a play/sunbathing suit than for swimming.

 

[joules]

It may perhaps be cotton sateen?

 

[sewingmachinegirl]

I am sure Glamoursurf will be along soon to help with this!

 

[Vlk94]

I'm not sure, but its lovely!

 

[glamoursurf]

Hard to tell without feeling the fabric. Have you done a burn test? Mid 50s.

 

[zannew]

Yes, I did a burn test. I could only find fine piece of the fiber but it was about 2 inches long. It burned like silk but it was too small a piece to get good smell.

Here are some pics of the fabric close up. One is held up to the light.

 

[Sky Ranch Vintage]

You might steam it. I find that silk has a specific smell when steaming. If it's cotton it will likely not give off any scent. But if it's silk, I bet it gives off a unique odor.