Silk and Cotton

I am a natural fabric aficianado.  I like cotton or silk next to my skin, and my nightgown, pillow cases, sheets and comforter are either silk or cotton.   I always feel like luxuriating in the soft feel of silk against my skin, nearly rivaled by soft cotton.  But the makers of artificial fabrics claim to have exceeded the luxury of silk with their micro fibers.  However there is more to the story.
 Years ago one of my daughters performed a Science Fair experiment.  She suspended  four 1" x 4" strips of white woven fabric over dishes of water.  One strip was silk, another 100% cotton, another 100% polyester, the fourth 50% cotton and 50% polyester.  She dipped each strip in the water and timed how long it took the strip to absorb the water and how long it took the strip to dry.  The 100% cotton and the silk performed almost identically.  They absorbed the water relatively slowly, but the water evaporated relatively quickly, relative, that is, to both the mixed and pure polyester.  The polyester quickly absorbed the water, with very little difference between the 100% and the 50/50 blend.  Then it took a while for the water to evaporate. 
In the arid climate where I now live this is significant to comfort in the summer.  Cotton t-shirts and silk blouses don't wick the sweat from skin immediately as do polyester fabrics.  The passing breeze can evaporate the moisture with a cooling effect.  Then, whatever moisture passes to the silk and cotton is also evaporated with a further cooling effect.  The polyester fabric keeps the moisture in its complicated matrix for longer, forming a barrier to the breeze.  This can make a significant difference on a hot, dry day.
I have lived in Virginia and coastal Southern California and visited at length in Florida, New York City and the Pacific Northwest, all humid climates.  Even there where humidity can approach saturation, I find that cotton and silk are more comfortable.
I am grateful for the comfort of cotton and silk.