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.
The next issue of the Journal presents a different problem with exhibit in their article, The Invisibles by Sam Gatley
"Christian Dior is believed to have said: 'Without foundations there can be no fashion.' This was in reference to the crafted underwear that had been designed to sculpt a woman's figure to best show off his creations. But his comment could just as easily apply to the costume display mount. In the display of costume and dress the mount must be the foundation that allows for accurate historical interpretation as well as offer an appropriate level of support to an often fragile garment."
"In response to Museum's objectives to exhibit costume in ever more striking and elegant arrangements, which reflect the modern zeitgeist for sharp, clean lines, there has been an increasing trend for the 'concealed' or 'invisible' mount. This style of support gives the garment fullness of figure without any part of the foundation mannequin or dress stand being on show."
"The V&A's 2007 winter exhibition, The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957, featured a collection of early 1950s underwear. The design team had stipulated that the garments should appear to float within the display. This presented a challenge as two of the brassieres were constructed from a translucent nylon, a quality that the curators wanted to retain in the display as a significant feature of the period underwear. As a result, buckram could not be used to support the garments and a mount that was truly transparent was required. The solution was to use a shaped Perspex band to form the basic torso structure, although it could not be used to form well-fitting supports for the cup areas of the bras without vacuum forming the shapes. A paper pattern of the cups was taken from the original garments and then made up in a heavyweight Melinex® that could be stitched to holes drilled into the Perspex torso band. The sharp edges of the Melinex were softened with milliners crin, a nylon mesh that could be eased over the Melinex in a single piece. Traditionally, fabric-covered Rigilene® strips have been used to support garment straps but, due to the fact that the exhibition would be touring, a more rigid support was needed for travel. Lengths of brass were covered in fabric and screwed onto the Perspex thereby completing a robust and concealed form that the objects could travel upon."
The Autumn 2009 Conservation Journal, Issue 2 , carried an article on the V&A's collection of Manchu 'horse-hoof' shoes:
"According to art historian Verity Wilson,'the embroidered uppers were often made by women at home, and these decorated parts were sent out to a professional cobbler to be made up'. In Han Chinese society, shoe making was divided according to gender: male workers mostly fashioned the wooden parts, while women did the embroidery. However, there has been little study of the origins and development of Manchu shoes. Historical texts tell us that Manchu women never bound their feet and that Manchus traditionally made shoes out of wood. (Tradition also holds that the thick-soled shoe was first created by a goddess to keep off the dust and insects when she had to walk in the mud.) When Manchu dress and hairstyle were reshaped in the mid-nineteenth century, 'horse-hoof' shoes became important accessories in Manchu fashion. In 1848, Chinese historian Fu Ge described the Manchu style as consisting of a 'qipao,' high-heeled shoes, and hairstyles such as the 'liangbatou'. This ensemble made Manchu women appear taller, and led their bodies to move with a free, confident and swaying motion, called 'enuoduozhi'), which Fu Ge contrasted to Han Chinese women's delicate and fragile beauty."
More Articles
- Julia Sneden Wrote: If The Shoe Fits ... You Can Bet It's Not Fashionable
- The Conservancy and the Gardens: Facilitating the Restoration of Samuel Untermyer's Gardens in Yonkers, New York
- New York's Jewish Museum: Photography and the American Magazine; When Avant-garde Techniques in Photography and Design Reached the United States via European Emigrés
- Jane's Shortall's Amazing Return to London ... ‘Putting the Luxe in Luxury’
- A Diane Girard Reprise: Keep Those Paws Off My Pajamas
- Victoria and Albert Museum: On Point, Royal Academy of Dance at 100
- Five Articles From British Vogue Concerning Stay-At-Home Grooming - Including for Grey Hair
- James Tissot: Fashion & Faith: “A painting by Mr. Tissot will be enough for the archeologists of the future to reconstruct our era.”
- What Were We Thinking? Mink Stoles, Kid Leather Hats, Frilly Petticoats, Frocks, Tchotchkes, Fine China for “Company”
- Kay Nielsen’s Enchanted Vision: The Kendra and Allan Daniel Collection