Thread: what weight silk veil do you prefer

Hello, while searching the net for silk veils, I'm finding that there are different weights of 100% silk (mm). Just trying to find the consensus as to what you all prefer and your experiences with silk veils. Thanks for sharing. Must order soon for gala event the end of this month!

8mm, I think - medium weight if I'm correct.

I consider 8mm to be heavyweight for a veil. They are nice, easy to control for a lot of veil work (say, for a whole bolero or rhumba) and give a ripply effect. I also have some 6mm and 5mm. The 5s are super lightweight and unhemmed, giving that floaty ethereal look. They are gorgeous but harder to control (I got wrapped up in mine yesterday, as a matter of fact). It really depends what you want to use your veil for; they handle differently. 6mm gives a little bit of both...those are the easiest to work with for me.

I was on Dharma today looking at silk, and I didn't see any 6mm weight. Where's Jes? What does she use for her regular veils?

I like 6mm best for most stage work, but I like the 5mm for restaurant (easier to get them to float up above everyone's hummus!).

I also like the 5mm for superwide veils -- Jes at Akai Silks occasionally makes 54" wide veils in the ultralight weight silk, and those are my FAVORITE!! Haven't seen them in a while, though.

(get busy on those, Jes, I'd like one in Salivate, please!!!!)

L Rose carries 6mm, and I think we3's veils are mostly 6mm too. I think Jes uses either 5mm or 8mm depending on the product.

Originally Posted by nasila

L Rose carries 6mm, and I think we3's veils are mostly 6mm too. I think Jes uses either 5mm or 8mm depending on the product.

Hmmm....the chinasilk veil I got from Lrose is much heavier than my Akai veils, but I have some other silk veils that are again much lighter weight than my Aka'is. I don't really care for the tissue-paper thin veils, as they are extremely fragile, but it seems that my Lrose veil is almost too heavy.

Now I'm confused!

Thank you all for your input. I'm learning a lot from you all. The thing is, I can sit here all day long reading and talking with you ladies. I have homework and housework to do.....hahaha! That can wait, first things first, right?

Originally Posted by bdance

Thank you all for your input. I'm learning a lot from you all. The thing is, I can sit here all day long reading and talking with you ladies. I have homework and housework to do.....hahaha! That can wait, first things first, right?

Uh oh, watch out for the Bhuz addiction!..g.:

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

Hmmm....the chinasilk veil I got from Lrose is much heavier than my Akai veils, but I have some other silk veils that are again much lighter weight than my Aka'is. I don't really care for the tissue-paper thin veils, as they are extremely fragile, but it seems that my Lrose veil is almost too heavy.

Now I'm confused!

L Rose also carries 8mm, plus they hem them, so maybe that's what you got? I've never worked with an 8mm hemmed one; that sounds like a lot of work! Jes I think uses 5mm for the big wings and 8mm for smaller veils...maybe there is also different quality among the different weights?

On Jess' website you can read info on silk veils, the different silks, the difference in weight, hemmed or unhemmed veils etc.

Akai Silks

B

I like 6 - 8 mm personally. I like 8 for the controllablity factor. 6 for the float. I find 5 to be a little too whimpy and has a little too much mind of its own. I think Zorba called it the collapsability? in other words, you stop moving and it falls?

{{{HUGS}}}

Unfortunately most of my veils are in the 8mm realm - I'd LOVE a tissue thin 5mm but I can't seem to find one!!!
Gia

I make both 6mm and 8mm, but when I make one for myself I always go for 8mm. However, this is for standard 45" X 3 yards.

I don't use larger, longer, or half-circle veils, so I don't have an opinion on silk weight for those.

it depends on the effect that I'm going for. For ethereal, floaty work, smoke rising to heaven, I use 5mm, but prefer wider widths. For "power veil" I use 8mm.

Depends on what you want to do with it...

I have several L.Rose veils, and consider them to be "general purpose" all around veils that you can do almost anything with (relatively speaking, of course).

A'Kai veils, being lighter take a lighter touch - and I've even found some to be lighter than those. If you want to tear around at warp speed, don't even think about silk - they collapse and look ugly. If you want floaty, think light silk - the lighter the more floaty.

Outside the realm of plain silk, I have a diaphanous silk chiffon that is so light and diaphanous that it almost isn't there. I utterly love it - if I want to do "ultra-float" veil, thats the one I reach for; but boy is it tricky to dance with! It sticks to everything - and I mean EVERYTHING - and if someone in the back of the audience sneezes, it will collapse (only a mild exaggeration!). On the other hand, I can enter with it, toss it in the air, and pluck it back out of the air at the end of my set, 15 minutes later!..l;, ..l;,

I'd been afraid of 8 mm because I'd heard about how 5-6 was so much easier - but I was *thinking* that 8mm would be easier for, say, outdoor conditions. Which I would find helpful - my veils and I play very nicely together, and I'm always trying to use them at awkward times (like when I'm performing in the rain. Probably a total n00b moment. The pictures looked good, at least...).

So I'm glad I dropped in on this conversation... I think an 8mm veil must be in my future! Thank you!!!

I just ordered an 8mm because it was the right color. I'm not sure how it will compare to my Akai veils. I have some really heavy Akai veils and some that are so light & thin that they've ripped and run already. (Granted, that last one was sold cheaply as a 'practice veil", and it has served me well - and I still use it for class/practice so as not to ruin my good ones).

I should watch myself on video with veil and see whether the veil is doing what I think it's doing. I tend to use my veil with malfouf with a lot of swooping and spinning moves.

I am not too fond of 5mm, and my favorite veil is I think 6mm weight. One would think that there is hardly any difference, but surprisingly, there is.

5mm to 6mm are all that I use. You get a little more control with the 6mm. I have found that when dancing in restaurants, a 2 1/2 yard veil is easier to manage and keep above people's heads.

It was really neat hearing everyone's opinion, thanks!