Thai silk is one of the few fabrics worth crossing the city for. Woven from the cocoons of mulberry silkworms, the good stuff has a weight and a faint two-tone shimmer that machine-made satin never quite manages. Here is where to find the real thing in Bangkok, how to tell it from the tourist version, what to pay, and how to turn a few metres into something you will actually wear.
What counts as real Thai silk
Genuine Thai silk is reeled from mulberry-fed silkworms and woven, often by hand, in the north-east of the country. Three things give it away. It has body and a little weight, not the flyaway thinness of cheap polyester satin. The surface carries fine, slightly uneven slubs from hand weaving, rather than a flat, perfectly uniform face. And it shimmers in two tones, because the lengthwise and crosswise threads are often dyed different colours, so the cloth shifts between, say, gold and green as you move.
Silk is sold by weight, or ply. One and two-ply silks are light and fluid, lovely for blouses, scarves and soft dresses. Four-ply is dense and structured, the kind of cloth that holds a clean A-line skirt or a jacket. Most occasion dresses sit happily in the two to four-ply range.
Where to buy Thai silk in Bangkok
You can buy Thai silk at every price point in Bangkok, from polished flagship stores to dusty market stalls. These are the places we point clients to most often. For the wider fabric picture, our full guide to buying women's fabrics in Bangkok covers the markets in more detail.
Jim Thompson
The icon, and a safe place to start. The flagship on Surawong sells beautifully finished silk by the metre at premium prices, with reliably high quality and a huge colour range. If you want the same cloth for less, the Jim Thompson factory outlet on Soi Sukhumvit 93 carries surplus and home-furnishing weights at a fraction of flagship prices, well worth the trip if you have an afternoon. Either way you are getting the real thing, no guesswork required.
Flagship: 9 Surawong Road, Bang Rak (a few minutes from Sala Daeng BTS). Outlet: 153 Soi Sukhumvit 93, Khlong Toei.
H.M. Factory for Thai Silk
A quieter, more local find, and a favourite of ours for buying genuine Thai silk closer to the source. H.M. Factory for Thai Silk is a working silk house tucked into the Watthana district, a short hop from Sukhumvit, where you can choose handwoven cloth by the metre without the flagship markup. The range runs from soft, lighter silks for blouses and dresses to denser weaves for jackets, with the two-tone, slubby character that tells you it is the real thing.
It is a showroom rather than a mall, so it is worth messaging ahead to check the day and what they have on the bolt before you make the trip.
Location: 45 Soi Phrom Chai, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110
ChinaWorld
ChinaWorld is the calm, air-conditioned answer to Chinatown's busier street markets. The five-floor fabric mall holds dozens of independent stalls, each with its own speciality and prices, so it pays to walk the floors before you buy. You will find cotton, linen, wool and a good amount of silk under one roof, with sit-down service and prices marked on the bolt, which suits anyone who would rather not haggle in an alley.
Location: 677 Chakkraphet Road, Phra Nakhon (near the Old Siam area)
Pahurat (Little India)
A short walk from Chinatown, Pahurat is the Indian textile district of Bangkok, and the place to go for colour. It leans towards bright shades, embroidered and embellished silks, sari fabrics and silk blends, often sold by stallholders who really know their cloth. If you are after a statement piece with a bit of sparkle or a border detail, this is a rewarding place to dig.
Location: Phahurat Road, Wang Burapha Phirom, Phra Nakhon (near Sam Yot MRT)
Photo: Melanochromis, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Old Siam Plaza
If you only have time for one stop, make it this one. The Silk Zone on an upper floor of this old, air-conditioned plaza at the edge of Chinatown gathers a couple of dozen independent silk shops under one roof, the largest single concentration of Thai silk in Bangkok. Prices are keen and the choice is enormous, and because the shops sit side by side you can compare weights, weaves and colours in minutes rather than trekking between markets. The ground floor is worth a wander too, for traditional Thai sweets and ready-made local clothing.
Location: 12 Tri Phet Road, Wang Burapha Phirom, Phra Nakhon (near Sam Yot MRT)
Photo: mohigan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How to tell real Thai silk from fake
Tourist markets sell a great deal of polyester labelled "Thai silk", so a few quick checks save disappointment. Price is the first clue: real silk is rarely very cheap. Feel is the second, as silk warms to your hand while polyester stays cool and slippery. Then look for the two-tone shimmer and the faint slubs of a real weave.
The reliable test is the burn test, which reputable shops will happily do on a loose thread for you. Real silk burns to a soft, crushable ash that smells of burnt hair and stops burning once you take the flame away. Polyester melts into a hard plastic bead and smells chemical. If a stall refuses to test a single thread, treat that as your answer.
What Thai silk costs
As a rough guide, lighter two-ply silk from Chinatown or the markets starts around 300 to 600 THB per metre, good hand-woven silk runs from roughly 700 to 1,500 THB per metre, and premium brand silk or intricate mudmee climbs higher. Remember that Thai silk is usually woven narrow, around a metre wide, so budget for a little more length than you would with wide European cloth. Even so, a dress's worth of beautiful silk is usually a few hundred to a couple of thousand baht, far less than imported wool or branded suiting.
Turning Thai silk into something you'll wear
Buying the cloth is the romantic part. Getting it cut well is what makes it wearable. At LALEDA we tailor Thai silk into blouses, dresses and jackets, and we are happy to work with silk you bought yourself. Because Thai silk is narrow and can fray, it wants a tailor who will match the grain, finish the seams cleanly and line it so it sits well and stays comfortable in the heat.
Bring your fabric, or come empty-handed and choose from the bolts at the atelier. Either way, you can see exactly how we work before anything is cut. We have been dressing women in Bangkok from beautiful cloth since 1989.
Book a fabric consultationFrequently asked questions
Can LALEDA make a dress from Thai silk I bought myself?
Yes. Plenty of clients arrive with a few metres they fell in love with at Jim Thompson or a market. We check the width and quantity, tell you if you need a little more, and tailor it into a dress, blouse or jacket. Bringing your own cloth is always welcome.
Is Thai silk too hot to wear in Bangkok?
Real silk breathes better than most people expect. A lighter one or two-ply Thai silk, cut with a breathable lining, is comfortable for evenings and air-conditioned events. Heavy four-ply silk is warmer and better kept for structured pieces and cooler rooms.
How much Thai silk do I need for a dress?
As a rough guide, two to two and a half metres for a blouse, three to four metres for a dress, and a little more for a gown with a full skirt or sleeves. Thai silk is often woven narrow, around one metre wide, so you usually need more length than with wide European cloth. We confirm the exact amount once we know the style.
How do I care for Thai silk?
Dry clean, or hand wash gently in cool water with a mild detergent and no wringing, then dry in the shade. Keep it out of long stretches of direct sun and press on low heat from the back. Treated well, Thai silk lasts for decades.
What is the difference between Thai silk and Chinese silk?
Thai silk is usually heavier, with a slightly irregular, slubby weave and a two-tone shimmer because the warp and weft are often different colours. Chinese and Indian silks tend to be smoother and lighter. Neither is better, they simply suit different garments.
Malai Chanhom
Malai brings 20 years of invaluable experience from working in tailoring. Her expertise and passion for crafting the perfect fit drive her mission to help every customer find their ideal style.
Her dedication to her craft goes beyond the workroom. Whether it is a wedding gown, a tailored suit, or an alteration, every piece gets the same care.
