Brunschwig & Fils | Paradiso Plaid

Paradiso Plaid is a plaid woven in 100% silk, and the fibre does most of the work. The lines cross in layers, so the cloth has depth as well as pattern, and the sheen of the silk shifts the colours as the light changes during the day. It has a smooth, supple hand, with the kind of drape you only get from silk. We would describe it as a quiet plaid rather than a bold one, because the surface glow softens the contrast between the bars.

The cloth is 48 in (121.92 cm) wide. The vertical repeat is 15.56 in (39.52 cm) and the horizontal repeat is 16.15 in (41.02 cm), so the plaid is slightly longer across than it is deep, which matters when you are matching the bars at a seam. The composition is 100% silk. No Martindale figure is given, so we see it as a cloth for curtains, pelmets and soft furnishings that are looked at more than they are sat on, not for hard-working seating.

We would use it for lined and interlined curtains in a sitting room or a bedroom, where the silk can hang in deep folds and the plaid reads as a soft, changing field. A pelmet or a valance in the same cloth would frame a window neatly. For cushions, we like it on a plain, deep-seated sofa or an armchair in a calmer weave, and we would pair it with a solid silk or a fine wool in one of the plaid's quieter tones.

Silk fades and weakens in strong sun, so we would always line and interline, and consider a sun-facing window carefully. Match the plaid across every seam, and ask the workroom to cut with the bars square to the top and the leading edge; a plaid that runs off the straight shows from across the room. Allow a full extra repeat per drop in your quantities, and have the finished curtains dry cleaned by a specialist.