follow us on
 
|
|
|
Tart Tartan
|
|
|
A fashionista friend writes a fun blog that highlights the lessons she learned during her "WASP" upbringing on the East coast of America. Plaid seems to be a major theme in the blog, but aside from being the WASP equivalent of the little black dress, plaid, or rather, more correctly tartan has made it's mark in the fashion world, from punk rock pants, to grunge flannel shirts to runway haute couture.
Early tartan fabrcs date to 400 BC, made by the Hallstatt people of central Europe, but is more commonly known to have originated from Celtic weavers around 100 BC. The brightly colored tartan that we know today originated in Scotland in the 16th century, each region having unique colors and patterns. In the late 17th Century, the wearing of the tartan in Scotland became a sign of rebellion against the British and in 1746 Britain enacted the Dress Act outlawing the wearing of tartan in an attempt to control of the warrior clans of Scotland. In 1782 the Dress Act was repealed and the tartan became the national dress of Scotland. In 1822 King George IV visited Scotland and sparked a tartan mania and sealed the tartan into fashion history. |
|
| |
Lessons of Lesage
|
|
|
The world's greatest couture could never have been created without great fabrics. In fact, many of the most iconic fashion creations were inspired chiefly by a bolt of fabric, a sample of embroidery, or a length of lace. Sadly, for the most part, our modern textile manufacturers no longer can produce the very fine fabrics that were once the norm for haute couture, but thankfully the house of Lesage can still create art in fabric. Even better, they have a small school in Paris that will teach the old skills of embroidery, beading and hook work to anyone in Paris with the time, desire and tuition. Will they teach you to create a masterpiece on silk, like the one pictured above from a 1960s Lanvin creation? I think that would be up to you.
|
|
| |
Ferragamo Creations
|
| |
|
This year, on the eve of Ferragamo's 80th anniversary, the company has launched a very few, limited edition, handmade copies of some of their classic designs. The first batch sold out quickly to the tune of $1200 and up but Ferragamo has promised to continue to produce and sell these highly prized shoes in limited editions for years to come. Now, generally I tend to dislike "remakes" of vintage as the quality never touches the originals, but a recent trip to Paris allowed me to examine a pair of these re-creations and I must say, they are wonderful. I still prefer the genuine articles, like the amazing shoes above made by Ferragamo in the 1940s. Perhaps next year they will be copied, but for now, they are unique.
|
|
| |
Leonard Lovely
|
| |
|
It seems people are always referring to Leonard of Paris designs as Pucciesque, but aside from a very few early Leonard prints, I find them to be drastically different. The only similarities I see with the two are signatures in the pints, and the use of matching borders on the garments. The photo above shows a portion of typical Pucci and Leonard prints. Both are glorious in their own way, but are obviously very different. Pucci was more about the "big picture" while Daniel Triboullard of Leonard focused on more realistic subjects with a focus on shading and detail.
|
|
| |
Looking back to 1950, to look forward to 2045
|
| |
|
I have often read references to the collaboration between Dali and Christian Dior called "Costume of the Future", but until last October when it was presented in Stockholm at the Dali & Vezolli exhibit at the Moderna Museet (on loan from Museu de Sao Paulo - Brazil) I had never seen any representation of the costume (the center color photo). Shortly after discovering the gown in Stockholm, I recalled seeing the first photograph and spent half a day searching for it. This photograph had no mention of Dali or Dior, but it is obviously the same dress. From there I was determined to find Dali's original design, and I am happy to present the trio, together at last. It was also interesting to find the quote that accompanied the first photo. I could write quite a bit about my thoughts there, but I will leave you to muse for yourselves. Enjoy!
|
|
| |
|
|
|
