Silk braces

[Connemara]

I'm about to invest in my first pair of braces, and was wondering what material would be best. Silk seems like a fine choice, except that I recall reading (perhaps on SF?) that, due to heat, someone's silk braces had run and stained their shirt. Does this happen frequently?

I understand boxcloth is the obvious choice for winter, but is silk an appropriate year round material?

 

[Manton]

Silk braces fray easily. Thurston uses rayon for their "barathea" braces, which look and perform much like silk, but last forever. At least, in my case, I have yet to see a pair even start to give out. Highly recommended. The cost is also lower than silk.