Style and Fashion
Textile Exhibits, The British Quilt, 1700 - 2010 and Japanese Sashiko Textiles
London's V&A is presenting its first quilt exhibit with earliest examples that include a "sumptuous silk and velvet bedcover, with an oral narrative that links it to King Charles II's visit to an Exeter manor house in the late 17th century... On loan from the National Gallery of Australia will be the Rajah quilt, made in 1841 by women convicts aboard the HMS Rajah as they were being transported to Van Diemen's Land (present day Tasmania).
Glimpses into the exhibit are to be read at the Quilts Hidden Histories blog by Sue Pritchard, such as this recent entry:
"Today we started lighting the first section ‘The Domestic Landscape’ — we killed the top lights and Jo Budd’s diptych was bathed in soft light, accentuating the stitches and ripples, the shadows and softly curvaceous contours of ‘Female/Summer’. In ‘Virtue and Virtuosity’, Dinah Prentice was installing ‘Billowing Maenads’, seductively draping and illuminated against the peachy tones of the walls. We have won over the lighting engineers who want to know more about the Mary Parker quilt made from silk ribbons from the 1720-40s. Caren Garfen’s ‘How many times do I have to repeat myself’ reclines enticingly upon its bed, eagerly awaiting the installation of the Brayley and tailors’ quilts next week. "
Another textile exhibit took place in the British city of York, Japanese Sashiko Textiles:
"Until the mid twentieth century it was the traditional method of making work wear in fishing and farming areas throughout Japan. The makers were the cornerstones of communities but their lives passed unrecorded. The historical work in this exhibition dating from the nineteenth to mid twentieth century documents these women’s achievements, perseverance and hardships."
The Big Cover-Up
V&A's Costume Cleaning Conundrum, Manchu 'Horse-Hoof' Shoes and The Invisibles
"In preparation for the V&A's autumn 2007 exhibition, The Golden Age of Couture, an extremely rare costume by Christian Dior was brought into the Textile Conservation Studio for treatment. It was amongst over one hundred costumes, underwear, hats, shoes and other items requiring conservation and mounting before display."
"The greatest challenge this costume presented was its appearance; it was heavily soiled, distorted and visually unappealing. The question was — could it be cleaned and reshaped?"
London's Victoria & Albert Museum presented in its online Conservation Journal, Spring 2008 Number 56, the article Costume Cleaning Conundrums by Frances Hartog:
"The condition of the costume at the time of purchase was startling. The hem of the skirt was black inside and out. All parts were soiled. There was extensive water-borne staining throughout; the proper left sleeve of the jacket and front of the skirt both had large stains down their entire length that had hardened to the consistency of cardboard. The whole ensemble was very heavily creased and misshapen. The waist of the skirt had been taken apart and cobbled together again in haphazard gathers. As one of my colleagues succinctly put it — it was a mess!"
"After consultation with Claire Wilcox, the decision was made to wash the jacket, bodice and skirt, in the knowledge there could be colour loss and not knowing what level of soil release would be achieved. This necessitated the removal of the secondary lining in the jacket and the removal of the skirt from its yoke to release the uneven gathers. The primary lining of fine silk found in all parts of the costume was structurally integral and could not be removed; it was accepted there would be probable colour change. To maximise cleaning efficiency, the chelating agent tri-ammonium citrate was added to all wash baths, raising the pH from 5.6 to between 6.3-6.6. Due to the complexity of the jacket's structure and scale of the skirt, logistics dictated that all parts be washed separately, introducing the further risk of inconsistent results. The bodice was washed first; being the smallest item it was felt to be the most controllable. The results were pleasing, a noticeable reduction in soiling but the creasing remained. The jacket (the skirt of which was lined with three different fabrics) was then washed with enhanced results ; all the water staining was removed and the appearance was much improved. Finally, the skirt was washed, again with impressive results. Though some of the water staining remains, the fabric became soft and malleable, and the lustre of the satin was greatly enhanced."
Go to the V&A site to view the outfit.
Are Those Two Senior Women Models We Spy?
We forget (uh,oh) exactly how we arrived at England's The Guardian today, but nevertheless, it's a favored publication. After reading an article on why older women are paying more for car insurance because of a higher number of claims, we migrated to thoughts of making a soufflé and then this:
Fashion for all ages: The one must-have item for all occasions
No apologies for those two older women, no explanations as to why they were part of the content and even more important, no pats on the back for including them ... such as a special AGE issue that reluctantly includes a few very glamorous models and super-successful women in pricey outfits. Or a special section of the old dames, segregated in the ghetto of 'oh well, guess we have to include some over-the-hill (fashionwise) women.'
If older women are part of editorial fashion content, they're usually on the cusp of old age and heaven forbid, if they were ever referred to as ... gasp!... elderly. We like that they're fashionably dressed from top to high-heeled toe or smart flats, with attractive jackets. They look as smart as the younger women they're surrounded by. Perhaps US fashion editors might take a tip from their British counterparts.
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