sharkskin

American  

[shahrk-skin] / ˈʃɑrkˌskɪn /

noun

1. a smooth fabric of acetate or rayon with a dull or chalklike appearance, for apparel.

2. a fine worsted fabric in twill weave, compact in texture and light to medium in weight, for suits.

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sharkskin British  

/ ˈʃɑːkˌskɪn /

noun

1. a smooth glossy fabric of acetate rayon, used for sportswear, etc

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Etymology

Origin of sharkskin

First recorded in 1850–55; shark ¹ + skin

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sharkskin

And no one looked better in spearpoint collars and sharkskin silk suits than Ray.

From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2022

This fall, Supreme is offering a throwback sharkskin suit with notch lapels in muddy brown and blue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2019

I grew up in Chicago in the 1960s, and so I’m also thinking about all those guys in those sharkskin suits and that processed hair.

From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2018

Several readers weighed in, some of them curious about the admittedly bizarre items I was so excited about discovering at the Tysons Corner Marshalls: striped jeans and a sharkskin suit.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 17, 2017

My sharkskin gray “Cab Calloway” zoot suit, the long, narrow, knob-toed shoes, and the four-inch-brimmed pearl-gray hat over my conked fire-red hair, it was just about too much for Mrs. Sweriin.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey