WECS Wardrobe€¦ · Page 2 WECS Wardrobe Spring 2011 WECS events Coldharbour Mill, Uffculme and...

WardrobeSpring issue 2011

Free to members

Calendar

Coldharbour Mill and Killerton HouseSaturday 18 June 2011n Visit

Shops and ShoppingSaturday 8 October 2011n Janet Arnold Study Day BRLSI, Queen Square, Bath

Kelmscot and LechladeThursday 20 October 2011n Visit

Christmas meetingSaturday 19 November 2011n Christmas meeting

AGMSaturday 4 February 2012n AGM

WECS

Main image

Casanova’s coatSpot the Difference 8

Knit one...March Study Day Page 12

For king and countryFashionistas Page 8

... Pearl oneHand made tales Page 14

Wedding of the yearWhat will she wear? Page 7

www.wofecostumesociety.org

WECS Wardrobe Spring 2011

WECS events

Coldharbour Mill, Uffculme and Killerton HouseSaturday 18 June 2011

n All day visit

A coach trip has been organised to visit Coldharbour Mill in Uffculme near Tiverton, Devon to see the woollen mill recently featured on BBC2’s Edwardian Farm.

The mill was built by Thomas Fox in 1799 and is one of several based in the Culm Valley that spun woollen and worsted yarns, continuing production up until the 1980s. It is now run by a Trust and WECS members will receive a guided tour and see the various processes and machines used to convert fleeces into yarn and cloth and also have access to the dye house. The tour will take around an hour, after which there will be time for lunch in the café or picnic in the grounds by the mill stream. A trip to the shop, which sells yarns and textiles and a visit to the Home Front exhibition are also on offer.

We will then continue to Killerton House (see panel, right) a short distance away. Here, we will see the current exhibition, Dressing up, Dressing down which tells visitors about the correct thing to wear at certain times of the day throughout history. The costumes, taken from Killerton’s superb collection, range from Georgian through to Edwardian. We will be here for around two hours, so there will also be time to look around the house and have tea if you so wish.

The cost of the trip is £25 for members and £30 for non-members. There is an additional charge of £7.20 for Killerton House if you are not a member of the National Trust. If you are a National Trust member, please bring your card with you on the day.

Booking form with this issue.

Killerton flappers Dressing Up...Many thanks to Jo of the Real McCoy who has supplied lavishly beaded gowns for wear at the press launch. www.therealmccoy.co.uk

Dressing Up, Dressing DownSummer exhibition

n Killerton House, Broadclyst, Exeter, Devon EX5 3LE

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton 01392 881345Entry to the new exhibition is included in the admission price to Killerton House and is free to National Trust members. There will be monthly Focus on Fashion drop in events from 14 March.

Dressing Up. Dressing Down follows the huge success of Killerton’s 2010 exhibition Elegance, which showcased the most elegant fashions for men and women dating from the 1770s to the 1970s.

The atmospheric displays and room sets for Dressing Up. Dressing Down have been fashioned out of the 19,000 items in the Killerton costume collection which was begun by Paulise de Bush who saved many exquisite 18th and 19th century costumes from destruction during World War II.

What was the first thing an Edwardian child put on in the morning? What did Regency gentlemen keep in their pockets? When would a Georgian lady use a fan or put on her best jewellery and how would you get ready for a good night’s sleep in the 1920s? The answers to all these questions and the reasons behind our ancestors changing their clothing so many times during the day are uncovered in the new exhibition.

Shelley Tobin, Killerton’s Costume Curator said, ‘There was a huge amount of intricate work involved in creating our new exhibition. We had 19th century silk afternoon dresses to measure and fit to mannequins, 20th century jewellery to clean and we’ve delicately mounted a splendid hand-embroidered Chinese silk banyan (dressing gown) which is nearly 200 years old.’

Visitors can also see rare and specially conserved pieces including a patchwork and appliqué coverlet made in 1810, fragments of seventeenth century printed textiles originally part of bed-hangings recently discovered at Blenheim and stored at Godolphin House, and children’s toys dating back to about 1900.

Shops and Shopping:Fashion as pleasure and commerceSaturday 8 October 2011n Janet Arnold Study Day, BRSLI, Queen Square, Bath

From the pedlar to the Internet, shopping for clothes has always been a predominantly female task as well as a pleasure. This study day looks at the changing face of shops and shopping and its effect on fashion and fashionable activities.

Kay Staniland will give an insight into her new research on eighteenth century shopping, while Anna Buruma will

demonstrate the unique influence of Liberty and Richard Lester the role of 1960s boutiques.

And of course, some retail therapy at the WECS Bazaar. Full details and booking form in the summer issue of Wardrobe.

At home with William MorrisThursday 20 October 2011, 11.00 - 14.00

n Get-yourself-there visit to Kelmscott Manor

The summer home of William Morris, Kelmscott Manor is a Grade 1 listed farmhouse built in 1600. Morris shared the lease with the painter Dante Rossetti

Trip timings:Bath Newbridge P&R 9.00UWE Bus stop 9.30Coldharbour Mill 11.00-14.00Killerton House 14.30-16.30Return UWE 18.00Newbridge P&R 18.30

and today the house holds an outstanding collection of the possessions and works of Morris and his associates, including textiles and carpets. Share the journey with friends and enjoy coffee followed by a conducted tour. The afternoon can be spent strolling in the house grounds and village or a visit to the Cotswolds Woollen Weavers’ historic mill near Lechlade, which is very close by.

Full details and booking form in the summer issue of Wardrobe.

Christmas meetingSaturday 19 November 2011

n Bowling Club, Pulteney Street, Bath

Full details and booking form in the autumn issue of Wardrobe.

Tommy Nutter: The Rebel on the Row20 May 2011 - 22 October 2011

n Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3XF

020 7407 8664

www.ftmlondon.org

When Nutters opened in 1969 on Savile Row, the staid and traditional world of bespoke tailoring entered a new era. Tommy Nutter, with master cutter Edward Sexton, combined up-to-the minute styling with classic techniques to create the brand that set the Row swinging. The shop - financed by Cilla Black, James Vallance White, and Beatles’ executive Peter Brown – opened up the experience of bespoke tailoring; catering to rock stars, artists and aristocrats who wanted to custom fit with the new shapes and details pioneered at Nutters.

WECS Wardrobe Winter 2009 WECS Wardrobe Spring 2011

Out & AboutAll items in ‘Out and About’ are published in good faith. WECS Wardrobe cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. Please check details before making a special journey.

12 March - 30 October 2011n The American Museum in Britain, Claverton Manor, Bath, BA2 7BD

01225 460503www.americanmuseum.org

Closed Mondays except during August and bank holidaysThe life lived by Marilyn Monroe is a tale of triumph and tragedy.

Marilyn – Hollywood Icon is a celebration of the enduring legacy of the fabulous blonde who gentlemen (and the rest of us) continue to prefer above all others. Unlike other ‘Marilyn’

exhibitions of recent years, the American Museum’s 50th anniversary extravaganza will be packed full of costumes actually worn by Monroe, as well as original photographs

and posters and personal items from the private collection of David Gainsborough Roberts, an extraordinary gathering of celebrity memorabilia created during the past two decades. The exhibition will feature twenty of the screen goddess’s

gowns and outfits including the red sequinned gown worn by Marilyn in Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1953); the

green show costume Marilyn wore in Bus Stop (1956), which won her

a Golden Globe; and the iconic cocktail dress from Some Like it Hot (1959) in which Marilyn crooned ‘I’m Through With Love’. Personal items

owned by Marilyn Monroe will also be exhibited here for the first time in the UK. Poignantly, these include

the silver ring given to the star by her disturbed mother, Gladys,

who spent most of her life in mental institutions, as did Marilyn’s

grandparents. This promises to be a truly show

stopping spectacle of an exhibition and one not to be missed!

This exciting new exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum promises to not only explore the Nutter style, but to also analyse the contribution of this legendary individual in the marketing and branding of a Savile Row company. The range of suits on display will take visitors through the changes that Nutter introduced and will place his work in the social and historical context of the late 1960s to 1990s.

Essential accessories: Handbags and heelsUntil 17 July 2011

n The Lightbox, Chobham Road, Woking, Surrey, GU21 4AA

01483 737800

www.thelightbox.org.uk

This unmissable show delves into the fascinating history of these two most essential, yet at times aspirational, items. This new exhibition at the award-winning gallery in Woking takes a unique look at the evolution of handbags and shoes from the 16th Century to the latest ‘must-have’ designs, as seen on the catwalks of London, New York and Milan. Bringing

Out & About continued on next page

MARILYN -HollywooD ICon -

Black chiffon negligée trimmed with red satin rose appliqué Niagara 1953

Handbags and heelsBag embroidered with thistles and initials J.R.8 for James VIII, The Old Pretender. Scotland early C18th, ‘Camata’ Manolo

Blahnik, 2000-2001, Leather handbag with cover-sheet of tortoise-shell inlaid with mother-of-pearl Germany 1810s. Bags

courtesy of the Museum of Bags and Purses, Amsterdam and Leo Potma, shoes courtesy of The Shoe Collection Northampton Museums

together handbags from the internationally renowned Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam, with women’s shoes from the UK national collection of historic shoes in Northampton Museums and Art Gallery, the exhibition promises to be a wonderful feast for the eyes.

There are workshops, talks and tours connected with the exhibition. Advance booking is recommended: 01483 737837 to reserve your place.

Sport to StreetUntil 3 July 2011

n Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, Guildhall Road, Northampton, NN1 1DP

01604 838111

www.northampton.gov.uk/museums

Closed Mondays. Admission Free

An exhibition that traces the history of the training shoe from the earliest pair to the iconic brands we know today is currently

on show at Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, home to one of the world’s most famous shoe collections. Sport to Street follows the lifespan

of the training shoe, from its early beginnings as a soft-soled tennis shoe worn by Henry VIII to the iconic footwear of choice that it has become today.

Sport to Street looks at the rise of rubber-soled footwear for sports in the 19th century and the early sneakers manufactured by

legendary US companies Converse and Keds. By the 1970s trainers

were still predominantly worn by sportsmen and women for their

comfort and performance-enhancing design. This only started to change with

the craze for aerobics, health and fitness and improved trainer technology that helped move them away from being simply practical items to footwear that makes a fashion statement. The exhibition, which features leading brands including Adidas, Nike, Puma, Reebok and New Balance along side the oldest known running shoe worn in the early 1860s by the then Lord Spencer, delves into the relationship between brands and sub cultures as well as brands and celebrities.

“The story of the rise of the trainer from its humble beginnings as a simple

Dress for Excess: Fashion in Regency EnglandUntil 5 February 2012

n Royal Pavilion, 4/5 Pavilion Buildings, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1EE

03000 290902

www.brighton-hove-pavilion.org.uk

Dress for Excess: Fashion in Regency England celebrates the life of George IV as Prince, Regent and King, through the fashions of the late

Georgian period. The exhibition marks the 200th anniversary of the Regency Act, which was passed on 5 February 1811, passing the powers of the monarchy to George as his father was ill, and provides an insight into the way these fashions from the late 18th and early 19th century

have helped to influence the clothes we wear today.George loved fashion and design - the more opulent and extravagant the better

- and the exotic, oriental design of the Royal Pavilion which was his seaside residence, bears testament to this. His coronation was the most expensive

in British history and his huge coronation robe is going on public display for the first time in 30 years. The silk velvet robe, which is trimmed with ermine, measures more than five metres (16 feet) long and needed eight bearers rather

than the usual six to carry it at the coronation.The exhibition will include men and women’s fashions, from a tailored dandy’s costume and military uniform worn at the Battle of Waterloo to elegant high-

waisted cotton muslin gowns and beautiful silk garments, highlighting style influences from the period and themes from George’s life. The costumes are

displayed across a number of rooms, set against the grand backdrop of the Royal Pavilion.

A new exhibition space, the Prince Regent Gallery, is dedicated to George himself. On display will be items of his clothes, including

a beautifully printed banyan (an early form of indoor coat or dressing gown) from the 1770s and huge breeches

worn towards the end of his life as his waistline expanded. Alongside his coronation robe will be two costumes worn

in his coronation procession. “More than any other monarch, George knew the power of dress” says Martin

Pel, Curator of Fashion and Textiles at the Royal Pavilion and Museums. “Whether it was the dandy fashions of his youth or the military uniforms he wore as an adult, as he sought a role for himself while waiting nearly 60 years to be crowned king. His love of fashion was not merely an expensive indulgence, but a significant part in creating who George was”.

It is only the second time a fashion exhibition has been held in the Royal Pavilion and the building’s rich collections of furniture, textiles and decorative

arts promise to provide the perfect setting to bring the pieces to life.

sports shoe to its status today as one of the coolest items of footwear is fascinating” says Rebecca Shawcross, Northampton Borough Council Museum’s resident shoe expert. “We are lucky to have what is fast becoming the best trainer collection in the world, and this is the first time we have ever showcased so many in one place at one time.”

Also on show at Northampton Museum and Art Gallery until 8 May 2011 is photography exhibition Sneaker Peek, the culmination of a three-month project funded by the Heritage Lottery Collecting Cultures scheme, which gave young people the chance to work with professional artist and photographer Kenneth Martin and explore the museum’s growing collection of sneakers before taking the photographs featured in the show.


A Personal Collection of Vivienne Westwood ShoesUntil 2 May 2011

n The Hub: National Centre for Craft & Design, Navigation Wharf, Carre Street, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 7TW

01529 308710

[email protected]

A Personal Collection of Vivienne Westwood Shoes on show now at The Hub until 2 May 2011 features an opulent display of footwear by the doyenne of British fashion, Dame Vivienne Westwood. Westwood, best known for the creation of punk fashion with Malcolm McLaren in the 1970s, has a reputation for innovation in design, often using traditional styles and materials in surprising ways.

This exhibition is based around a collection of shoes amassed over the past 15 years by a private collector and showcases some of the most innovative and iconic examples of Westwood’s work in shoe design. From the pirate boots of her first catwalk collection to the roman sandals and pedestal style platforms, the displays span the entirety of the designer’s high fashion career, from the 1970s onwards, whilst at the same time raising questions surrounding the reasons behind our continued lust for beautiful shoes and the boundaries between fashion and art.

In an age when the British obsession with shoes is, it would seem, unabated by the recession (recent figures show that 2.5 million British women own over thirty pairs of shoes, and footwear is the only area of the luxury goods market to have enjoyed growth in our current climate of austerity) this exhibition aims to explore just what is it, then, that makes shoes so desirable, so irresistible, and so of the moment.

Traditional Jewellery and Dress from the BalkansUntil 11 September 2011

n The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG

020 7323 8299

www.britishmuseum.org

This new display of Traditional Jewellery and Dress from the Balkans showcases a selection of late 19th and early 20th century objects from the British Museum’s outstanding collections of jewellery and textiles from the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Albania and northern Greece. Complementing the silver jewellery from Oman also currently on display, the exhibition looks at European societies where dress and jewellery play a similar role, as indicators of identity and protection for the wearer.

The jewellery on show was worn by rural, often wealthy, communities and was a crucial part of the lavish and complicated costumes worn as bridal outfits, for festive occasions, for dancing, and for daily wear. Balkan jewellery was made professionally in a small number of centres, resulting in a similarity of types and designs across the whole area: colossal clasps, head ornaments hung with clusters of rustling pendants, or chains strung with coins and pinned across the body, to mark rites of passage, protect from evil spirits and to create a jangling accompaniment to music when dancing.

By contrast, the textiles were made locally, varying distinctly from village to village, so that the wearer’s origin was immediately recognisable. The Balkan region is mountainous and, before the creation of roads, communications were extremely difficult. Settlements were isolated, encouraging the survival of traditional customs. One of the highlights of the display is a pair of complete early 20th-century wedding costumes with jewellery

... most innovative and iconic examples of Westwood’s work in shoe

design.

Serbian waistcoat 1920s-1930s

trouser, the kimono jacket, and the Origami frock coat, as well as pieces reflecting the exaggerated silhouettes of the 1860s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1950s that he crafted into contemporary silhouettes transmitting romantic narratives. It will begin with a gallery entitled The Savage Mind, which will examine McQueen’s subversion of traditional tailoring, while other rooms will focus on his recurring fascination with Romantic literary traditions such as death, decay and darkness.

Other highlights will include the McQueen tartan from his Highland Rape collection and a mini projection of the infamous Kate Moss dancing hologram, which debuted after the model’s cocaine scandal in 2006. The exhibition will surely benefit from the appointment of Sam Gainsbury and Joseph Bennett, who helped produce so many of McQueen’s theatrical catwalk shows, as creative consultants.

Regarded by his contemporaries as a true fashion genius, McQueen challenged and expanded the understanding of fashion beyond utility to a conceptual expression of culture, politics, and identity. Many believe his iconic designs constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression was fashion.

“After McQueen’s death, we wanted to stage an exhibition to celebrate his legacy in fashion history and his contributions to fashion.” Andrew Bolton, who is spearheading the show along with curator Harold Koda told Women’s Wear Daily. “McQueen had such a singular voice and


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Yohji Yamamotountil 10 July 2011

n Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2RL

020 7942 2000 www.vam.ac.uk

Sleeveless white felt dress with large

collar: Yohji Yamamoto

Autumn/Winter 1996-7

Juste des Vêtements exhibition

Musée de la Mode et du Textile, Paris,

2005

© Courtesy of Gael Amzalag

This spring, the Victoria and Albert Museum will present the first UK solo exhibition celebrating the life and work of visionary Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. The exhibition will explore the work of a designer who has challenged, provoked and inspired the fashion world.

Considered one of the most influential and enigmatic fashion designers of the last forty years, Yamamoto has made a vital contribution to fashion, defying traditional norms of clothing with his avant-garde style. Yamamoto became internationally renowned in the early 1980s for challenging traditional notions of fashion by designing garments that seemed oversized and unfinished. He played with ideas of gender and designed with fabrics not normally used in fashionable attire such as felt or neoprene. The pieces on show reveal Yamamoto’s unusual pattern cutting, extraordinary knowledge of fashion history and great sense of humour. His work is characterised by a frequent and skilful use of black, a colour which he describes as ‘modest and arrogant at the same time’.

This installation-based retrospective, taking place 30 years after his Paris debut, will feature over 80 garments spanning Yamamoto’s career. Conceived as a site-specific installation with its core in Gallery 38 and small interventions throughout the V&A, the exhibition narrative will explore the design world of Yamamoto. The main exhibition space will house over 60 creations, including menswear designs on show for the first time and a multi-media timeline which reveals Yamamoto’s wider creative output.

for a bridal couple from Galičnik, a village in the mountainous region of south-west Macedonia (the former Yugoslav Republic).

The exhibition is accompanied by a series of free gallery talks examining Balkan jewellery and dress in the context of traditions and ceremony and its place in daily life.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty4 May 2011 – 31 July 2011

n Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

www.metmuseum.org

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty will celebrate the late Alexander McQueen’s extraordinary contributions to fashion. Organised by the Costume Institute, the exhibition takes a look back over two decades of McQueen’s work, beginning with his graduate collection from Central St Martins College of Art of 1992, right through to his final collection, which was shown in the weeks after his death in February 2010. The museum has also borrowed a significant number of outfits from Isabella Blow’s personal collection, which were all bought by Daphne Guinness earlier this year, as well as highlights from McQueen’s tenure at Givenchy.

The exhibition will be arranged thematically rather than chronologically and will feature over 100 examples of work from the designer’s 19-year career, including signature designs such as the bumster

he was a remarkable technician. He really was one of the most provocative voices of the past 30 years in fashion. His catwalk presentations were outstanding and straddle art and fashion. We want to get across two elements - the spectacle of the runway presentations and the beauty of his craftsmanship.”

By Royal Appointment: Hardy Amies and Norman Hartnell BridesUntil 29th May 2011

n Hardy Amies, 14 Savile Row, London, W1S 3JN

www.hardyamies.com

View by appointment only: 0207 734 2436

This special exhibition staged by the Curator of the Hardy Amies Archive, Austin Mutti-Mewse, gives a respectful nod to the Royal Wedding this spring, by featuring some exquisite Hardy Amies bridal gown creations, spanning six decades.

Elegantly timeless, the gowns are a tribute to Hardy Amies’ adage that “A bride should always choose something classic over anything remotely gimmicky”. The gowns shimmer in taffeta, satin and silk – in exquisite shades of cream-tinged off-white, delicate ivory and tantalizing vanilla, with a slight glimmer of gold.

From Jane McNeill, The Duchess of Buccleuch and Lady Janet Milford-Haven to Henrietta Spencer Churchill, Princess Olga Romanoff and the Hon. Geraldine Ogilvy, all the great families came to Hardy Amies for their gown and trousseau.

As well as Hardy Amies brides, the exhibition is showcasing the 1929 wedding dress of Oonagh Guinness, designed by Sir Norman Hartnell that wowed the crowds on its unveiling, 82 years ago. So amazing was Hartnell’s design – a muted satin gown covered in thousands of seed pearls – that reportedly at least one onlooker fainted outside the church on witnessing such great splendour! Beautifully restored by Miss Peggy Umpelby, formally of Locks, each gown has been pressed painstakingly by Miss Isabelle Rowland, who worked for Hardy Amies for over a decade. Andrew Prince has given the exhibition added sparkle by loaning exquisite tiaras from Ogden of Harrogate.

Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) was a huge fan of Norman Hartnell and insisted he would design both her daughters’ bridal gowns: Princess Elizabeth, in 1947; and Princess Margaret, in 1960. A gilt-framed embroidery panel for Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown provides the centerpiece for this exhibition.

Former Hardy Amies Chief Designer, Mr Jon Moore, remembers being asked in 1981 to sketch wedding dresses for a ‘country bride’, not realising then that the bride was Lady Diana Spencer! These designs also on display illustrate what might have been had the House of Hardy Amies been chosen. Bringing the collection up to date is the morning suit made for Lord Freddie Windsor on his marriage to Sophie Winkleman – and a new wedding dress creation from the Hardy Amies Ready-to-


What’s on at Waddesdenuntil 30 October 2011n Waddesdon Manor, Near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0JH30 March 2011 to 30 October 2011www.waddesdon.org.uk01296 653226 There are three new costume displays at Waddesdon for the 2011 season. A selection of lace acquired by Baroness Edmond de Rothschild (1853-1935), shows 18th-century lappets, part of a fashionable woman’s headdress. Baroness Edmond collected the exquisite French, Brussels and Venetian lace now at Waddesdon, along with the popular buttons, on long-term display. Also featured is a pair of uniforms, newly on loan from the Rothschild family, thought to have been worn by Baron James de Rothschild (1792-1868) and his son, Gustave (1829-1911), as Consuls General of Austria. Hand in gloveFinally, The Glove Collection Trust (a group of Trustees drawn from the Worshipful Company of Glovers of London to care for their historic collections) has lent the National Trust their General Collection of 19th and 20th century gloves. The initial collection comprises 140 pairs of gloves drawn from all over the world, reflecting fashionable taste and commemorating events over 200 years. Occasionally, new acquisitions are made. The loan arrangement means that the gloves are stored at Waddesdon and will be available by appointment to researchers with an interest in historic gloves. They will also be featured in rotating displays and exhibitions at Waddesdon, which has a collection of costume and accessories acquired by members of the Rothschild family. For more information on the Worshipful Company of Glovers and their historic collections, see www.thegloverscompany.org and for catalogue information on the gloves, see www.glovecollectioncatalogue.org

The secret garden of the Old Deanery in Wells has been revived over the last eight years by a team of volunteers as a tribute to Elizabethan Dean William Turner. The Dean was the author of the first book in English to describe plants for their medicinal use and the garden has a collection of medicinal and cloth-dying plants, old roses and varieties of fruit trees known in Tudor times.

On display will be:Q lots of samples of BlackworkO hats inspired by the wives of Henry VIIIQ preparation of herbs and potionsQ bee keeper with honey, beeswax products and candlesQ Tudor music played on instruments of the time

All those taking part belong to the Tudor and Stuart Living History Society Group and will be wearing costumes researched and made by the members.

Tudor OPEN DAY

See these in the room where Henry VII

dined!

Saturday 4 June 201110.00-15.30

The Old Deanery, 9 Cathedral Green,

WELLS

FREE ADMISSION Donations welcome!Refreshments available

Plants for sale

A unique Opportunity to see Tudor Skills in a Tudor Garden - embroidery, music and costume

Keen photographers will have a magnifi cent view of Wells

Cathedral from the ramparts.

Blue coat and dress uniform of a Consul General of Austria, probably French, circa 1821 and later; on loan from the Rothschild family.

wear collection, which in its simplistic style and design pays tribute to some of the gowns from the past.

The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement 1860-19002 April – 17 July 2011

n Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2RL

020 7942 2000 www.vam.ac.uk

This is the first major exhibition to comprehensively explore Aestheticism, an extraordinary artistic movement which sought to escape the ugliness and materialism of the Victorian era by creating a new kind of art and beauty. It shows how Aesthetic artists, designers, poets and collectors promoted the idea of ‘art for art’s sake’ and how the idea of the ‘house beautiful’ became a touchstone of cultured life.

The Cult of Beauty will be arranged in four main chronological sections, charting the development of the Aesthetic Movement in art and design through the decades from the 1860s to the 1890s. As well as paintings, prints and drawings, the show will include examples of all the ‘artistic’ decorative arts, together with drawings, designs and photographs, as well as portraits, fashionable dress and jewellery of the era. Literary life will be represented by some of the most beautiful books of the day, whilst a number of set-pieces will reveal the visual world of the Aesthetes, evoking the kind of rooms and ensembles of exquisite objects through which they expressed their sensibilities.

Joyce Ridings, a retrospective11 May - 3 September 2011

n Gallery of Costume, Platt Hall, Rusholme, Manchester, M14 5LL

0161 245 7245

www.manchestergalleries.org/our-other-venues/platt-hall-gallery-of-costume

Wednesday-Saturday 13.30-16.30pm.

Joyce Ridings has designed in the fashion industry since graduating from Manchester Polytechnic in the late 1960s and with her label, Qui, and her iconic shop, she regularly produces strikingly imaginative collections. This show presents a flavour of her 40 years of creative but eminently wearable designs.

Portrait of Mrs. Luke lonides, William Blake Richmond, England, 1882. Museum no. E.1062-2003.

Brides Revisited: Wedding Dress Study DaySaturday 14 May

n Chertsey Museum, Surrey

www.costumesociety.org.uk

Includes a tour of the current exhibition Brides Revisited, wedding gowns from the Olive Matthews Collection: 1780 to 2001, with Veronica Isaac, Keeper of Costume.

The Little Black DressSaturday 21 May 2011 14.00

n Portsmouth City Museum, Museum Road, Portsmouth PO1 2LJ

Tour the exhibition of dresses from the Hampshire Museum Services Collection with the curator, Alison Carter. Southern Counties free event. www.sccostumesociety.org.uk for booking form.

Vintage Motoring Costumes at BeaulieuWednesday 29 June 2011, 14.00

n The National Motor Museum Beaulieu, Hampshire SO42 7ZN

01590 612345

[email protected]

A visit to the National Motor Museum to see their collection of motoring coats, goggles, helmets and gloves. A Southern Counties event. www.sccostumesociety.org.uk for booking form.

Pleasure, Leisure, Travel and Fashion:8-10 July 2011

n Eastbourne

[email protected]

www.costumesociety.org.uk

Costume Society annual symposium, with Keynote speakers Dr Sarah Cheung, London College of Fashion; Anthea Jarvis, Dress Historian and Philip Warren, Principal Curator of Collections at Leicester County Council

London Antique Textile FairSunday 2 October 2011 10.30-16.30

n Chelsea Old Town Hall, Kings Road, London SW3 5EE (new venue)

0207 359 7678

www.textilesociety.org

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What Will She Wear? The Enduring Romance of the Wedding DressUntil January 2012

A special display to celebrate the Royal weddings of 2011 opened at the Fashion Museum in Bath on St Valentine’s Day. Inspired by the question on everyone’s lips since Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement back in November 2010, the Fashion Museum’s latest exhibition is a celebration and confection of bridal style through the ages. “The Royal weddings in April and later this year give us the perfect opportunity to share the riches of the Fashion Museum’s collection of wedding dresses with our visitors,” commented Rosemary Harden, Manager of the Council-run Fashion Museum.

As they descend the staircase to the galleries, visitors are welcomed by a display of 35 historic and contemporary wedding dresses from 1829 through to 2010, each exquisite and unique in its own way. Handpicked for the exhibition are wedding dresses lovingly made of the finest silks brocaded with metal thread, lustrous silk satins, even crisp white nylons; some of the dresses are decorated with ribbons and bows, some with cascades of antique lace and some are just heart-stoppingly beautiful in their pared-down classical elegance. “We are aiming to show the richness and variety of the white wedding dress down the ages, as well of course the enduring romance of the traditional style”.

Cheek to cheek

The earliest 19th century styles dance cheek to cheek with more contemporary designs by Vera Wang and Alberta Feretti and the exhibition highlights how wedding dress designers have always drawn on the past for inspiration. Visual delights include the nostalgic styles of the 1980s to the heritage silhouette of an Alexander McQueen gown worn by luxury jewellery and accessories designer Lara Bohinc in 2010 that makes use of 18th century style panniers. Celebrity watchers will appreciate

Behind the Scenes at the Fashion Museum: The Historic CollectionContinuing throughout 2011Step inside the Fashion Museum’s wardrobe with a new exhibition that showcases the museum’s collection of 19th century fashions as it has never been seen before. Rather than a traditional display, visitors will have the rare chance to enter the museum stores to see hundreds of artefacts on racks and rails, in boxes and cupboards, and on shelves and display stands.From Kashmir and Paisley woollen shawls to crochet trimmed cotton drawers and camisoles, from colourful silk satin shoes of the 1880s and 1890s to cobweb lace and silk fringed parasols with carved wooden handles, Behind the Scenes at the Fashion Museum will present the riches of the Fashion Museum’s historic collection to museum visitors in an innovative and informative way.Manager of Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Fashion Museum, Rosemary Harden said:“In this display we are giving visitors a glimpse through the keyhole, and inviting them behind the scenes into the museum store. The collection here at the Fashion Museum is so numerous and so full of treasures, this is a great new way to share the collection and to convey that sense of wonder to our visitors. We’re describing it as a sort of Narnia experience, stepping into the biggest wardrobe ever, with at least 100 years worth of clothes, and nearly everything in the new gallery installation over 100 years old”.Some dresses and ensembles will also be displayed on stands, including the stone coloured silk sarcenet pelisse worn by Annabella Milbanke the day after she married Lord Byron in January 1815. There will also be beautiful fashions by Worth of Paris from the early 20th century, including the yellow embroidered silk evening gown worn by Lady Curzon. An exhibition not to be missed!

n Fashion Museum, Assembly Rooms, Bennett

Street, Bath, BA1 2QH

01225 477789

www.fashionmuseum.co.uk

a rather risqué design by Bruce Oldfield worn by model Lisa Butcher at her 1991 wedding to chef Marco Pierre White.

Each dress has been superbly styled by well-known fashion writer and Fashion Museum Consultant Iain R. Webb using flowers created by our very own WECS Care and Access Team who volunteer at the Fashion Museum on Friday mornings. Using a whole range of materials from tissue and paper to plastic bags and packaging foam, Jean Scott and her team have created floral masterpieces that have been carefully arranged into headdresses and posies to unite the brides and give each a fashion forward catwalk look.

The display at the Fashion Museum also includes a selection of 25 framed sepia photographs, all part of a previously unseen archive collection of 1930s wedding dresses by legendary Paris couture house of Worth.

Speculation is rife about just who will be designing Kate’s dress with Bruce Oldfield, Phillipa Lepley, Erdem and Alexander McQueen chief designer Sarah Burton all rumoured to be in the running. Visitors to What Will She Wear? can decide for themselves which style on show Kate is most likely to favour on April 29th as well as dream and reminisce about their very own special wedding dress.

Images on this page courtesy of The Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council


WECS Reports

After the business of the AGM, WECS members welcomed back Pamela Smith, an independent consultant on Russian arts and culture, whose fascination with national costume began as a small child with her collection of international dolls. Pamela explained how regional and national costume played an important part in the movements taking place in many Eastern European and Balkan countries in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. With the break up of the Ottoman, Russian, Austro-Hungarian Empires these countries were striving to re-establish their own national identities.

Freedom Fighters, Folk Revival and Fashionistas: The role of costume in the quest for national identity in Eastern EuropeSpeaker: Pamela Smith

Report by Elaine Uttley

Pamela declared that there was no such thing as a national dress in Eastern Europe. As the borders were constantly changing in this time of great flux, it is perhaps more truthful to call it ethnic rather than national costume. A merger of arts and politics saw nationalists looking to costume as a way of asserting independence over outside influences during occupation. There are hundreds and thousands of different versions of national dress and certain characteristics were settled on to become the ‘official’ costume. One inspiration was the Balkan Bandit, an 18th century freedom fighter against Turkish rule and high imposed taxes. Certain elements of their dress such as jackets with frogging and lacing became associated with their cause and it became a sign of patriotism to wear braided jackets rather than the Vienna fashions in Croatia, then part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.

There was also an assertion of patriotism by the rulers, such as the Austrian-Hungarian Royal family. Emperor Franz Joseph in the 1860s wore Hungarian style dress to reassure and placate his Hungarian subjects. Hungarian ‘gala’ dress in the mid-nineteenth century borrowed elements from the dress of Hungarian peasants. Empress Elisabeth at her

coronation in 1867 wore a Worth gown with ‘peasant style’ pearl lacing. Queen Marie of Romania and her son Prince Nicolae were photographed in 1905 in a smart version of Romanian peasant dress, which became available as a postcard. Intellectuals such as Tolstoy favoured folk and peasant style attire on their estates and at social events in St Petersburg, although Pamela pointed out that these were silk not linen peasant shirts!

It was more a case of a mix and match of items from different regions than necessarily authentic pieces that made up these ideas of national dress. Polish costume from the Podhole region in the Tatra mountains morphed into the country’s national costume. Its origin was actually only one tiny region of Poland, but it became the definitive idea of its national

Anticlockwise from the left: Frogging on a military style jacket; Podhole embroidered trousers; Rumanian Children in 2007; Ruslana, Ukranian winner of 2004 Eurovision song contest; Headdress from the 2006 collection of Alena Akhmadulina; Russian lad, 1900, in his scrubbed and polished best; Miss Russia, 1930; Empress Elisabeth at her coronation


How Granny’s Hobby Got HipSpeaker Dr Jo TurneyReport by Caroline Bartlett

On a gorgeous spring morning, WECS members and guests were introduced to Dr Jo Turney, Course Leader for the MA Investigating Fashion Design at Bath Spa University. Jo gave us a very lively talk exploring the reasons why knitting has become so popular in recent times, so much so that knitting, particularly in public, has become ubiquitous. She encouraged us to consider why there should have been such a resurgence in the popularity of knitting in recent years, and expressed the view that at a time when the world seems to be a particularly anxious place, knitting may be a comforting pastime.

Historically, knitting has always been popular during wartime when knitting circles were formed to knit for soldiers at the front and this obviously has roots in the tradition of knitting for loved ones as a way of showing love and appreciation. Because it has been carried on for generations, everyone is familiar with older members of the family knitting. That sense of familiarity and timelessness confers a comforting, homely, safe feeling to knitting as a whole.

The great thing about knitting is that it is something everyone can learn to do. Very little equipment is actually required and therefore it is very portable. Furthermore in what can be quite a lonely world, if you knit in public other people will almost certainly talk to you about what you are doing or making. The upsurge in knitting has created many knitting circles where experienced knitters are able to help beginners and even to Bitch and Knit Groups!

In an age where most of us no longer produce anything of substance, activities requiring considerable application combined with the idea of creating something are very appealing. Knitting is a very tactile hobby, where the maker is very much in contact with her/his materials and it can be very absorbing. As a result the knitter can find the whole process quite therapeutic – perhaps even meditative – giving rise to the expression “Knitting is the new Yoga”! Apparently there is even a book entitled Zen and the Art of Knitting.

At a time when celebrities such as Nigella Lawson and retailer, Cath Kidston exploit the idea of a woman being a domestic goddess in the home as well as a whore in the bedroom, knitting has also been made to seem seductive.

Knitting has even found its way into art with Banksy’s Knitting Grannies and sculpture as in Marianne Christianson’s knitted tank cover being a protest against warfare.

Lisa Auerbach, an American Knit Artist has specialised in knitwear with a message and Jo showed us an example entitled “Good Money Never Made Times Bad”. At the other end of the spectrum, she also showed us an adorable knitted cupcake, demonstrating that for some people knitting is all about creation and the joy of knitting, not necessarily for wearing, and in this respect knitting today is very different from the last resurgence in the 1970s, a time of tank tops, etc.!

Jo left us with her view that the current trend for knitting was on the wane, as regardless of how stimulating an activity it can be, it is still subject to fashion and there is always a quest for something new. From the huge knitted scarves shown on the catwalk by Giles Deacon in 2007 to kits available to purchase at Tesco, the high to low dissemination of fashion has been completed and knitting in Jo’s opinion, is now outdated and old-fashioned. This is also partly because the new knitters could start with knit-kits, but there exists a dearth of projects between the basic and the complex that halts further advancement. A number of members commented that with knitting groups promoting learning this should not be the case, but perhaps only time will tell. A fascinating and thought-provoking perspective on the recent popularity of knitting.

From the top: Dr Jo Turney, Banksy’s Knitting Grannies and Marianne Christianson’s knitted take on a tank top

dress. The Miss World beauty pageant was won in the 1930s by Miss Russia wearing ethnic dress, which Pamela noted was a complete theatrical version.

As mentioned, there were political undertones to the wearing of national dress in Eastern Europe. 1919 saw lots of Baltic states have a taste of independence before domination by Germany and Russia from 1941 and total Soviet influence by 1948. During the 1930s, it became popular for sitters of formal studio photographs in Bulgaria to wear national dress to demonstrate pride in their heritage in a country run by outside forces. Conversely, national costume was also used as a celebration of the Soviet Union. Postcards were produced by the state in the 1950s and 1960s showing all the different Soviet countries through their so-called national costumes. National dress was encouraged at state events, but discouraged and forbidden at private events. It was also used as a protest by performers and audiences at song festivals in the Balkan states.

Today, the outfits of the wedding party in Romania still include elements of national dress, although in a much more simplified form and Russian fashion designer, Alena Akhmadulina included elements of national dress in her couture collections in 2006. Eastern European national dress is now primarily produced as souvenirs for tourists and not worn in a genuine fashion. We should be wary of any declarations of authenticity as national dress in Eastern Europe is an artificial construct.

This was a fascinating journey through Eastern European history accompanied by some wonderful images and interesting observations from Pamela on the rôle of national costume throughout the region’s volatile and colourful past.


‘Yarns of love and money’ Victorian knitted and beaded purses and other highlights of the Montse Stanley collection, University of Southampton

Speaker: Barbara Burman

Report by Pat Poppy

Barbara Burman, the second speaker of the day gave two fascinating talks for the price of one. The first half of Barbara’s lecture focused on the life and work of the wonderful Montse Stanley (1942-1999), whose Handknitter’s Handbook, and Mil Anys de Disseny en Punt both sit on my bookshelves. The second half was on the long or miser purses of the nineteenth century, especially those in Montse Stanley’s collection, held at the University of Southampton Library.First halfBarbara spoke of Montse Stanley’s early years in Spain, living in Barcelona, a town where one could obtain knitting patterns sized to your individual measurements. Montse brought this tradition with her to England after her marriage to Tom Stanley in 1973, when she wrote the book Knitting Your Own Designs, which showed people how to size garments to fit them. It was while living in Cambridge that she set up her Knitting Reference Library. This was Montse’s private collection of knitted items, knitting tools and ephemera such as knitting patterns, photographs and postcards.

When Monste Stanley decided to donate her collection to the University of Southampton, she apparently declared, “my collection has grown up, it is old enough to go to university”! Montse also formed the Early Knitting History Group with an aim to look specifically at pre 1600 knitting, and it was through this that I met her in the early 1990s. As Barbara commented, the history of knitting had been on the margins and it was Montse’s boundless enthusiasm that helped drag it into the mainstream.

The second halfThe second half of Barbara’s talk was on long or miser purses, which first appeared in the late eighteenth century and remained popular throughout the nineteenth century. These purses were mass produced as well as handmade and there are lots of examples in museum collections, many of them decorated with beads. They came in all sorts of sizes; we were shown a miniature one attached to Sarah Thrifty, an 1830 pedlar doll, while the largest purse was 60cm long. The most common size was around 15cm and the yarn most frequently used was silk. The purses were often square in shape at one end and round at the other and there has been much discussion as to why this should be.

Barbara showed us an image of a replica miser purse, which she had commissioned Ruth Gilbert to make from an 1842 pattern, in order to understand how the purse was carried and how the two rings or sliders were used to close the purse. She noted that the purse was flimsy, easily snagged and fiddly to open. The miser name probably derives from the long amount of time it took to access your money from one of these purses!

The talk was illustrated by paintings of purses in use; by copies of the printed patterns that appeared in works such as Mrs Hope’s The Knitter’s Casket of 1847 and Mrs Gaugain’s Miniature Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Book; and by photographs of original purses from Monste Stanley’s collection. Quotes from sources such as nineteenth century literature as well as the proceedings of the Old Bailey revealed Barbara’s extensive research into the use of these commonplace objects. She described how the purses could be used by both men and women and were often given as tokens of love and affection. Surviving purses demonstrate how often they contained not simply money, but good luck charms, small items of jewellery, and in the case of a purse in the National Army Museum belonging to someone who died at Waterloo, coins with dates relevant to the owner. Possibly the most expensive miser purse was sold in 2002 for £240,000; it was the one that Nelson supposedly had with him at his death on HMS Victory in 1805.

Winding upBarbara concluded by giving us some useful websites to visit to find out more:

http://www.soton.ac.uk/intheloop/ - For information on the University of Southampton’s knitting collections, including that of Montse Stanley

http://www.tassenmuseum.nl/ - The Amsterdam Museum of Bags and Purses

To which, I would like to add http://www.knittinghistory.co.uk/index.html - The Knitting History Forum, which has its origins in the group Montse Stanley founded in the 1990s.

Barbara Burman

Miser purse knitted in a paisley patterns of dark blue, beige, and pink silk, with faceted steel beads knitted in. Tassels of steel beading. Sliders of faceted steel. 14” long, including tassels. c. 1790.

WECS Wardrobe Spring 2011 Page 12 WECS Wardrobe Autumn 2010

Comfort and Itch: A case of Old KnitsSpeaker: Rosemary Hawthorne


Any thoughts of a quiet snooze after lunch were swiftly halted by Rosemary’s highly entertaining romp through the history of knitted garments. A truly theatrical performance complete with glamorous assistant in a beautiful red jersey suit by Jean Muir (30p at a jumble sale!) and a bottomless Mary Poppins style suitcase of historical knits, this presentation had us in stitches from the start.

William Lee, also known as ‘the knitting vicar’ was an English inventor who devised the first stocking frame knitting machine in 1589. The principle of its operation still remains in use today. Lee was refused a patent by Queen Elizabeth I because of her concern for the security of her kingdom’s many hand knitters, but later moved to France and began stocking manufacture in Rouen. After his death in 1614, Lee’s brother, James returned to England and successfully established knitting centres in London and Nottingham. Rosemary produced a wonderful washing line of all types and styles of stockings through the ages including a rather beautiful example from the 1920s with a ballet slipper print. Such was the jovial mood that WECS Chairman, Jean Scott rolled up a trouser leg and treated us all to a glimpse of her fashionable patterned tights!

Rosemary lived up to her nickname as “the knicker lady” and spoke of the trend in the late 19th century for Rational underwear, advocated by Gustav Jaeger, a German naturalist and hygienist. The system of clothing associated with Jaeger’s name promoted the benefits of wearing rough fabrics such as wool close to the skin and objected to the use of any kind of plant fibre. Lewis Tomalin, a mill owner translated and published Jaeger’s teachings in England and in 1884, he opened a clothing store in London, named Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System. This later developed into the Jaeger clothing brand we know today. A feast for the eyes included a Jaeger pure knitted wool petticoat with lace hem and a woolly spencer. But the biggest cheer was for a pair of Rational bloomers with a trap door opening at the back, quite a stark contrast from the frivolity of the 1890s “sensations”.

Another 19th century development in the history of knitwear was the cardigan. This knitted button-up garment was named after its inventor, James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British military commander who wore a tough knitted vest with sleeves under his uniform during the freezing temperatures

of the Crimean War. Brudenell’s contribution to fashion history has perhaps made up for his leadership of the disastrous charge of the Light Brigade and as with many aristocratic clothing inventions, “Cardigan” vest-wearing was quickly adopted by others, becoming popular informal wear for men by the end of the century.

Moving into the 20th Century, Rosemary delighted the audience with Twilfit bras and cami-knickers from the late 1920s and Celanese knickers, the flesh coloured working-class silk. Apparently, “girls will please if they wear Celanese!” Members also had the chance to reminisce about jersey bathing costumes sagging and stretching after a dip in the sea. The war years were illustrated with Fair Isle tank tops, a knitted cover for a ration book and garter stitch gloves. A wavy patterned top and knitted knickers in two colours were also produced from Rosemary’s bottomless suitcase for all to see.

Brown school knickers with a pocket and the Liberty bodice, that staple of pre-central heating days, which had rubber buttons and was worn over a vest, had everyone comparing stories on their school days. Other visual treats of knit from the 1950s included knitted girdles and a colourful pink suit made from Orlon, an acrylic fibre introduced by American company DuPont in 1948, which was intended to feel like real wool. The 1970s saw knitted garments at the height of fashion, such as ponchos and waistcoats in shades of mustard and Bovril and skinny rib sweaters worn with flares and tank tops. And we re-lived the Knitwear Revolution of the 1980s with its vast mohair cardigans, disco-influenced knitwear and Shetland jumpers made popular by Princess Diana.

For her grand finale and to demonstrate the incredible design potential of knit, Rosemary unveiled a knitted toilet roll cover doll! A clever, captivating and light hearted look at the history of knitwear through a case of old knits. Bravo!

Rosemary Hawthorne and above left, a couple of her ‘Mary Poppins’ suitcases with ‘Ella’ dressed in twinset and pearls, and right: Rosemary and charming assistant with a washing line of stockings - in chronological order!

The Sarah Dallas Archive at the Fashion Museum

Speakers Elaine Uttley and Caroline Ness

Report by Karen Hilling

The day was rounded off with a fascinating talk on the British fashion knitwear designer, Sarah Dallas, highly acclaimed in the 1980s for her bold geometric designs, boxy shapes and loose fitting garments.

An archive of Sarah Dallas’ work is currently being compiled at the Fashion Museum in Bath, comprising of around 8,000 items including designs and patterns, working drawings, press books, invoices and brochures as well as yarn, knitted samples and garments. These date from Dallas’ college collection of 1976 to her design work of 1989 and feature freelance designs for Next and Rowan Yarns as well as her own ‘Sarah Dallas’ label.

The speakers, Elaine Uttley and Caroline Ness, have both been involved in researching the collection as part of their roles as Collections Assistants at the Fashion Museum and recently presented a paper at the ‘In the Loop 2’ knitting conference held at the Shetland Museum and Archives. They explained that the five day conference attracted a mix of academics, museum professionals, designers, artists and dedicated enthusiasts and lectures covered topics such as the anonymous and invisible Shetland women knitters; artwork using the medium of knit such as the UFO or Unfinished Knitted Object project in which unfinished pieces of knitting were finished by artists in

unconventional ways; the cultural heritage of knitting in Norway, India and Peru; and knitting in twentieth century advertising and popular culture.

Elaine and Caroline noted how knitwear has often been overlooked or pigeon-holed as solely a ‘craft based’ or domestic activity rather than high fashion, but Sarah Dallas’ striking designs helped to break this stereotype. The designer captured the mood of the time in her designs, initially with ‘New Romantic’ styles using frills and ribbons and later with big and loose garments inspired by the ‘Poverty

Chic’ aesthetic showcased by avant-garde Japanese designers Kawakubo and Yamamoto and contemporary Fair Isle designs influenced by the 1980’s trend for nostalgia.

The Sarah Dallas label was sold through high end retailers such as Harvey Nichols and Way In at Harrods and exported to Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue in the USA. Dallas was recognised with a British Design Award for Excellence in 1987 and a European Design Award in 1988 for collections that included her trademark design of contrasting colour stripes on the

Left to right: Caroline Ness, Sarah Dallas and Elaine Uttley



backs of garments and different patterns on the sleeves. Sarah Dallas established the Fashion Knitwear course at the Royal College of Art in 1989 and has been a Senior Tutor in the School of Fashion and Textiles there since 1992. She continues to design for Rowan Yarns and has published three very successful books, including the popular Vintage Knits in 2002.

The Sarah Dallas Archive at the Fashion Museum provides many possibilities for research and throughout their talk, Elaine and Caroline demonstrated the links they had begun to make between the

garments, designs and press articles. This is helping to date the Sarah Dallas garments in the Fashion Museum collection, identify the retail cost of some of the designs and place Dallas’ body of work in the wider context of 1980’s fashion. The Archive is accessible to the public for research at the Fashion Museum Study Facilities and Elaine and Caroline invited WECS members to come along and discover this rich and varied resource for themselves.

Left to right: Black and white ensemble from sketch to swatch to finished items.Pencil sketch and knitted colour sample.Cardigan, waistcoat and sock set.Lurex boob tube and sleeves.Images courtesy of The Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council

While in the Shetlands, Caroline took a chance to photograph this knitted lace. So fine it should fit through your wedding ring.

n The Calais Lace MuseumCité Internationale de la Dentelle et de la Mode de Calais135 Quai du Commerce62100 CalaisTel: 00 33 (0)321 00 42 30www.cite-dentelle.fr

A top tip for any members with a few hours to spare while waiting for the ferry is the Cité Internationale de la Dentelle et de la Mode de Calais otherwise known as the Calais Lace Museum.

Recommended by WECS’ member Caroline Bartlett who found herself with a free afternoon on the way back from a lace making trip to Bruges last November, the museum is situated only 5-10 minutes from the ferry port in Calais.

Aptly located in a former 19th century lace factory, the museum is dedicated to the glory of Calais’ lace-making heritage. Featuring displays of intricately crafted lace and demonstrations of lace-making machinery as well as housing a collection of fashionable dress spanning several centuries, a visit to this museum could round off your next holiday to France quite nicely!

thinking lace thoughts...

Some of the knits on display

on the day!


Hand Made Tales: Women and Domestic CraftsUntil 20 April 2011

n The Women’s Library, London Metropolitan University, Old Castle Street, London, E1 7NT 020 7320 2222 www.thewomenslibrary.ac.uk


YSL et le Maroc Exhibition at the Jardin Majorelle, MarrakechReport by Jeanne EvansOn a recent holiday to Marrakech I was lucky enough to visit this wonderful exhibition at the Jardin Majorelle.I had seen the posters on arrival at the airport, but had not been prepared for an exhibition of sixty original Yves Saint Laurent garments, all inspired by the time he lived in North Africa. The late couturier came to Marrakech in 1966 and instantly fell in love with the city and made it his home. He bought the house and sub-tropical garden of the Orientalist French painter, Jaques Majorelle (1886 – 1962) which had been established in the 1920s, but had fallen into neglect. Yves Saint Laurent restored them, using all the vibrant colours typical of the region, especially the cobalt blue for which it is renowned. The house and garden are now one of the most famous and visited attractions in Marrakech. Yves Saint Laurent was hugely influenced by the exotic colours and people of North Africa, reinventing traditional Moroccan dress such as the jellaba, jabador, burnous and tarbouch. He said “the city taught me colour” and went on to create new styles and

silhouettes, worn by the most stylish women of the 1960s. The exhibition, held from 27 November 2010 to 18 March 2011, was curated by Pierre Berge, lifelong partner of Yves Saint Laurent. It included such iconic items as the first safari jacket (1986) and stunning ethnic inspired costumes in iridescent colours, together with vintage photographs and original sketches. Of course, photography was not allowed and sadly there was no illustrated catalogue for purchase – so it will just have to remain a fabulous memory!

Cupcakes, knit and natter groups and ‘grow your own’; each is back in fashion. But why bother? Why make things when to buy is usually cheaper and less time-consuming? A fascinating exhibition at The Women’s Library, a unique cultural centre incorporating a reading room, archive and museum collection and housed on the site of one of the oldest wash houses in East London provides an insight into the crafts practised by women over the past 170 years and explores the changing motivations behind making objects for family and home.

Tucked away in Tower Hamlets and in the shadow of the Gherkin that dominates the City skyline, The Women’s Library exists to document and explore women’s lives in Britain, in the past, present and future. Hand Made Tales is a response to the resurgence of interest in home crafts witnessed in the last decade and questions why women have historically practised domestic crafts, how craft skills are learned and passed on and what underpins some women’s desire to create domestic objects.

The first section explores the different ways a housewife can be and the objects range from a copy of the English Women’s Domestic Magazine, a journal launched by Samuel Beaton in 1852 and the first publication aimed solely at the middle-class housewife as a ‘cheap serial combining practical utility, instruction and amusement’ to Nigella Lawson’s 2000 book ‘How To Be A Domestic Goddess’ considered by many to have kick started the contemporary renaissance in domesticity. Also on show is a hand knitted jumper from the 1980s. The maker’s son recalls how his mother saw all domestic tasks as meditation, ‘she never sat down. She was always knitting and sewing’.

Visitors then turn a corner and are greeted by a fabulous display of costume that challenges the view that work produced

Right: 1925 Pearly Queen costume by Mrs Herbert Lyons Above: the patchwork dressing gown/evening coat for Mrs Plant’s daughter. End of article: 1947 bandeau top swimsuit

Left: Red faille cape with bougainvillia embroidery over buttercup chiffon dress, 1989. Above: Bambara ensemble, top and skirt embroidered with natural rafia and wooden beads, 1967.

by women in the home is amateur, poorly made and an overblown Blue Peter project. Objects such as a handmade lace and linen chemisette from 1849 and made for a trousseau, beautifully embroidered tie-on pockets and a hand woven linen dress from 1917 attest to the great skills and knowledge of the non-professional craftsperson. There is a very stylish viscose coat dress, ca. 1945 on loan from the Museum of London as well as a crochet blouse, ca. 1953 from the Fashion Museum collection that both exude homemade glamour.

As the name suggests, the thread running through Hand Made Tales is the personal stories behind the objects on show. There is a hand sewn intricate button design, ca. 1925 worn by the Pearly Queen of Shoreditch, Mrs Lyons until 1977 and a patchwork silk coat from 1948 by Ethel Mary Plant that was originally intended as a dressing gown for her daughter who chose instead to wear it as an evening coat.

My favourite piece was the fantastic swimsuit with a bandeau top made by husband and wife, Veronica and Robert Bailey, in 1947. In what must have been a very progressive partnership at the time, she cut the pattern and, because she couldn’t sew, he stitched it together on a Singer treadle sewing machine. Veronica was photographed wearing the swimsuit on their first holiday at Sunny Cove, Salcombe after the war, an image which together with the original Bestway pattern is also on display.

The desire to learn a craft or to advance already established skills has been met with a plethora of information and advice and a section on knowledge and skills tells of how informal methods of self-tuition are often supplemented by formal instruction through organisations such as the WI and


Imperial Chinese Robes from the Forbidden Cityn Victoria and Albert Museum

Report by Vivien Isbister

WECS member Vivien Isbister visited the V&A Museum in January to see this stunning exhibition of Imperial Chinese robes, on show in Europe for the very first time.

All images are from V&A PublishingAbove: Emperor’s Winter Court Robe, 1662 – 1722. Satin with woven pattern and brown sableRight, from top: Empress Informal Robe, 1875 – 1908. Satin embroidered pattern of flowers & butterflies.Flower Pot Shoes, 1875 - 1908Empress Festive Headdress, 1875 – 1908. Rattan strips, silk netting, kingfisher feather, pearls, gold & semi precious stones.

The exhibition covers three centuries of historic royal robes worn by the Emperors and Empresses of the last ruling dynasty of China. Ten successive Emperors of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) resided in The Forbidden City in Beijing, although I learned that originally they were a nomadic people from Manchuria in north-east China. Imperial rule ended in 1911 and the clothes and accessories of past Emperors and Empresses were revealed to have been carefully preserved in the palace wardrobe for over two hundred years. Worn for grand state functions as well as daily activities, they tell the story of a vanished court life.Elaborate and exquisite robes, shoes, headwear and a few children’s clothes were among the beautiful historic garments and accessories on display. Many of the sumptuous silk embroidered ceremonial robes were as good as new with the colours still vibrant. Others without embellishment had beautiful patterns interwoven in the silk fabric with the swastika symbol prominent in many of the designs, this representing longevity. There were five categories of formal wear in Imperial dress: official; festive; regular; travelling; and military. And rules existed with regard to the colour of robe worn at the various ceremonies. Robes were decorated with flora and fauna, with birds, butterflies, dragons and snakes featuring most often. Some of the robes were trimmed with braid or contrasting silk fabric. Fur, often sable was also used as a trimming as well as in a whole garment. Exhibited in all its glory was one full length fur robe plus some fur riding jackets with ‘fur print’ insertions.Headwear was also skilfully made. Examples on show included a brightly coloured embroidered skull cap and an Empress’s festive headdress decorated with bird feathers, gold and beads including semi precious stones. Qing women did not bind their feet so the shoes were of normal size. They looked like ballet pumps, although beautifully decorated with embroidery. The wedged soles varied in height and one pair was described as ‘Flower Pot Shoes’, owing to the shoes’ height. Women must have had quite an unattractive gait when walking! Men’s boots made of leather also looked very uncomfortable to wear.All of the robes were full length, with slits

at the side seams for ease of movement. Some fastened down the centre front vertically, others horizontally, depending on whether it was a festive or a court robe. All had long sleeves and several had distinctive cuffs in the shape of a horse’s hoof, part of the Qing Manchu heritage. The style of the garments changed little until the 19th century when influences from Europe saw the narrowing of the robe and the inclusion of a Mandarin style collar appearing on some garments. It became popular for men and women to wear a type of riding jacket, although not necessarily for horse riding, which later evolved into a waistcoat made with or without a collar.The Imperial Household Department managed production of clothing for the Imperial family. Exquisite silk fabrics and trimmings, woven, regardless of cost, were made by the Imperial Manufactories in southern China where the weaving mills were situated. The completed textiles were then sent to be made up into garments in specialised workshops within the Forbidden City complex. Embroidered garments could

take about three years to complete. During the late 19th century, the mechanised loom reached China and western fabrics were welcomed as a novelty.For those members who did not have the opportunity to see this extraordinary display of Imperial style and craftsmanship, I hope I have given you an insight into the wardrobe of past Emperors and Empresses and highlighted a collection overflowing with examples of the exquisite needlework skills that many of us do not possess.

evening classes. A wonderful scene of sewing machines in drawers customised into display cases highlights how many of us attach a value to our favourite tools that goes beyond money. Objects such as sewing equipment, food mixers and cake tins illustrate how tools become familiar and trusted items through which the proficiency and expertise of their handlers can be demonstrated. The heart of the exhibition shines through as personal stories emerge of equipment such as

knitting needles, sewing boxes and button jars passed down as items inherited from relatives forming connections to making across generations.

Hand Made Tales showcases a range of domestic crafts including quilting, flower-arranging, weaving, needlework, stitch craft, cake decorating and sugar craft and argues that the domestic sphere does indeed have artistic, personal and cultural value. This exhibition offers an amazing snapshot of making in the home and has

a historical bite that leaves visitors with a desire to understand and uncover the stories behind their own home made crafts and creations.

Images are taken from Imperial Chinese Robes from the Forbidden City the book which accompanied the exhibition, edited by Ming Wilson with the Palace Museum, Beijing. V&A Publishing ISBN 978-1-851-77620-7 £30.00

The Fair promises a fantastic range of antique dress and textiles from around the world, 17th century to 1970s. Pre-1950s rugs and good quality vintage dress, accessories, ephemera, books and advice on conservation.

Admission £6, concs £4. Profits from the London and Manchester fairs go towards the Textile Society’s student bursaries and museum awards.

Last year they gave bursary awards of £5,000 when 1,100 people visited the Fair.


Forties Fashion: From Siren Suits to the New LookJonathan WalfordPublished by Thames and Hudson, £16.95ISBN 9780500288979Review by Deirdre McSharry, former magazine editor

In 1940, a young widow from London with young children took the night ferry to Dublin hoping to escape the bombs, get a job and bring up her kids in their native land. She was dressed in her best black suit, high heels and a ‘witty’ hat. You could spot the bright lipstick and thick mascara through her veil. Her scent was a mixture of London smog and Chanel No. 5. I was a small girl and I remember vividly the silver barrage balloons and my mother’s brave face. She was just one of myriads of women showing defiance with a display of Wartime Chic. Leafing through the 250 photographs in Forties Fashion: From Siren Suits to the New Look - a stunning compendium of the clothes of that era by fashion historian, Jonathan Walford - the style, the dash, the very feel of the stuff that women wore in those turbulent wartimes comes flooding back.

Featured in this definitive guide to fashion in the 1940s is the flotilla of smiling women on bikes in occupied Paris with hair tied up in print scarves and veiling; a Schiaparelli suit with a built-in army-style sling bag; hats decorated with army badges or V for Victory glitter brooches; Carmen Miranda style turbans tumbling with flowers or fruit; or practical scarf hats promoted for wear working in munitions factories. There are red, white and blue wedge shoes with Cross of Lorraine from the Liberation of 1944. And cosy zip up jump suits, hooded coats and Siren suits inspired by Winston Churchill’s practical ensembles for wear in bomb shelters and un-heated homes.

Above all, Walford recounts the couture houses’ fight back in Paris and London in showing wartime collections, designed to lift morale and, in occupied Paris, to defy Vichy and the German administration. The fact that wives and mistresses of high ranking German officers or Black Marketeers were also buying had to be swallowed since the feeling was that the continuation of French couture was a striking way of defying the Occupation. This was the view that powerful American editors and buyers also took. In 1944 Carmel Snow, editor of Harper’s Bazaar, returned to Paris to cover the collections. She noted how Parisian women in soaring head-dresses click-clacked across the pavements in wooden-soled shoes and used enormous collars, ceramic buttons and fanciful patches to disguise worn-out clothes: “Where hope existed so did fashion”.

British couturier, Hardy Amies recalled in 1944 that the look of broad shoulders, small waists and skirts both short and full - with bare legs - was “flamboyant, sexy and provocative”. It was also practical and allowed the imagination to rip in varying the time-worn theme of Make Do and Mend. Just before the Second World War ended in 1945, American Vogue picked up the current flair in Paris and London for recycling clashing fabrics - shawls, peasant prints, quilts - in floating skirts and tops. And above all, in witty hats, as illustrated by a surreal Paris cityscape made of cardboard, atop a light-as-air ribbon hat on page 164. Move over Marie Antoinette!

My mother, like most in those hard times, made all my clothes, re- using flannel and linens from her brother’s old trousers and shirts. Her speciality was Hungarian embroidery in brilliant silks. Were clothes ever more treasured? And then from the dashing shoulder pads, cinched waists and twirling skirts of brave wartime fashion – all born from the sewing baskets of the make-do makers - came the Brave New World of Christian Dior’s mould-breaking 1947 collection, The New Look.

Forties Fashion details how during this period of immense conflict and wartime shortage, fashion still managed to express ideals of beauty, femininity and luxury and the pursuit of style was considered a patriotic duty. Perhaps we should borrow some ideas and the spirit of those times for our own less-brave fashion world today....

WECS Book reviewsAll items in WECS Book Review are the author’s opinion and published in good faith.

continued from page six

New Home for the Textile Conservation Centre at the University of Glasgow

Report by Caroline Ness

Many WECS members will recall the disappointing closure of the Textile Conservation Centre at Winchester by the University of Southampton in 2009. However, February 9th 2011 was marked with celebrations as the TCC re-opened in a new home at the University of Glasgow. Now known as the Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History, the facility was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal, a long time supporter of

textile conservation in the UK and Patron of the TCC Foundation for over fifteen years.

After the Textile Conservation Centre was closed at Winchester in 2009, Nell Hoare worked with the TCC Foundation in running a highly successful campaign to raise funds for the new teaching and research facility, which now has a dedicated and fully refurbished space at Glasgow. This is the only resource of its kind in the UK and the first time that conservation training has been undertaken in Scotland. Combined with the University of Glasgow’s recent developments in technical art history, the new centre will have national and international impact. The first cohort of students began their two year MPhil postgraduate course in Textile

Conservation in September 2010 and later this year, a new one-year postgraduate MLitt in Dress and Textile Histories will be launched.

Some of you may already be aware that I have begun my PhD research in dress history with the new Centre for Textile Conservation & Technical Art History. My research is based upon the archive of a couturier well known in the 1950s called Jo Mattli, which is held at the Fashion Museum in Bath.

This is an exciting time for textile conservation and dress history and I am immensely proud to be part of the newly launched Centre.

Costume and Textile Society of Wales2011 programme

Meetings are usually held at St Fagans.

11 June Michelle Griffiths: Lumps and bumps – a Shibori workshop

9 July Trip to Abergavenny to view Tapestry and visit the town

24 September Andy Burke: Historic Footwear

To be confirmed19 November Sian Price: Welsh National

Opera Jane Pritchard V&A: The

Ballet Russe For further information about the Society visit the website: www.costumeandtextilesocietyofwales.org.uk, email Caroline Vincent [email protected] or phone 02920 554462


The New KimonoFrom Vintage Style To Everyday ChicEdited by Nanao MagazineTranslated by Leeyong SooList price: $24.95ISBN10: 4-7700-3148-3ISBN13: 978-4-7700-3148-3128 pages, paperback 250x190mmReview by Fiona Starkey

Due out in June this best-of-selection of articles from Japanese contemporary kimono magazine Nanao is filled with inspirational photography and practical hints for the kimono lover.

For years there has really only been one practical hands-on kimono book for the beginner: The Book of Kimono by Norio Yamanaka. However, recent years have seen a kimono boom amongst young women in Japan who delight in kimono as everyday wear and scour secondhand kimono stores and their mothers’ wardrobes for vintage pieces to bring up to date. Capitalising on this trend has been Nanao magazine, established in 2004, and one of Japan’s leading contemporary kimono publications. Nanao is full of stylish fashion spreads and tips for younger women on how to dress, how to find good but inexpensive pieces, and how to customize, accessorize, and care for traditional garments.

The New Kimono presents in book form a selection of the best articles from Nanao magazine, providing a wealth of information to Western readers with an interest in kimono. Articles include interviews with young Japanese women who treat kimono as everyday wear, advice on how to coordinate fabrics and designs, how to choose an obi, how to choose footwear, how to choose underwear, how to customize vintage kimono, and fabulous vintage kimono fashion spreads. An appendix provides clear step-by-step guidelines on how to put on kimono, kimono underwear, yukata, and obi. A glossary of kimono terms, index, shop guide, and price guide is also included.

Combining practical hints with inspirational photography, this should appeal to anyone with an interest in fashion, Japanese popular culture, or textiles and design.

Knitting link!One of our members has recommended this American magazine for those interested in craft knitting.www.interweave.com/piecework or Google Piecework knittingThe website intro says: PieceWork gives you a perspective on knitting and all types of needlework that you won’t find anywhere else. Do you look at a piece of clothing or a household textile and wonder how it was made?

Are you interested in connecting with needleworkers past and present through their personal stories? Would you like to make your own heirloom-quality projects from vintage patterns? Then, you need to take a look at PieceWork. It’s the only magazine for those who adore historical knitting, embellished clothing, stunning quilts, amazing needlework, and exquisite lacework—all made by hand.And they offer a glimpse: Belarusian Wrist Warmers to Knit, page 18 of the April issue!

ScarvesNicky Albrechtsen & Fola SolankeThames & Hudson ISBN 978-0-500-51564-8Hardback, 303 pages, 257 illustrations, 254 in colour310mm X 255mm £35.00Review by Jean Scott

Scarves? How dull you might think. Merely a piece of fabric draped around the head or neck and yet, as the authors claim “it can be a work of art as collectable as a rare book or print”.This beautiful volume, bound in a satin fabric, decorated with a 1960s scarf print by Richard Allen, is a good starting point for anyone with an interest in textiles who would like to succumb to the collecting bug, but keep it manageable.

The authors, Nicky Albrechsten and Fola Solanke systematically map the story of the scarf through the various chapters entitled The Styles of the Eras; Artists’ Scarves; Textile Designers; Great Scarf Companies; The Designer Scarf; Historic Scarves; The Travel Scarf; Scarves and Advertising; and Collectables, and in so doing they show how scarves can document social history, particularly the twentieth century.

As purely a functional accessory scarves protect, but for artists, designers and illustrators they become a blank canvas for decoration, advertising and commemoration. Albrechsten and Solanke track the artistic styles from the late nineteenth century to the 1990s, from Art Nouveau through patriotic designs of the war years to the fashion house logos of the present day. Couture houses collaborated with contemporary artists and textile designers to promote their brands such as Poiret with Raoul Duffy and Schiaparelli with Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dali. At

street-fashion level Mary Quant used her daisy symbol on triangular cotton scarves whilst today, as recently as 2005, Vivienne Westwood used printed scarves to show her rebellion against conventional norms.

The middle of the twentieth century saw the scarf as not just a fashion accessory,

but an essential part of social etiquette and companies evolved that specialised in scarves. Vera Neuman, an American designer, started Printex. She signed her scarves and had the foresight to copyright them. In Britain, Jacqmar became synonymous

with scarves, whilst Liberty produced limited editions thus creating a collectors’ market. The authors also go on to show how scarves have been a means of commemorating events such as coronations, Olympic games and even the first moon landing, as well as acting as souvenirs of visits to exotic places.

All this is amply illustrated with 254 excellent colour illustrations, but many have unidentifiable designers or manufacturers, probably due to the low esteem of this simple accessory. An easy to read and clearly presented volume, which concludes with a useful appendix containing an A-Z of designers, couture houses and scarf companies as well as a guide to authenticating vintage scarves. It also includes a guide to conservation and storage together with a list of resources from museums to vintage fairs and shops to guide the enthusiastic researcher and collector. Even if you do not intend to become a collector this is a beautiful informative book to browse at your leisure and an ideal addition to adorn the coffee table of a twenty-first century living room.

Illustrations from the topSophia Loren wearing a vibrant floral silk scarf, mid-1950s The book itself in scarf bound coverMary Quant, cotton triangular scarves,1960s ‘Propaganda’ Vivienne Westwood, silk, 2005 Marilyn Monroe poses with a patriotic scarf for a magazine shoot, 1953 Jacqmar, silk, Coronation 1953‘Le Chevauchée’, Raoul Dufy for

Bianchini-Férier, silk, 1920s, reissued 1980s


Billed as the “ultimate” film and television costume collection, this absorbing array allowed us to get up-close-and-personal with the garments, to inspect every last meticulous detail - not of course with our hands - but with our eyes, and take as many photographs as we like (without flash, naturally).

I was able to admire the sage green and gold mesh overlay on the velvet bodice of Cate Blanchett’s Elizabeth, designed in 1998 by Alexandra Byrne as a dancing dress for the coronation scene (see right). The skirt was in a heavier silk/satin and fixed on the back of the shoulder - though difficult to see from the photograph - was a coral velvet rosette lined with a lighter coral silk, attached to drapery which swept diagonally across the back of the dress and ended at the right hip. There was also meticulous embroidery on the lace under sleeves.

Another highlight was Heath Ledger’s Casanova outfit from 2005 (main image), a beautifully cut frock coat in a slightly lighter green silk than Cate Blanchett’s dress, with an elaborately embroidered waistcoat, and lace jabot and cuffs. We are told that the late actor enjoyed wearing this outfit.

AbsorbingI was so absorbed in my furious note-taking and admiration of the displays that further along I leaned forward to examine the detail on a 1780s printed cotton dress and banged my head on the glass display case, forgetting I was looking at a real example! No damage done - to the display case, thankfully - but it brought home how the garments from the silver screen sat beautifully alongside the “real” exhibits. The final colours on this dress had been added by hand in a technique known as “pencilling”, which was done by a large number of women, each using a fine brush to “pencil” on colour.

Also from the archives was an 1830s poke bonnet, which we saw in “before” pictures, before it had been painstakingly cleaned using a cotton wool swab. It certainly scrubbed up well! The bonnet (above right) was made from leghorn straw, named after the small town in Tuscany which, we are told, made the finest pleated straw. The conservation display also warned us of the old enemies of costume; especially light, humidity, insects and of course, general wear and tear. If you’re interested, more information on conservation can be found on an excellent website, www.ashmolean.org/departments/conservation.

FoundationsIt was the late great Christian Dior who proclaimed: “Without foundations there is no fashion”. In film and theatre, foundations are there to help the actors get into character, making them stand, walk and perhaps even feel different. We

Spot the difference!

Heroes and Heroines: Fashions From FilmLeeds City Museum, Millenium Square, LeedsReport: Carol BellPhotos: Courtesy of Cosprop


Granny’s Day Off A new column by WECS Secretary, Ann Brown

When in London town babysitting grandson Jett, Ann always manages to fit in a visit to the latest fashion exhibition and report back for WECS members. In this issue, Ann tells of her trip to see Drawing Fashion at the Design Museum.

On a very wet windy day in November, I battled my way across Tower Bridge avoiding the abandoned umbrellas, to the Design Museum south of the river.

Above: Antonio illustration from 1967. Right and below: Georges Lepape illustrations from postcards produced by The Design Museum from the

exhibition.

In the two story building overlooking the Thames, an entire floor was devoted to their latest exhibition Drawing Fashion, guest curated by

legendary fashion writer Colin McDowell.

The exhibition showcased a unique collection of some of the most remarkable fashion illustrations from the 20th and 21st centuries split into six periods and begins with film clips from each of the periods covered in the exhibition. I travelled in time through drawings from 1900 right into the future. Evocative illustrations by Georges Lepape for the covers of Vogue and Harpers Bazaar in the section covering the first part of the last century had great appeal as well as Erté, but perhaps without the glitter!

As you move on through the decades, original drawings are on show from names

such as Gruau in the 1940s and 1950s, Antonio throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and current artists Mats Gustafson, Morinerie and Francois Berthoud. The artists cover collections from famous fashion houses such as Chanel, Dior, Comme des Garcons and Poiret as well as Victor & Rolf, Lacroix and McQueen.

As photography has taken over from drawn illustrations in magazines there appear to

be fewer artists specialising in fashion drawings. These do feature occasionally in the back pages of magazines such as Vogue, but are more likely to appear as advertisements or on the walls of our

homes and galleries.

Sadly this exhibition is now finished, but it was a joy to see the original drawings, which are now mostly used for greeting cards or reproduced in books.

Curator Natalie Raw cleverly placed some older pieces in amongst Cosprop creations and sometimes there was very little difference!

From top left: Cate Blanchet’s Elizabethan dancing dress, 1830s poke bonnet (original), 1780 stays (original), Heath Ledger’s Casanova pale sage outfit. This page: Pirates of the Caribbean and Nicole Kidman’s burgundy dress from Portrait of a Lady. The bonnet and late C18th stays are courtesy of Leeds Museums and Galleries; all others courtesy of Cosprop.

saw fine examples of undergarments, including stays from 1780-90 (below left), featuring whalebone or baleen boning, an 1830s corset, 1880s bustle, and a modern but very authentic looking corset designed by Jenny Beavan for Sienna Miller to wear in Casanova.

Also from the Beavan and Bright stable was Judi Dench’s 1840s dress from Cranford, in a simple style because that was exactly what the author Elizabeth Gaskell had envisaged.

There would be no show, however, without Mr Darcy, and there were some of Dinah Collin’s pieces from the 1995 BBC TV series Pride and Prejudice, including a banyan coat, and a dark linen coat with grey serge waistcoat, beige britches and brown boots. Apparently Colin Firth had a lot of input and wanted his character to wear darker shades, even though the book did not demand this.

Going back in time, one of the highlights of the exhibition came from Leeds’ own collection, a rare fragment of a dress from the reign of Elizabeth I, a dark piece of silk with fine silver threading. There are also fabric samples in Ackerman’s Repository of the Arts, a fascinating guide published in 1809 to 1829 by Rudolph Ackermann, owner of a repository in the Strand which was frequented by the fashionable upper classes. His monthly magazine included articles and illustrations, particularly on fashion, social and literary news and had a major impact on contemporary clothing styles. But that’s another story…

CommitteeChairmanJean Scott, 24 Pound Lane, Semington, Wilts BA14 6LP 01380 [email protected]

SecretaryAnn Brown, 162 Stockhill Road, Chilcompton, Radstock BA3 4JQ 01761 [email protected]

TreasurerSarah Bartlett, 4 Cotley Place, Heytesbury, Warminster, BA12 0HT 01985 [email protected]

Membership SecretaryLinda Watts, 3 Woodlands Edge, West Ashton Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 7BE01225 [email protected]

Wardrobe editorElaine Uttley, Second Floor Flat, 7 Portland Place, Bath, BA1 2RU 01225 [email protected]

GraphicsFiona Starkey, The Shambles, Sham Castle Lane, Bath BA2 6JH 01225 [email protected]

Co-opted membersJill Hazell, 92 The Crescent, Henleaze, Bristol, BS9 4RT 0117 [email protected]

Vivien Isbister, 48 Seend Cleeve, Melksham, Wiltshire. SN12 [email protected]

If you’ve mislaid your booking form, contact Sarah Bartlett for the Coldharbour Mill/Killerton visit


A Miscellany of

b Womensmagazinesb Costumeb Fashionb Needleworkandlaceb Textilesanddesign

Black Cat BooksMeadowCottageHighRoad,Wortwell,HarlestonIP200ENTelephone / Fax 0198678882624Houransweringserviceemail [email protected]

Copy for the next newsletter to Elaine Uttley by 25 June, please

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Barbara Kotlikoff has designed and manufactured a line of garment bags, furniture covers and shoe bags from percale that has no dyes, bleach or chemicals. In designing these products she had the help and guidance of The Textile Conservation Workshop as she wanted to create products that museum conservators could use and that would appeal to costume collectors as well as individuals who want to

preserve and protect their best possessions.

www.thebutlerscloset.com.

[olivia dell][world textiles][folk art]...vibrant hand-woven textiles traditionally plant-dyed next to sophisticated ikat coats, striped cottons, embroidered ethnic pieces...The studio, which will have open days and run textile courses in 2011, has relocated to Silva, Southfield Road, Woodchester, Stroud GL5 5PA Tel: 01453 [email protected]

Memories of a Flapper, anyone?The BBC’s new Reel History of Britain (to be hosted by Melvyn Bragg) is looking for someone who might have memories of 1920s fashion - flapper fashion in particular. Have you a grandmother, mum, aunt or friend who might have memories and would be willing to participate? Please contact Jean Scott or Elaine Uttley at the Fashion Museum, Bath who will put you in touch with the coordinator at the BBC. They will be very lucky to find anyone who actually experienced the period but there may be someone who has memories they would find interesting.For Sale: Bond Elite Knitting Machine (The fast way to knit). Unused, complete with instruction video and booklet. Patterns also included.Only £50.00 (including £10.00 to WECS).Contact Ann Brown 01761 232227Braiding days at AldbourneIf you’re interested in learning how to make braids, or improving your skills, contact [email protected] for information and directions. Classes will be held 5 June, 7 August, 2 October and 4 December 2011.Summer short courseswww.aucb.ac.uk Arts University College, Bournemouth is offering short courses on Period costume and classic English tailoring. See website.

From: [email protected]: Help requiredExtract from email:

I am researching Ladies Companions for my dissertation at Brighton University in Fashion and Dress History. I am pursuing own my ladies at Brighton but thought that some one with local knowledge of Bath would be able to point me in the right direction... a few words with the right person could help enormously. I’m looking for evidence of women in Bath who had a companion. I am trying to define the companion’s role and the working title is Lady Companions, Invisible women.If anything comes to mind I would really appreciate it. Many thanks, Caroline.

Bath Spa University is offering a Postgraduate PGCert/PGDip/MA:

Investigating Fashion Design Full or part time, Investigating Fashion Design is concerned with the study, analysis and written critique of historical and contemporary dress in a museum environment. The course aims to enable students to work independently with the Fashion Museum’s internationally renowned collection in Bath, whilst attending supporting lecture and seminar programmes.

Bath Spa University, Newton St Loe, Bath BA2 9BN01225 875875 [email protected]

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