CONTENTS
INDULGE textiles to buy, collect or simply admire 11 DELFTWEAR Polly Leonard chooses a few of her favourite things in this classic pattern 78 STITCHING STORIES Kate Cavendish hears Injiri’s textile folk tale Indian designer Chinar Farooqui creates ‘heirloom-quality’ textiles, see her work at the Selvedge Fashion Fair in Bath, 10 May
ATTIRE critical reporting of fashion trends 15 LAYER CAKE Magnolia Pearl’s key ingredients are confidence, comfort and creativity Nicola Donovan delves into the rural lifestyle of this Texan company, photographed by Sara Kerens 22 ALTERNATIVE DIMENSION Marie O’Mahony examines Iris van Herpen’s modern approach to materials A look at this Dutch designer’s unconventional approach to fashion 32 THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL Annabel Talbot traces the evolution of fashionable lace in the 17th century An examination of the uses and construction of lace and its influences on life and society 37 THE FOUNDATION OF A GOOD MARRIAGE Wedding corsets from the Chicago History Museum Nicola Donovan opens the Museum’s corset cabinets and explores these structured garments
GLOBAL Textiles from around the world 27 THE LOW COUNTRIES Land of Linen and Lace Join us on our textile journey through Leeuwarden, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels and Calais 40 BLUE PERIOD Ajit Balakishnam wonders if the history of Indigo in India is a missed opportunity An insight into the rise and fall of India’s indigo and the people who grew it 44 HEART AND SOUL A love affair with craft Anne Laure Camilleri highlights the work of nonprofit organisation Heartwear, run by some of our favourite designers. Images by Marie Taillefer 51 A MARTIAL ART Indigo-dyed textiles from Saitama, Japan Tim Parry-Williams visits Kojima, a company that have been weaving of indigo cottons since 1872
P16/17
SELVEDGE 16
S TUDY GROUP
In the second of our series celebrating the opening of the V&A’s Clothworkers’ Centre, Lead Curator
Edwina Ehrman looks in detail at a wedding outfit from Liberty of London
When Marian Hazel Lasenby became engaged to the artist-potter William Moorcroft in 1928, it was only natural that she should go to Liberty’s for her wedding outfit. The Lasenby and Liberty families were related by marriage and her future husband had been a close friend of the company’s founder, Arthur Lasenby Liberty. In the 1920s the shop sold both Moorcroft’s art pottery and the firm’s signature blue tableware.
For the wedding, which took place at St. George’s Hanover Square, the bride chose a block-printed silk satin dress with an oriental style pattern, a blue reversible fine wool coat and a felt cloche hat. The outfit paid tribute to the bride’s close ties to Liberty’s and, while it reflected mainstream fashion, it was also a suitable choice for a young woman marrying a widower 27 years her senior.
The silk chosen by Marian was a conventional but popular choice: it first appeared in 1912 and was regularly re-issued. The dress has a cross-over bodice with a V-neck and modesty piece. It is collarless but has two neckties falling to the waist and long close-fitting sleeves gathered and pleated into cuffs. The waistline is dropped and the front of the skirt features a double tier of pleated frills. The back of the skirt is straight. Several dresses in Liberty’s 1927 collection featured neckties. In the catalogues one example was tied at side of the neck in a bow and another was secured with a brooch.
The coat has long sleeves which flare from seams below the elbow. While the back is cut straight, the front has a low waist. Bias cut panels flare from the hip softening the line of the coat and introducing movement to the skirt. The coat has an attached half collar, which is finished with a pair of neckties. It fastens on the left side with two covered buttons, one at the neck and the other at the waist. The felt cloche hat matches the coat. It is trimmed with mid-blue ostrich feathers which are wrapped closely round the front of the hat maintaining its close-fitting silhouette but adding a touch of luxury.
Like other large London department stores Liberty’s had workrooms on premises, with separate rooms for hand-embroidery and pleating. In the late 1920s between 60 and 80 girls were employed making women’s and children’s clothes. The women’s fashions were often adaptations or copies of French models which Liberty’s buyers purchased in Paris as toiles or paper patterns. The store also sold accessories, including shawls and scarves for which Liberty’s was already well-known.
Mrs Moorcroft lent the ensemble to the V&A’s 1975 exhibition, Liberty’s 1875-1975, which celebrated the company’s centenary. The Museum later acquired it in 1982. In the Clothworkers’ Centre the dress and coat could either be stored with the Museum’s collection of wedding dress or with other 20th century garments made by Liberty’s. Given the high level of public interest in the company’s fabrics and garments we have decided to store them with other Liberty pieces in our A-Z of garments created by designers working in the 20th and 21st centuries. The hat is housed separately alongside other women’s hats and headdresses dating from the 19th century to the present day. The V&A’s Clothworkers’ Centre for the Study and Conservation of Textiles and Fashion opened in October. Visit www.vam.ac.uk/clothworkers for appointments and tours. Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 is at the V&A Museum until15 March 2015, www.vam.ac.uk
SELVEDGE 76
P76/77
CONCEPT textiles in fine art 68 DRAWING CONCLUSIONS Observations from renowned artist and tutor, Diana Springall Discussing the importance of drawing, illustrated by Chloe Gregory, textile student from Bath Spa University 74 PAPER, SCISSORS, SHOOT Sue Steward looks at the art of manipulation Dutch artist Hendrik Kerstens creates photographs that reference well-known paintings
COHABIT stunning interiors beautifully photographed 58 FIVE STAR ACCOMMODATION Craft company Cinq Étoiles creates harmony in the home A visit to Tunisia with Nelson Sepulveda, photographed by Gokalp Hamurcu
P44/45
P28/29
designer at Magnolia Pearl, has made an art of re-interpreting history’s underwear drawer. Vests, camisoles, chemises, shifts, petticoats, bloomers and wraps all come into play in the strong identity that Magnolia Pearl has succeeded in building.
The Magnolia Pearl design philosophy takes ‘layering’ to its outer limits by piling lots and lots of lovely garments on together, which might seem a bit risky, especially to those on the petite side. However, it actually works and to prove it Magnolia Pearl regularly use and feature models of 5’4” in height. Naturally, one could just wear one beautiful piece and this would perhaps suit those more restrained or less flamboyant dressers among us. Yet the dreamy, hazily old-fashioned Magnolia Pearl ‘look’ is really, really seductive.
Part of its charm is that these are actually practical clothes – they allow for the odd occasion when a gal might need to swing up onto a stamping horse, gather in the corn, collect some eggs or, for that matter, run for a bus. Joking aside, powerful, professional women such as lawyers do wear Magnolia Pearl clothes because they have an aesthetic substance gained from years of artistic diligence, and they are comfortable. So, though these clothes might be romantically feminine they are more than just that: they are also modern in terms of function and highly contemporary in terms of outlook.
Since Magnolia Pearl is an artisan clothier it does not mass produce. Indeed each garment is unique because there is a need to respond to the individual characteristics that each, frequently antique, piece of fabric offers. This approach slots in nicely with a current interest in craft and artisanal making, which often tends to be associated with positive attitudes 4
SELVEDGE 17
SELVEDGE 77
HEART AND SOUL
A love affair with craft
Indigo has caught the eye and captured the heart of thousands. The vibrant shades of blue we admire in modern indigo cloths carry the spirit of the craftspeople who once dipped ceremonial textiles in the dye pits of the Ancient World. The magic of Indikon never fades.
Heartwear is a human adventure that became a Nonprofit Organisation. In 1993, eight designers, led by Lidewij Edelkoort and Karen Petrossian, took a textile study trip to Possotome, Benin – an African country famous for its indigo and resist dyeing techniques. The designers visited local workshops, talked to craftspeople and bought indigo-dyed clothes. The patterned blue and white garments were so intriguing, they all agreed to start a project with the local artisans. The labour-intensive art of indigo dyeing had been in decline and faced challenges from cheap imports. But their decision coincided with a worldwide revival of craft through the work of NGOs. Designers and consumers were showing a growing interest in handmade goods.
Heartwear was promptly set up and, though most of the group returned home, designer Pier Angelo d’Agostin stayed in Benin to create the first Heartwear fashion collection. Pieces were sold through ELLE, French edition, in June 1993 and the proceeds were re-invested into the next collection. The following year was a turning point. Interior textiles were added, including curtains and tablecloths handwoven in Northern Benin. New member Andree Broesecke helped set up a mail-order operation with German magazine BRIGITTE: “The Heartwear project in Benin was featured and the sale was a massive success. There was a real demand for fine handcrafted textiles. 4
Head to the “attic” of the Volkskundemuseum in Bruges to admire the antique lace collection. Elsewhere in the eight converted 17th century almshouses, you can see a classroom, cobblers, milliners, a tailor, pharmacy and a patisserie. The collection consists of objects that were part of daily life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Balstraat 43, 8000 Brugge, Belgium, T: +32 5044 8743, bezoekers.brugge.be
Dutch Design will be the focus at next year’s ETN conference. Speakers include trend forecaster Li Edelkoort, Petra Blaisse, Bertjan Pot, Vlisco's Creative Director Roger Gerards and visits include Rijswijk Textiel Biennale, Zaans Museum and the VLISCO Factory. The 17th European Textile Network ETN Conference, 16-17 May 2015, Museum of Ethnology, www.textielfestival.nl, www.etn-net.org
If lace holds your interest then the International Centre of Lace and Fashion should be at the top of your list of places to visit. Located in the Saint-Pierre district, the historic heart of Calais lacemaking, this cultural centre is housed in afactory typical of the 1870s. At the height of its activities, the Boulart factory – named after its builders – had 80 tulle and lace looms in constant operation. Once inside your journey begins in a darkened space with displays of lace from the 16th to the 19th centuries and need not end until you have discovered the innovative Haute Couture designs of Iris Van Herpen, see pg 22. Iris van Herpen, until 13 April 2014, The Lace Museum (Cite international de la dentelle et de la mode) 135, quai du Commerce, www.cite-dentelle.fr ien
Anne Ch
City dwellers often bemoan their lack of outside space but perhaps they’ve been looking at things the wrong way? Dutch botanist Fedor Van der Valk's brought the outdoors in with his 'String Gardens' series. Without using a pot, he transforms plants and flowers into living ornaments using 3D crocheting techniques that took six years to develop. An array of plants and flowers are strung together with moss and grass to create a garden unlike any other. www.stringgardens.com
Six years ago WEEFNETWERK was set up to consolidate smaller weaving societies into one organisation. A team of dedicated volunteers orchestrate events and publish a quarterly magazine. This year homes, workshops, museums and galleries across Holland will participate in the West Weave Festival and display work, both traditional and modern. This is the third time that a week of weaving exhibitions has been organised. It will be followed in July by a Weversmarkt (Weavers Market) – over 150 textile stands will dominate a street in the historical city of Hoorn. West Weave Festival, from 27 May-1 June 2014, Weversmarkt Hoorn, 16 July, www.weefnetwerk.nl
SELVEDGE 4
