A thin, lightweight fabric with a wrinkled surface, traditionally made from silk or wool and often used for mourning clothes.
From French crêpe, derived from Latin crispus meaning 'curled' or 'crimped.' The fabric's characteristic wrinkled texture comes from the curling and twisting of the fibers during production.
Crape became the official fabric of grief in Victorian culture—people wore crape armbands and veils to show they were mourning. Today we've mostly abandoned this custom, but the fabric lives on in high fashion and formal wear.
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