Mysore silk vs Mysore crepe silk

Both are pure mulberry silk. The difference is in the twist, long before anyone reaches the loom.

The short answer

Mysore crepe is twisted much harder before it is woven than a plain Mysore silk, which gives it a fine, grainy surface and a heavier fall that holds a pleat. A plain Mysore silk saree, by comparison, is smooth.

What the twist changes

• The yarn. Both start as pure mulberry silk, reeled from cocoons rather than spun from waste fibre — several thousand cocoons go into a single saree.
• The twist. Crepe silk is given a high twist before weaving. That twist is what produces the fine grainy surface and a drape that follows the body instead of holding a shape of its own.
• The restraint. A Mysore crepe silk tends to stay quiet in design — a solid field of colour, a slim gold border, a quiet pallu — because its character rests on how the colour holds light rather than on pattern.

Which should you choose

If you want a saree that holds its pleats through a long evening and falls close to the body, Mysore crepe is the one to look for. If you prefer a smoother, plainer silk without that grain, a plain Mysore silk is the other pure option. Either way, both should carry the Silk Mark, and the weight — GSM, the weight of the silk in grams per square metre — is worth checking too: 120 is light and easy to drape, 130 a little heavier, and 140 and 150 have more body and hold a pleat well.