By Heather Vaughan,
May 11th, 2011 at 5:00 am
(Academic Research & Related, Book Reviews, Uncategorized)
Katie Netherton earned her Masters degree from New York University in Material Culture: Costume Studies in 2002. Most recently she has worked on the historic documentation project at the Brooklyn Museum, and is currently an independent costume historian working with the Gordon Conway archive at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin.
Book: Glamour: Women, History, Feminism
Author: Carol Dyhouse
Book Review by: Katie Netherton
Carol Dyhouse, author of Glamour, is a Professor of History at the University of Sussex, and trained as a social historian and educator. She is not a fashion historian. If the reader is a fashion historian, and knows this before reading, it will be an easier read.
That said, her book ambitiously endeavors to trace the history of the meaning of “glamour,” beginning in 1900 and continuing to the 1990s. She begins by issuing a disclaimer of sorts, that the book is a broad study and is not meant to provide expertise on any one particular subject (p.5). This addition was definitely needed, because as you read, there can be a rather disjointed feeling at times, as if too much ground is trying to be covered in 168 pages of writing. Despite its lofty goal, the book is entertaining, informative and well illustrated. By tracking the use of “glamour” in marketing campaigns by several fashion-related industries, such as fur and perfume, Dyhouse proves how the concept changes according to societal influences and mores. The author also uses actresses and musicians, many of them British, as contemporary examples of the current idea of glamour from each time.
The reader also learns interesting factoids about the industries Dyhouse uses as her examples. For instance, many cosmetics companies used interesting names for their products to communicate to the customer that if they used it, they too would be glamorous. Some of these products, like “Cherries in the Snow”, a lipstick introduced by Revlon in 1953, are still sold today. In fact, I was inspired to buy a tube after reading this book, mainly because I was reminded of the advertising campaign, which touts that if you wear this certain “madly voluptuous” shade, you are as “strange and unexpected as cherries in the snow.” Brilliant!
The book is organized chronologically into chapters that explore how glamour manifested itself in specific time periods. Chapter one begins in 1900 and continues to the late 1920s. In the 19th century, “glamour” carried a negative connotation, and was linked to danger and women who exuded some sort of evil quality, like witches or sirens. With a new century, “glamour” suddenly meant something more positive, although still mysterious and definitely still a description for sexual allure. In chapters 2-3, the idea of “glamour” and how it is expressed through film is tackled. In the era of black and white film, the costume had to translate certain qualities without the benefit of color. Shiny silks and lame cut on the bias, iridescent black coq feathers, luminescent pearls, wispy ostrich feathers, stark red lips against a creamy complexion. Many provocative photographs from film are used to illustrate this point. Glamour as shown on screen by actresses like Marlene Dietrich, was a quality for everyday people to strive to emulate.
Chapter 4 picks up after World War II, as a new surge in femininity arrives with the wasp-waisted New Look and an upsweep in the couture industry. The idea of glamour changed from woman as sultry to princess. As a counter-point, however, pin-ups were popular in men’s magazines, as a by-product of the war. Therefore, women were either seen as perfect and somewhat unattainable, or as sex objects.
In the 1960s, especially in Britain, there was a rise in street style. Young people carved out their own style without leaning on what their parents prescribed. Magazines featured musicians and rock stars alongside actors, especially the newer publications that catered to a younger market. In Britain, models such as Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton exemplified the youth culture, with their wide-eyed expressions and youthful, stick-thin bodies. Glamour at this time was considered too sophisticated, and accessories such as fur were equated with older, less independent, women. Feminism was also on the rise, and with the publication of books such as Helen Gurley Brown’s Sex and the Single Girl in 1962, and Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique in 1963, glamour and fashion were sometimes seen as anathema to the independent woman, a repression of a new found power.
In chapter 6, the reader arrives in the 1970s-‘80s, and the rise of a woman who was more socially, financially and sexually powerful. Women had their own money to spend–one no longer had to depend on a man to buy her an expensive sable or mink. In the 1990s, celebrities, especially what they were wearing, became an obsession. Dyhouse singles out Princess Diana and Madonna as examples of this cult of celebrity phenomenon.
The last chapter, called “Perspectives and Reflections,” wraps up the book by giving Dyhouse’s thoughts and theories on what glamour means today. In summation, she writes that glamour is about “fantasy, desire and longing,” as well as “aspiration.” (p. 162-3). No matter what time period, the word “maintains its power of suggestion, a connection with the dreams of the past.” (p.168).
The nuts and bolts of the book include an extensive notes section and bibliography, as well as an index, which is helpful to researchers. In essence, I feel that the target audience is mainly other social historians; however, a fashion historian like myself must always look to what else was happening in the world, in other industries, and in other countries to fully understand a trend or even a specific design.
2 Comments
By Heather Vaughan,
April 20th, 2011 at 2:00 am
(Book Reviews, Uncategorized)
Textile Futures: Fashion, Design and Technology
by Bradley Quinn
Berg Publishers (November 23, 2010)
Review From Worn Through Contributor, Ellen McKinney
Ellen C. McKinney, Ph.D. is a fashion educator who has taught textiles to over 400 students. Research interests include apparel sizing and fit with interest in the use of technology to develop pattern-making theory for improved garment fit, how apparel consumers, retailers and wholesalers impact and are impacted by garment fit, and teaching fitting techniques.
In 2005, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum exhibited Extreme Textiles. According to author Bradley Quinn, it was this exhibit and accompanying book by Matilda McQuaid, exhibitions curator and head of the Textiles Department, that launched him into extensive research of new textile technologies resulting in articles (Textiles in Architecture in Architectural Design, 2006,76: 22–26), speaking engagements, and books (Ultra Materials: How Materials Innovation Is Changing the World with G. M. Beylerian, M. Caniato, and A. Dent, 2007; Textile Designers at the Cutting Edge, 2009). This is not to say that Quinn did not already have expertise in fashion and design. Prior to 2005, Quinn authored books: Techno Fashion (2002), Chinese Style: The Art of Living (2003), and The Fashion of Architecture (2004). Textile Futures: Fashion, Design and Technology(2010) reflects his research and interactions with a wide range of textile experts from artists to scientists.
Textile Futures will expand your view of what a textile is and what functions it can have. If you are generally fascinated with textiles, then you will likely read the book cover-to-cover upon receiving it. The book is of interest to both practitioners and academics. If you are not such a big textiles person, but are interested in new materials and design, this text may also be of interest to you. I imagine you will find yourself surprised by the amazing capabilities of materials you might not have realized were textiles.
The book will inform you of many applications of textiles you may have never heard about. Have you heard about wearable vitamins? How about art made of knitted textiles? What about textiles that sense and alert you to environmental toxins? It also offers explanations for those you may have heard about and wanted to know more. For example, have you ever wondered, “How do those dresses work that light up in response to the wearer’s emotions?” The answer: the fabric can sense physical changes in body temperature, heart rate, etc. that coincide with emotions and relay that information to trigger luminescent fibers within the fabric. How about, “How realistic are all those virtual clothes in Second Life?” The short answer: not very. Quinn helps the reader understand why and possible implications for real world clothes.
The advantage of this book over other books that serve as directories of new materials (such as the Transmaterial series by Blaine Brownell, 2005, 2008, and 2010) is that Quinn groups the textile materials by function and assesses their significance and forthcoming trends in the field, in addition to telling you “who”, “what”, “when” “where”, and “how”. Each chapter is concluded with an interview of a practitioner in the field, giving another perspective on the topic. Given that advancements in the textile field are rapid, it is hard to say how quickly the book will become outdated. However, it is a relatively compact reference, considering all the topics it covers.
It is written in a non-technical way that does not require an extensive background in any of the topics covered. The potential downside is that if you are a real expert in a topic (for example, 3D modeling), you will find the explanation (of virtual textiles) rather basic. Rather, Textile Futures explains textile-related technologies in easy-to-understand terms. It identifies the major researchers, artists, and companies working on the given textile subject matter. Unlike many dry technical textile books, the text is supported by photographs throughout and includes a section of color photographs in the center. The book is generally not in-depth or overly scientific on any topic, but will give you a basic understanding. Textile Futures includes resources to direct you to more information on topics of interest. Extensive chapter notes accompany the text. Many websites are listed for your further research. A Bibliography, list of credits, and an index of persons is also included.
I do have some concerns with the way the book is organized. As a fashion educator that has taught basic and advanced textiles courses many times, I was a bit disturbed that the book was not organized along the familiar lines of 1) fiber, 2) yarn, 3) fabric, 4) color, and 5) finish. I can understand Quinn’s rationale in organizing the chapters along the lines of the function of the textile product. However, there are many cases where he makes little distinction as to whether the technology he is discussing is a fiber, yarn, or fabric in particular.
There are some challenges to using the book as a reference tool. First, the book does not include an index by topic. This is unfortunate, given that some topics are mentioned in more than one area of the book. In other sections, the organizational scheme seems like a stretch to fit in a technology that didn’t have a place anywhere else. Second, the chapter titles (Body Technology, Synthesized Skin, Surfaces, Vital Signs, Sustainability, Contemporary Art, Interior Textiles, Textiles for Architecture, and Extreme Interfaces) fluctuate between clearly stated and somewhat cryptic. Some chapter subheadings give little guidance as to what topics are contained therein (for example, “Extremophiles”), and some just seem repetitive (“Smart Carpets” vs. “Reactive Rugs”). Other subheadings (“Antimicrobial Fabrics”) are quite clear. It is not impossible to find things, but more of a challenge than it should be.
Despite these challenges, this book would be a useful addition to the library of anyone whose field has traditionally or will in the future be shaped by textiles. Textile Futures is a nice collection of not only new textile materials, but also textile innovations the future may hold.
Additional books related to advances in textiles not already mentioned include:
Functional Aesthetics: Visions in Fashionable Technology
by Sabine Seymour (2010)
Fashionable Technology: The Intersection of Design, Fashion, Science, and Technology
by Sabine Seymour (2011)
Comments
By Heather Vaughan,
April 13th, 2011 at 5:00 am
(Book Reviews, Uncategorized)
Today’s book review comes from one of my favorite people. I continue to be an admirer of her research and writing skills, and was extra pleased when she agreed to write this review for us. Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell is an independent scholar and co-author of the forthcoming book Paris: Life and Luxury in the Eighteenth Century (Getty Publications, May 2011) She previously reviewed Accessories to Modernity for Worn Through:
Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria: A Mirror to the World
By Charlotte Gere and Judy Rudoe
(British Museum Press, 2010)
Book Review by Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell
Although Queen Victoria is often dismissed as dowdy and matronly, she had an insatiable appetite for jewelry, and, when it came to bling, she was a trendsetter. Victoria’s taste for tortoiseshell probably saved the industry, and her predilection for tiaras made them the must-have female headdress. The queen’s prolonged and conspicuous mourning for her husband, Prince Albert, “set standards of etiquette that could only be satisfied by the purchase of specific clothes, jewellery and personal accessories” (125). The fact that Victoria’s “domestic circumstances so closely matched those of her subjects had an impact on jewellery and popular taste in general” (17). The layered etiquette and symbolism of Victorian jewelry gets the royal treatment in the gorgeous new book Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria: A Mirror to the World
The reference to the Victorian “age” in the title is deliberately vague, both geographically and temporally. The book covers Europe and, to a lesser extent, the United States as well as the United Kingdom and spans the period the period 1830 to 1901, stopping just short of Art Nouveau. It was an age in which modernity and historicism, science and nature warred for cultural supremacy, a battle reflected in fashion and ornament. “In a period of accelerating social and economic change, outward signs of wealth and respectability assumed great significance,” write the authors, the eminent decorative arts curators and historians Charlotte Gere and Judy Rudoe, who each contribute thematic chapters on topics such as jewelry and fashion, archeology, tourism, historic revivals, sports, and international exhibitions (82).
The authors use the queen herself as a case study, very effectively. In photos and portraits of Victoria, the story of her life and times can be read in her accumulated jewels and ornaments, which referenced important dates, milestones, and people in her 64-year reign. “The novelty of a young, female sovereign” and the ease with which the many portraits and photographs of her could be reproduced meant that the public was intimately familiar with the queen’s jewels, and her fashion sense in general (15).
The queen mingled priceless gems with personal mementoes of purely sentimental value–a practice she shared with her subjects. Most Victorian women received serious jewels as part of their trousseaux; these “often served their owner for life, only trinkets and memorial pieces being added later” (103). Despite having access to the crown jewels, Victoria felt that “sentiment . . . was the most important attribute of jewellery” (14) Sometimes that sentiment turned morbid. The queen wore an eerie enameled brooch depicting her infant daughter as an angel, earrings mounted with her children’s baby teeth, and a pendant miniature of her deceased husband, which she was known to hold up so he could “see” things.
Yet Victoria’s macabre mementoes and mourning ornaments lose some of their ghoulishness when viewed alongside contemporary examples of exquisite jewelry made of stag’s teeth, insects or human hair. While the hair of the dead was often fashioned into memorial jewelry, intricate hairwork could also be a sentimental souvenir of a (living) loved one. The royal jeweler, Garrard’s, kept locks of the queen’s hair on hand for the purpose of making such keepsakes (165). Even jet was worn outside of mourning. Conversely, everyday pieces had special meaning in the context of mourning; pearl necklaces, for example, represented tears.
Though long, Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria is compulsively readable. The book’s ambitious scope is matched by the quality of the research (much of it new) and the quantity of images (many of them previously unpublished). It offers a fresh and surprising look at iconic Victorian ornaments like cameos, lockets, and hairwork, while serving as a useful reference tool for identifying more obscure trends and objects. The narrative is unobtrusively interspersed with specialist information about individual designers, case-makers, labels, and marks. Not just the illustrations but the descriptive text and captions make it a worthwhile investment for collectors, curators, and historians, though non-specialist readers will enjoy it, too.
Nonetheless, there are a few missed opportunities here. The authors refer to several objects, paintings, and other images not included in the book; other paintings are shown as details only. Most of the American material is post-1876, and rather sparse considering the importance of the U.S. market for fine European jewelry. All of the major jewelers of the period are mentioned in passing, but with a few exceptions (such as Castellani) they are not accorded detailed discussion; a biographical index would have been helpful, along with more information on the mechanics of buying and selling.
The authors’ preface boasts “a new approach to the subject”: not a chronology, not a catalogue of masterpieces, nor even of a single collection, but a cultural history of Victorian jewelry (7). While this approach is largely successful, the subject is perhaps too unwieldy to be contained in a single tome, even one of 552 pages. The book ends so abruptly–and arbitrarily–that one is left with the impression of a collection of discrete essays rather than a focused study intended to be read from start to finish. It may be unrealistic to expect the authors to tie up an investigation of such breadth and depth in a neat conclusion, but I wish they had tried; after thirty years of research, these formidable scholars must have come to some fascinating conclusions of their own.
Further Reading
Shirley Bury, Sentimental Jewellery (London: Stationery Office Books, 1986)
Penelope Byrde, Nineteenth-Century Fashion (London: Batsford, 1992)
Charlotte Gere, John Culme, Garrard: Crown Jewellers for 150 Years (London: Quartet Books, 1994)
Charlotte Gere, Geoffrey C. Munn, Pre-Raphaelite to Arts and Crafts Jewellery (London: Antique Collectors’ Club, 1999)
Alison Gernsheim, Victorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Photographic Survey (New York: Dover, 1982)
Clare Phillips, Jewels and Jewellery (London: V&A Publications, 2000)
Marcia Pointon, Brilliant Effects: A Cultural History of Gem Stones and Jewellery (London: Yale University Press, Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2010)
Diana Scarisbrick, Scottish Jewellery: A Victorian Passion (Milan: 5 Continents, 2009)
Kay Staniland, In Royal Fashion: Clothes of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Queen Victoria, 1796-1901 (London: Museum of London, 1997)
Comments
By Heather Vaughan,
March 23rd, 2011 at 5:00 am
(Book Reviews)
These two lovely treasures have been sitting on my desk for more than a few weeks now, and I desperately need to tell you about them. Both of these books are produced beautifully, include significant research and study – but could easily be mistaken for coffee table books. They are, Soie Pirate: The History and Fabric Designs of Abraham Ltd. Two-Volume Set
and Pattern Magic 2
.
Soie Pirate: The History and Fabric Designs of Abraham Ltd. Two-Volume Set
From the Swiss National Museum in Zurich (January 2011) comes this amazing two-volume compendium of textile history, documenting the history and fabric designs of Abraham Ltd. In case you were unaware of the importance this company had in fashion history (as I was), allow me to fill you in (briefly). Abraham Ltd was a silk company that designed fabrics for couture and ready to wear designers including Balenciaga, Givency, YSL, Chanel, and Dior (among others). The history begins in 1878 and ends in 2002, but it appears most strong in 1950s, 60s and 1970s fashions. This pair of books presents the history and in fact an archive of the company (including page after page of textile designs – see photo above), and reproduces many pages from scrapbooks as well as European fashion magazines.
Detailing a beautiful and meticulously kept archive, the fabrics and designs of the company, the books are oversize and include documentary style photographs of the archives, museum storage, as well as photo-reproductions of company records. Abraham Ltd’s history is sketchy in parts and extremely well documented in others. The scrapbooks in particular draw connections between the design of specific textile and the couture garment it ended up creating. While these books are meant to accompany the exhibition (Wander over to the exhibitions website for more information and the Dutch version has a nifty video), the books stand alone as a detailed record of the company. They would be of value to any museum library, or historian of 20th Century Fashion.
Pattern Magic 2 Tomoko Nakamiehi (February 2011)
This small, nearly all photographic volume is the second in a series of illustrative books meant to teach you how to make patterns in intricate shapes. It is beautifully produced, and includes a number of VERY interesting designs in a step-by-step format. Be sure to check out Volumes 1 (English), and Volume 3 (Japanese) both of which came out last year as well.
Many of the designs are geometric, oddly three-dimensional and seem to reference origami. Originally produced in Japanese, this “now in English” volume also includes all measurements in centimeters. There are three chapters: “Playing with Geometrics”; Decorative Structures” and “It Vanished.” It looks useful for students and teachers of fashion design and pattern making – it’s also beautiful to look at and thumb through.
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By Heather Vaughan,
March 9th, 2011 at 5:00 am
(Book Reviews, Events, Exhibitions, Uncategorized)
The second in our series of book contests brought to you in collaboration with our interns, Brenna and Mellissa:
In celebration of the success of FIT’s “Japan Fashion Now” (now extended through April 2!), we are giving away a copy of the catalogue to one lucky reader.
How to Enter: Submit a an image that you feel is emblematic of contemporary Japanese fashion, along with a brief explanation to brenna@wornthrough.com by March 18th (Be sure to include source information for your image).
Curator Valerie Steele took an unique approach to her research for the exhibit: utilizing comic books, toys and music as well as fashion periodicals and street photography. This is reflected in the eclectic approach of the exhibit (which can be visited online), which looks at Harajuku street fashion, cosplay, manga, music and many other subcultures as well as runway “high” fashion.
Be it a manga (Japanese comic books) or anime (Japanese animation) drawing or a photo of someone in cosplay (wearing of a costume of a manga or anime character or even a musician or actor), runway fashion or streetwear – we’d like to hear what you think about what you see!
Added bonus: Steele will be giving two tours in March followed by book signings (March 14th at 6pm, and March 23rd).
Comments
By Jenna,
March 3rd, 2011 at 5:00 am
(Book Reviews, History of Dress)
It has been nearly six years since I moved to London from New York City, and despite close involvement the realms of fashion here in the UK, I still am bemused by many aspects of British style. I find myself wondering how layering of disparate garments became an English style trope, or why so many conservative-looking businessmen wear pink shirts and ties? Luella’s Guide to English Style helps to shed some light on these and other British style phenomena.
Luella Bartley with models at a runway presentation
Luella Bartley MBE, is a British fashion designer known for quirky and playfully youthful designs which have been favored by celebrities such as Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse and Zooey Deschanel. Luella was a pioneer of designer diffusion lines for Target, as mentioned by Monica in an article from back in 2008. Despite her line’s popularity and periods of commercial success, her eponymous label Luella, went out of business in 2009, presumably giving her the time and impetus to write this style guide.
Lily Allen in Luella, photo: The Indpendent, UK
The book itself is alluring; a small clothbound volume with gold type that is styled to look worn, like a much-loved vintage hardback novel. Attached to the tobacco brown shabby chic cover is a neon pink elastic bookstrap.
The contrast between the two materials is a clever design that alludes to the sort of British aesthetic irreverence that the book celebrates. Despite the enticing design and exquisite printing and typography, I was slightly hesitant to buy this book. Would it be style over substance or an insightful and useful reference book on British style?
The book is organised a bit like an encyclopaedia, but its tone is a bit like a blog. Chapters vary greatly in seriousness and length, from the rather imposing Seven Stages of Woman, to brief and witty essays on topics such as The British Bosom and the significance of pink in the British style lexicon. Its most informative chapters are Tribes of Britannia, which profiles British style archetypes and subcultural fashions, and Typical English Garb, which helped me to better understand the heritage of the tea dress, bowler hat, and Wellington boots. Luella also nominates a pantheon of British style icons, some predictable,(Vivienne Westwood, Kate Moss) some lesser known off-shore (Vita Sackville West, Paula Yates). Luella adopts a reverent and diaristic tone in her tributes to her style heroes, and recounts some amusing personal anecdotes about the ones that are of her generation and circle.
The book is illustrated by Zoe Taylor and Daniel Laidler, both of whom adopt a decidedly naïve rendering technique that makes for drawings that look a lot like the portraits of celebrities copied from photographs you might have drawn in high school art class. In the later chapters, photographs depicting various style tribes and key garments accompany the drawings. The photos appear as the more authentic images in these sections, which takes away the lustre of the illustrations slightly, although they have a haunting sort of charm which makes you want to tear them out and pin them up in your locker.
Zoe Taylor's illustration of Mary Quant
Not surprisingly, the book concludes with a shopping guide. Luella’s has a particularly good sampling of the unusual and delightful places to be found in and around London – and not just for clothes! The guide includes listings for Arthur Beale’s nautical supply shop and more than a few charity thrift shops for great finds in home furnishings and books.
Generally I was surprised to find myself in possession of a rather nifty little book about British fashion. In some ways a welcome respite from the more academic books that are clogging up my Amazon wish list. However, Luella’s Guide to English Style, still leaves me with some proverbial bones to pick. Throughout the book, Luella writes alternately of or as Miss E(ngland), an archtype of British style. This is cute at first, and understandable as a way to personify British style. However, the perennial reference to Miss E in the third person stopped being innocent, and started sounding unironically like an ethnographic study. Although Luella champions Miss E as an eclectic, irreverent and unique “everywoman” and presumes readers will see themselves in her, the very name Miss England alienates. Despite Luella’s appreciation for music and fashions from other cultures and nations, (mainly the USA) she doesn’t seem to recognise that Miss England is in fact a multicultural bird these days. I wondered whether “British birds” from mixed cultural and ethnic backgrounds, would feel represented by Luella’s clearly very personal and socio-economically specific vision of Miss E. To her credit, Luella does address the British class system and moral attitudes, and laments the watering down of British style eccentricity by the systems of fast fashion. But I was still left with the feeling of cultural exclusion rather than enlightenment.
If you are planning a trip to the UK this book would make a fun sort of checklist for British style spotting, and you might mark some names and places for further research. If you identify as a British bird, I wonder if you share Luella’s national sartorial pride, and whether you feel empowered or enslaved by this subjective portrait of the woman you are thought to be.
To further explore British style and fashion see:
Surfers Soulies Skinheads and Skaters: Subcultural Style from the Forties to the Nineties by Amy de la Haye and Cathie Dingwall
British Asian Style: Fashion & Textiles/Past & Present by Christopher Breward, Philip Crang and Rosemary Crill
See Heather’s review of British Asian Style here
The Way We Wore: A Life in Threads by Robert Elms
The Englishness of English Dress by Christopher Breward, Becky E. Conekin and Caroline Cox
Street Style by Ted Polhemus
Comments
By Heather Vaughan,
February 23rd, 2011 at 5:00 am
(Book Reviews, Teaching, Uncategorized)
Dyes from Kitchen Produce: Easy projects to make at home
By Setsuko Ishii , photographs by Makoto Shimomura
The Images Publishing Group (January 16, 2011)
Review by Senior Contributor, Lauren Michel
Senior Contributor Lauren Michel has been writing for Worn Through since 2009. She has previously taught university level courses on fashion and dress, often emphasizing global dress and textile history as well as hand crafts and surface design. As an independent scholar Michel’s research topics have included: color in dress and personal expression, among others.
Setsuko Ishii’s Dyes from Kitchen Produce: Easy projects to make at home is a simple and pleasant read. As Ishii says on page 4, “My first priority in dyeing is simplicity,” and for a book on using natural dyes in your home kitchen, this book is surprisingly simple. Ishii opens the book with her description of what she calls “The Kitchen Dyeing Lifestyle.” Her dye recipes are things like black tea, onion skins, cinnamon, turmeric, blueberries, and red wine.
In four chapters, totaling a compact 87 pages, she organizes various dye materials by seasonal availability: spring, summer, autumn and winter. In winter , for example, she has a recipe for dyeing with mandarin orange peels, saying “In Japan, winter would not be winter without mandarin oranges, the country’s most popular fruit.” In spring, Ishii suggests readers clear their kitchen cupboards of stale tea, replace it with fresh spring teas, and use the old teas for dyeing. In summer, she has recipes for rose petals and blueberries, and in autumn, black grapes and chestnuts become available dyestuffs.
Black grape recipe (pg 38/39)
The equipment called for in Ishii’s recipes are not specialized, costly, or hard to obtain. Essentially, her recipes can be made using a pan, a measuring spoon, gloves, chopsticks, mesh bags, and a scale. The focus of the book is really twofold: Dyeing in the kitchen with plant-based dyes and using scraps of fabric and yarn, often using “long-forgotten fabrics and yarns take on a new lease of life.” (pg 4)
Ishii suggests kitchen leftovers as dyestuffs, for example, using things past their use-by-date, using food scraps like skins and peelings, or saving the water after boiling black soybeans or sweet chestnuts. Carrying this notion of putting what are usually scraps to use, Ishii’s book is filled with projects made using small remnants of fabric or repurposed clothing. “Those items you can’t bring yourself to throw away—beautiful lace or embroidery, fabrics with unusual textures or designs—you can recycle and make into beautiful handmade accessories.” (pg 5)
The first project in the book is an easy introduction to the kitchen dyeing lifestyle: dyeing using a mug of black tea and your microwave oven, and making tiny heart-shaped sachets from vintage linen scraps. Most of Ishii’s recipes include mordants. The four she uses in the book are alum, iron acetate, copper, and acetic acid, and she covers dyeing both plant fiber and protein fiber textiles in her recipes.
This book is more than a collection of dye recipes, however, as each recipe is demonstrated with a different handmade craft readers can make, following Ishii’s instructions. Examples of some of the projects in the book include: a small raffia basket; silk organdy rose corsages; a beaded silk stole with beaded fringe; a spectacle case; crocheted granny square potholders, coasters, and pillows; a pouch, bag and hat made from a repurposed Aran sweater; and a simple knitted scarf. Patterns and detailed instructions for each project are included. Don’t know how to knit or crochet? No problem, instructions with clear diagrams are part of the pattern.
B/W workbook section instructions (pg 66/67)
The layout of Dyes from Kitchen Produce is quite appealing, for its conciseness and tranquil color palette. Soothing to the eyes, it is a relaxing read. The original edition was in Japanese, and for the most part the translation is well done, especially for a book with specialized technical vocabulary. Dyes from Kitchen Produce is written in a very calm, sweet, and gentle tone, yet occasionally the translation comes across awkwardly. For example, the unwrapping of a blue tshirt over-dyed with turmeric. “How will the pattern turn out? The moments before you remove the rubber bands are tense with anticipation.” (p 26) I will admit to having at times felt similarly while doing tie-dye of my own, but there is something amusing about seeing those sentiments on the page worded as they were.
Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.
The simplicity of Dyes from Kitchen Produce brought the following questions to my mind: Why go out and buy special dyes and equipment? Why go out and buy special fabric to dye? Why leave the house at all? Work with what you have on hand, and make something delightfully simple.
Orange Peel recipe (pg 46/47)
One problem I found in the book was the recipe for dyeing with mandarin oranges. The recipe shows one of several end results to be a pale green (obtained by using copper mordant). Yet, as any dyer who has worked with copper can attest, that particular color, as pictured in the book, can be just as easily achieved by using the copper mordant by itself, without drying mandarin orange peels for ten days and then simmering them on the stove. Knowing from classroom experience that the light green that copper mordant can produce is often very, very popular with students, and knowing that students often tend to flip through dyeing books “shopping” for colors, I would have left that photo and that part of the recipe out of the book. However, when I tested the recipe myself, using unmordanted linen, I was able to achieve a pale yellow, just as the book predicted I would, so the recipe is not wholly unsuccessful by any means.
I recommend this book for those who wish to explore natural dyes for the first time, in a relatively safe and easy way. Teachers may like to use this book as part of surface design or fiber and textile arts coursework, especially in classrooms with limited resources. For those ready for more advanced work with natural dyes, I recommend the two titles below, which follow on the heels of Dyes from Kitchen Produce quite nicely:
Crook, Jackie with Geraldine Christy (2007). Natural Dyeing
. Lark Books: New York.
Dean, Jenny (1994). The Craft of Natural Dyeing: Glowing Colours from the Plant World
. Search Press: Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK.
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By Heather Vaughan,
February 9th, 2011 at 5:00 am
(Book Reviews, Uncategorized)
Interns Brenna and Melissa will be working on a new ‘reader appreciation’ project with me – Book Giveaway Contests! I’m happy to bring you the first of this collaborative project:
As we begin New York City Fashion Week, we would like readers to comment on what they see on the runways for Fall 2011. In consideration of Icons Of Fashion: The 20th Century
, what designers do you envision becoming the most influential on future generations? What trends, themes, and looks did you see across collections that embodied the current zeitgeist, and have the most potential for becoming emblematic of the era when we look back in history?
Please nominate the collection or runway trend of your choice from New York City Fall 2011 Fashion Week, which you feel will achieve iconic status in the future. Include your reasons for selection within the comments section of this post. Readers are encouraged to reference fashion history and the work of other influential designers as supporting evidence for their choice.
The deadline for entries is Friday, February 18th.
The winner, selected by WT Interns Brenna and Melissa, will receive a copy of Icons Of Fashion: The 20th Century. We’ll announce the winning entry on Wednesday February 23rd!
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By Heather Vaughan,
February 2nd, 2011 at 5:00 am
(Book Reviews, History of Dress)
Today I am pleased to bring you an exciting double hit on Socialist Fashion – first the author’s lecture by Djurdja Bartlett will take place Feb. 4 at F.I.T. and second, a book review by Worn Through’s own, Katherine Lapelosa. Lapelosa is an independent scholar interested in connecting fashion and culture in an anthropological sense. Her research includes Communist and post-Communist fashion cultures of Central and Eastern Europe, and studies connecting feminism, gender and dress.
1. Lecture and Book Signing with author Djurdja Bartlett:
February 4, 6 pm, Fashion Institute of Technology (NYC), Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, first floor (Reservations are required, register here)
2. FASHIONEAST: The Spectre that Haunted Socialism
By Djurdja Bartlett The MIT Press (October 31, 2010) Review by Katherine Lapelosa
From a personal standpoint, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Djurdja Bartlett’s first book, FASHIONEAST: The Spectre that Haunted Socialism. Bartlett has been very influential in my research and is one of the only scholars out there who has studied the subject of fashion under Communism and Socialism. Although her primary focus is on 20th century Russian fashion, her work also spans that of a diverse group of former communist countries. FASHIONEAST scratches the surface of what is sure to become a hot-topic in fashion studies.
Liubov’ Popova, Design for a shop window, 1924. (pg 23) Via New York Times
Overall, FASHIONEAST is exactly what has been lacking as far as publications on Communist fashion are concerned. Bartlett’s work is thorough and all-encompassing, providing an in-depth introduction of fashion under Communism in Europe. She does well to correlate how fashion was, in many cases, affected by the State – for example, much of the clothing industry was controlled by the Soviet government. Collectivized factories mass-produced garments with designs and materials chosen by government officials, who oftentimes had no prior experience in clothing manufacture. “Though promising fabulous dresses, the regime could still not provide even average clothes in the shops…Bureaucratic over centralization contributed to the failure of the Soviet clothing industry.”[i]
All-Union House of Prototypes (ODMO), dress design, Zhumal mod, Moscow (1954, no. 4) (pg 96) Via New York Times
Bartlett’s first chapter begins with Russian fashion in the 1920s, when Communism in Russia first developed nation-wide. Each chapter from there goes through various and unique themes in Communist fashion history, and her research is not limited to Russia. Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Germany, Poland and Yugoslavia are also discussed in-depth, as a reminder of Soviet Russia’s influence on other parts of Eastern Europe. Scholars seeking to locate non-Russian aspects of Communist fashion will benefit from Bartlett’s inclusion of these satellite countries.
Previous reviews of FASHIONEAST have summarized the work with one word – “surprise.”[ii] Western society has dominated the pages of fashion history for hundreds of years; it most definitely is surprising to discover that fashion existed under Communism at all. Bartlett includes detailed experiences and reactions of major couturiers who traversed into Soviet Russia. Indeed, Eastern European citizens were inspired by major designers such as Elsa Schiappirelli and Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, but readers will find that feeling was mutual. The 1935 exhibition of the Moscow Dom modelei fascinated Western socialites such as Ada Chesterton, who wrote that “The whole place reeked of Paris. And remembering Moscow’s longish skirts and dull tones, I was not prepared for the exotic creations shown off by extremely attractive work girls.”[iii]
Hand-Knitted Chanel-style suits, Zena a moda, Prague (1971, No. 8 ) (Pg 250) Via New York Times
I especially enjoyed Barlett’s later chapters that dealt with the decline of Socialist fashion and the impact of Western goods on the black market. Bartlett truly captures the importance and influence of fashion in the lives of Socialist citizens – jeans, beauty products and other material trends were highly coveted commodities. People across Eastern Europe idolized them to the point that high percentages of their already low incomes went towards purchasing black market goods. “I have never felt any guilt about my job,” Bartlett cites a former black market dealer and his emotional ties to this otherwise shady business. “People need me.”[iv] This section is also particularly appealing because of Bartlett’s details on “self-fashion” under Communism. Sewing and magazine patterns became the norm for many Socialist women, who attempted to copy the fashions of the West with cheap Soviet materials.[v] I’ve talked to many Czechs who cherished their paper patterns and have proved this reality to me.
FASHIONEAST is by far, the best source on the market concerning Communist fashion. One fault I encountered however, was a severe lack of context. Indeed, Bartlett does her best to condense more than 60 years of complicated fashion theory and history spanning several unique countries. But although FASHIONEAST is thorough and engaging, it is sometimes difficult to understand how Barlett’s research findings fit into history at the time. Names appear with very little background information, and foreign words are used throughout the book, sometimes with only one line dedicated to their meaning. Communist political and economic history is only sprinkled throughout the text, making it difficult to comprehend the magnitude of the stifling government’s impact on its citizens and the rest of the world. If one was not familiar with these topics at all, FASHIONEAST could be a challenging read.
Bartlett is lucky to have broken ground with a topic that has been in the dark for so long. However, as this publication touches on themes that have been so under-researched, the information provided can feel a bit overwhelming at times. It is my sincere hope that dress enthusiasts use FASHIONEAST as a “jumping-off” point for their own research on Communist fashion, so it can be better understood and taken more seriously by other disciplines.
FURTHER READING:
Ayoub, Nina C. “Communist Chic; and 10 Super-Hot ‘Cosmo’ Secrets!” The Chronicle of Higher Education (2010).
Bartlett, Djurdja “Communist Dress”, entry in: Steele, V. et al (eds.) Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion.
New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2004. pp 286-289
_________. “Let Them Wear Beige: The Petit-bourgeois World of Official Socialist Dress”. Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body and Culture. Oxford, UK: Berg Publishers, 2006. N 2: 127-164.
_________. “Soviet Fashion Magazines”, entry in: Evans-Romaine, K., H. Goscilo and T. Smorodinskaya (eds.) Encyclopedia of Contemporary Russian Culture, Oxon, UK: Routledge, 2006.
Blaszczyk, Regina Lee. Producing Fashion: Commerce, Culture, and Consumers. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc., 2007
Fehérváry, Krisztina. “Goods and States: The Political Logic of State-Socialist Material Culture”. Comparative Studies in Society and History. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009 Vol. 51:02, 426.
Heyman, Stephen. “Comrade, That Suit is So Chanel” Fashion and Design – T Magazine Blog – NYTimes.com. 9 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Jan. 2011.
Hlaváčková, Konstantina. Flowers in the Dustbin: Society and Fashion in Czechoslovakia in the Seventies. Prague: Museum of Applied Arts in Prague, 2007.
Reid, Susan E., and David Crowley, eds. Style and Socialism: Modernity and Material Culture in Post-War Eastern Europe
. New York: Berg, 2000.
Schwartz, Shalom H. And Anat Bardi. “Influences of Adaptation to Communist Rule on Value Priorities in Eastern Europe”. Political Psychology. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers, 1997. Vol. 18 N 2.
Sredl, Katherine. “Consumption and Class During and After State Socialism”, entry in: Belk, Russel W. and John F. Sherry, Consumer Culture Theory: Research in Consumer Behavior. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing, 2007. Vol 11.
Stitziel, Judd. Fashioning Socialism: Clothing, Politics and Consumer Culture in East Germany
. Oxford: Berg, 2005.
[i] Bartlett, Djurdja. FASHIONEAST: The Spectre that Haunted Socialism (Cambridge MA: The MIT Press, 2010) 84.
[ii] Heyman, Stephen., “Comrade, That Suit is So Chanel,” The New York Times Style Magazine 9 Dec. 2010.
[iii] Bartlett, Djurdja. FASHIONEAST: The Spectre that Haunted Socialism (Cambridge MA: The MIT Press, 2010) 76.
[iv] Bartlett, 268.
[v] Bartlett, 251.
3 Comments
By Lauren Michel,
January 21st, 2011 at 5:01 am
(Academic Research & Related, Book Reviews, History of Dress, International Fashion)
Today’s interview is of Naeda B. Robinson, teacher, weaver, world traveler, and researcher of Macedonian folk dress. Her new book on Macedonian dress, Macedonian Village Dress: Going, Going, Gone, documents traditional women’s garments in the remote mountain villages of Macedonia, dating from before the combined introduction of Communism and industrialization in the 20th century.
Macedonian Village Dress beautifully illustrates the vanishing styles of Macedonian folk dress, and features interviews of many individuals and photographs of hundreds of garments, including details of embellishment techniques, such as embroidery.
Robinson’s research was supported in part by the Costume Society of America, the International Music and Art Foundation, and the Earthwatch Institute. Her first research project in Macedonia, funded by the Earthwatch Institute, introduced her to the Ethnographic Museum of Bitola, Macedonia in 1995. After seeing the museum’s extensive, but undocumented, dress collection, Robinson saw an immediate need for field research to record and preserve the rich history and cultural traditions surrounding the folk dress of Macedonia.
Photo: Robinson, p134
Lauren Michel: How was it that your research led you to the mountains, and who, specifically, were you interviewing? How long did your process of field research take?
Naeda B. Robinson: It took eight years to go to the many villages and interview the people who remained in them after the combined introduction of Communism and industrialization. They were the elderly grandmothers and the grandfathers who had not migrated, as their children had, down to the cities, so they lived in the villages, much as they had for many years before.
Naeda Robinson, examining traditional Macedonian garments
[NBR, continued] In 1995, I went to research the very elaborate wedding ensembles that we knew still existed because elderly women anticipated being buried in their wedding ensembles, so they saved them. We really didn’t find any of the wedding ensembles, because they all had gone along with their owners into the cities and we were going to the villages that they came from. One lady had a black velvet wedding dress, that of course, went over this long košula [a chemise, or underdress] that shows from underneath it and around the sleeves, but we asked her if she would put it on. No, she was saving that to be buried in it, so her husband would recognize her.
A lot of the wedding clothes were still in Macedonia, but not in places that we had access to, and people we spoke with kept saying, ‘well, if you go up in the mountains, you’ll find them.’
That’s how I got started, and it was wonderful. We went back to several of the villages, three times over the course of several years, just because there would be something that I remembered that I wanted to get to complete an ensemble or to find out about.
Photo: Detail from Robinson, p37
LM: At the Costume Society of America’s annual symposium in 2007, in San Diego, California, you had a presentation featuring many examples of Macedonian garments. How did you go about collecting them?
NBR: I never asked if the babas (the little old ladies) wanted to sell anything. Initially I was reluctant because I felt, and still feel, that the garments belonged in the villages with their makers. However, I made an exception the second day we were going up to the villages. At the home of a widower named Iliya, my assistant, Vase Robev asked me if I wanted to buy anything and I said no, and then he said, ‘but Naeda, Iliya’s wife died seven years ago, and his daughter took the wedding outfit down to Veles,’ which is a big city, and he had a dowry chest with all the remainders in it, and would I buy it? Well, I hemmed and hawed around for a while, and then I did buy it. It was a treasure chest of garments, but of everyday, well-worn garments, most of them, and showing the progression of the embroidery, from very simple to very elaborate. After that one instance, it really was a long while before I made more purchases.
Photo: Detail from Robinson, p84
[NBR, continued] However, as time wore on, and the babas, and the old men, were saying, ‘so and so’s coming back next year from New Zealand or Canada or someplace,’ but they didn’t. So during the last three years, I really did buy garments, because in every village, every remaining little old lady, a baba, had her hope chest with the remainders of her dowry, though the wedding garments had gone with the children. The ladies loved to talk about them and all the wedding traditions that went with them, and Vase interviewed some of the men and got some interesting stories, which are in the book. We also took many, many pictures [see note below --LM].
On my expedition in 1995, I was introduced to a museum in Bitola, Macedonia’s second largest city. They have a very good ethnographic museum and they showed me some of the garments from their collection. They were gorgeous, but each garment had a cardboard label that had nothing but the village it came from, what year, and what it was, whether it was a dress or a vest—nothing else about them, at all, nothing. Seeing that collection further urged me to visit the mountain villages and do my field research.
With the help of The International Music and Art Foundation in Lichtenstein my team and I helped the museum get storage cabinets for the garments, purchase and implement a computer and collections management software, and take digital images of all the garments, with the anticipation that it would lead to research.
Featured at the back of the book, is a CD with images of all of the garments in the museum’s collection. The images are not really reproducible, but are adequate for identification, and hopefully, research.
What I still would like for my book to do is encourage someone who would be well-received at the museum, to want to go in and study the garments, because one could do a whole dissertation on sleeve cuffs, or mourning ensembles, and that was the whole point of getting it organized, really, because it’s still just sitting there, as far as I know.
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Note on Images:
Nearly every page of Macedonian Village Dress features color photographs of garments, garment details, and villagers wearing traditional dress, including many older photographs of villagers in folk dress, dating from the early and mid-twentieth century, and the book’s accompanying CD of photographs of the garment collection of the Ethnographic Museum of Bitola contains images of nearly 1000 artifacts. While I would have liked to include samples of all of these, the villagers photographed and the museum both prefer, however, not to have their images reproduced outside of the book and CD, therefore only images of garments from the book are pictured above. –LM
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As of this writing, copies of Macedonian Village Dress, Going, Going, Gone (ISBN 978-9989-2707-0-3, published by the International Music and Art Foundation: Vaduz, Lichtenstein, 2009; co-authored by Maria Canavarro, 206 pages) may be ordered directly from Raphel Marketing (211 North Ave., St. Johnsbury, VT 05819. Phone: 802-751-8802. Email: neil@raphel.com).
Individuals, or groups other than non-profits, may order the book at $25.00 per copy plus $15.00 postage and handling for the first copy, and $5.00 postage and handling for each additional copy sent to the same address; postage and handling for a case of 20 copies will be $50 (this may change with new postal rates).
For a limited time only, non-profit groups (501c3) concerned with textiles, weaving, embroidery, costume etc. by pre-arrangement with the author, may receive orders shipped to one address for the price of postage and handling, with the cost of the books a donation to your group. Please contact Neil Raphel at Raphel Marketing for more information.
Naeda Robinson is also available to give presentations on Macedonian village dress, with prior arrangement and within a reasonable distance from California’s Monterey Peninsula. Please phone or email for information and details specific to your needs.
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