Scatter #109

    So it's once more into the dim and dusty recesses of my noodle.  This week's scatter has arrived for your delectation.  Onward!

    This detail image of an Alberta Ferretti dress got me thinking about layering of texture and the way that amps up what we perceive when we look at an Attire composition.  In this case, though we are seeing only two textiles in play, there are more textures than just the two, because of how they interact with each other, and with the body beneath. We have a lightweight silk, and a lace.  The silk has it's own texture, as does the lace. Combine them by layering and there is a third texture that seems to emerge.  In the case of the lace, when we see it laid over bare skin a fourth texture shows up, so even with these two elements alone, by skillful placement and usage the finished garment develops multiple shadings to it's meaning.

    This week is going to be kinda runway heavy, since a huge amount of what has been coming to me deals with the most recent couture collections.  Bobby Abbey Menswear.  I would like to get words off of clothing.  Clothes can speak quite well without the addition of text.  In the case of these three efforts the cartoons and the writing add exactly nothing to the finished work.  In fact, to my view they actually detract from the potential of each ensemble.  Edit those elements out in your mind and you'll see what I mean. All the pieces presented are interesting and potentially applicable in real world terms, (assuming a forward thinking gent, of course).  Introduce the imagery and the potency drops off, they become frivolous, rather than clothes to be taken with any seriousness.

    This is one of my favorite hat shapes from the 1950s.  It was essentially a vary broad headband that could be decorated in whatever taste you liked.  Hugging close to the head it provided a small scale but very effective frame for the face.  This particular one, from about 1954 is built of a fabric covered wire frame with wired red velvet leaves over its entire surface.  It's exactly the sort of hat that would have been considered correct for a cocktail party. And yes, it was acceptable practice for a woman to wear her hat while at a cocktail event, or while dining in a restaurant.

    The way urban apparel is changing for men is a continuing fascination.  We are coming out of a very long dark tunnel of bland that stretched for two centuries.  This ensemble is a great new way to think about how we express through dress.  It is simple in structure, easy to wear, and adaptable to myriad body types with ease.  The bold printed textiles make it dramatic, but it could be just as successful in quieter materials.  Also, the density of the fabrics in use could allow this kind of thing to play well in any season.  I approve!

    Along about the beginning of the 20th century this kind of undergear for women appeared.  It was called a combination, and it simplified dressing to a degree. By literally combining the bodice and pantalettes into a single piece it accomplished two admirable goals.  First was it made getting dressed a tiny bit quicker.  Secondly, and perhaps more importantly to the wearer, it meant that you would not be struggling with two garments shifting about with each other, nor would you have to feel the additional bulk at the waist, under your corset.  In a cultural sense it was also a further emergence, albeit a hidden one, of the great bid for freedom for women that was just beginning to build.

    Here's another runway bit.  Emporio Armani.  Armani has always been known for playing very quietly with menswear traditions, inserting only a few small details of difference, rather than going off in a fully new direction.  This has the result of making his work seem a lot more accessible than many other more adventurous designers. In the work here there are really only two details that makes these clothes at all notable, the exterior button fly of the trousers, and the ringed self belt.  Seen from the Attire perspective it is much more common that forward motion is achieved by these seemingly inconsequential bits.  So by taking these tiny baby steps we slowly move the Attire conversation along.

    This evening dress by an unattributed designer is from the 1930s. It's a splendid example of how differing textiles in combination can create both structure and motion, as well as visual drama.  The firm structure of the figured silk body is counterpointed by the sunray pleated expanse of the red silk chiffon that drapes with such fluidity that it seems motive.  The strong line of the red also causes our eye to move and gives that eye movement a real direction to take.  Rendered in other materials the same design could still work, but the final message would be very different.

    This is the Iron Crown of Lombardy. It is the oldest royal insignia known in Christendom having been made in the early Middle Ages.  Made of enameled and jeweled red gold it is a reliquary as well as a crown.  The circle of iron that connects the gold plaques from the interior is said to have been made from a nail from the True Cross. We invest immense power into the things we create for ourselves to wear.  This object, worn on the head would have conferred very high status to the wearer, especially to those who understood the meaning of the crown in its entirety.  But for those not so educated it would still have a strong, inescapable message about power.

    Ah the internet, how I love you, and how you madden me.  When I came across this image the accompanying text attributes this coat to the 1930s.  While I suppose that is possible, it seems unlikely.  The image on the coat is of an Art Nouveau styled woman, very likely a copy of a piece by Alphonse Mucha, who was hugely popular during that period.  Since there was no resurgence of interest in the Art Nouveau during the 1930s it seems probable that this is actually a scarf coat from around 1900 or so.  The only thing that points more towards the 30s is the type of tassel trimming, which was commonplace at that point.  Not enough, however, to accurately date this.

    Could I? Would I? Yes and yes, I could and would.  This is one of those shifts in menswear that seems to not only be gaining ground but spreading outwards.  The appearance of floral motifs in menswear has been steadily increasing over the past several years, and it's interesting to note that it is beginning to take firm hold in the ready to wear market.  Men seem far less threatened in their masculinity by such things than they used to be.  All to the good say I. What this also allows is a greater breadth of expressive possibility for men, who have been so sartorially hampered for so long. Dries van Notten S/S 2014 Menswear.

    Craig Green is one of the more notable Avant Garde designers around today, and this effort from his most recent collection is no less notable.  It's a challenge, even for me.  While I am fully on board with the brilliant, bold colors and patterns. I am perplexed about the two huge scarves. One hangs from the shoulder while the other wraps the waist. Perhaps they are intended to be only decorative. If so then I'm not sure that they fully succeed.  If they are meant to have purpose beyond that, I don't see what that purpose is.  The tied scarf around the waist does not appear to be doing anything other than
taking up space.  Lastly, this is from a Spring and Summer collection.  For Antarctica?  I'm so confused.

    As a final installment today this image which I found just this week.  This speaks of so many things to me.  First, in looking at that amazing quilted coat, I get references to gentleman's banyans of the 1700s and 1800s. There is a profound elegance to it, both from its colors and textures.  Then there is the model with his masses of ink and full beard, giving us the hipster thing.  But even more than that this feels to me like an expression of how deeply and profoundly our world culture is changing. Where in bygone days such a juxtaposition would have been thought at very least odd, now we can see the sophistication that underlies it, because of our greater access to the world both through travel and through all the various media we indulge in, including blogs like this one.  And of course I will admit that he is ravishingly handsome, which sure doesn't hurt.

I hope you've enjoyed this weeks grouping. Now go have some fun!
   

Watching The Metamorphosis

    One of the things of interest about examining a particular design house is being able to chronicle time and change through the work of it's ateliers.  In early 1858 Charles Frederick Worth began business with his then partner Gustave Bohbergh, and entered into the annals of the design community as the first couturier.  His career continued up to his death in 1895, though he ended partnership with Bohbergh in 1871.  The house continued under the stewardship of his two sons.
    So, today I want to take a look at the shifting of both silhouette, and the concomitant shift in social behaviors that went right along side them, by looking at a series of different evening and ball dresses all from the House of Worth.

    First up, here is an evening dress from very early on in Worth's career.  Made in 1862, this evening dress is from the point when skirts had just about maxxed out with regard to circumference.  The decorative elements are almost all self fabric.  Which, honestly, was a hold over from the prior century.   And most well made clothing for women employed decorations that were primarily of the same material as the gown. It wouldn't be for another decade before the use of multiple textiles in a single ensemble was the norm, rather than the exception. Looking at this through the eye of time, even though this is a couture garment, it is relatively simple in it's design and construction.  The fully round skirt has some fairly simple applied decoration.  Not a patch on what is to come in just a few years, as time and technology bring their influence to bear.  What is of most interest is that till this point in time nearly all sewing was done by hand. Elias Howe's sewing machine was still a strange new device that most shied away from. So, even the most lavish of gowns has less elaboration than  we will soon see.

    Only three years later, these efforts emerge from Worth.  The absolute maximum of circumference has been achieved, beyond which technology fails.  The low, round bodice is nearly identical in silhouette, but the level of detail rendered on the skirt has increased enormously.  Additionally, we have at service the use of the new aniline dyes which make superior intense values of color possible.

   

    Rectitude, by the 1870s, became the most singular influence on design and apparel.  Social appropriateness and adherence to social rules becomes the single driving force for any kind of sartorial statements made.  Interestingly, it is at this time that the mass of the skirt collapses, falling first to the back as an ovoid shape, and then emerging as the first version of the bustle.  This begins happening in the latter 1860s, but by 1870 it is fully in place.

   

    As a method of stating one's position in society, nothing worked quite so effectively as making sure that one's clothing we as elaborated, and possessed of as many hand worked details as might be possible.  By the 1880s, where these four garments come from, it was all about making sure that the textiles and details of one's clothing announced in no uncertain terms where in the social hierarchy one stood.  The bustle had finally collapsed, but it left a train in its wake that permitted considerable display of unneeded, fabulously expensive fabric and decoration.

   

    By the later 1880s the bustle made a return appearance, since its ability to waste textiles and trimmings was nearly without peer.  By the 1880s, it was not only social standing that mattered, but sheer, undeniable wealth that held sway.  So, the ability to display, as we had in the latter 1700s, our means financial in overt ways, was of prime concern.  The greatest peers of the English realm fell by the dozens to the parvenues of the American rich.

   

    By the 1890s, this process of display and social acceptance or dismissal based on apparel was so entrenched that the clothing less overtly about display.  One had to know and understand an intricate set of unspoken rules and regulations in order to gain admittance to the highest realms of society, (though honestly why anyone would want to hang out with such venal, shortsighted folk is beyond me, regardless of their connections).

    At the end of the 1800s, and into the beginning of the 1900s, we saw a slimming, and a kind of simplification.  The shape no longer had endless layers of extraneous decoration.  It became a simpler, more direct approach, more in keeping with both the modern world's growing mechanization, and the increasing presence of women in the work force outside of the home.  Frankly, it is a simplification from which we have never fully retreated.  Though fussy clothes have always had their place, we have never been willing to go back to a world wherein women especially, were hampered in their movement to the degree they were in the 1800s.

 

    So, looking back over these decades we can see the slow, steady metamorphosis of not only how women dressed themselves, but how women thought of themselves. We can look at this timeline and see our progress; even when, living in the midst of it, we don't seem to be getting anywhere at all.

One Shot: Silver Brocaded Silk Robe a la Francaise 1750s

    I know that I have done a one shot post before about this type of garment.  It is a favorite period of mine, however.  And this example is just such an extraordinary one that I had to share it.

    The first thing that I see when I look at this is how perfect the proportions are in every respect.  The exterior shape, the silhouette of the gown is an idealized cone that takes the eye without effort right to the wearers face.  Where in other versions of the gown with panniers the line gets broken by the width of the skirts, this flows smoothly upward. Then, the material has been used in a way that maximizes the impact of the pattern, with the expert matching of the main elements of the design so that the visual harmony of the entire piece is undisturbed.  The placement of the silver lace decorations gives a kind of stately motion to the design, while also leading the eye up from the hem to the face.  Even the use of the textile and the manner of decoration employed in the stomacher works slyly to lift the eye up, first by concentrating our attention on the relative complexity of it, then ultimately releasing our view to the neck and head.

    Let's take a peek at that fabric, shall we?  Okay, so here we go.  It's a relatively simple appearing design for the time, but don't be fooled by distance.  Here is a close up of one of the floral motifs in the weave. There are four different types of brocade weave utilized in the creation of this silver work.  The ground weave appears to be a simple plain weave, so all the attention goes to the brocaded elements.  As well, that yellow, and other similar shades, were colors that held their popularity for a surprisingly long time considering how often tastes changed.  I have seen examples of panniered gowns covering four decades that all rely on variants of this same sunny color.

    The undulating application on the overskirt that continues up the side of the gown's front are pretty much a textbook style.  It was one of the most often used methods of trimming out a large area of a dress of this sort.
    The huge expanse of silver netted lace that covers the lower half of the underskirt is also a common element.  Frequently a wide self ruffle, or a band of lace would be used in this position on the underskirt. It had an additional advantage, while having great visual impact, it took little time to apply.

    The sleeves of the gown are essentially what we would today call raglan, with the armseye of the sleeve both very high and pulled far to the back. This cutting technique served to help keep the wearers shoulders back and chest high, maintaining that signature erect dignity we have come to think of as normal for the period.  Frankly you had no choice but to stand up straight, your clothes allowed nothing else.  The three tiered sleeve cuffs were a design element that held sway for decades. So popular were they that they were almost a requirement.  And they were nearly always cut in shallow scallops, as you see here, then trimmed on their edge with fly braid, guimpe or ribbons.

    As a side note, the white ruffles at the neckline and cuffs are reproductions, but they accurately show how the the gown would have looked when worn.

   

And then at last there is the stomacher.  The decoration of the stomacher is not very complex, which is a good thing, considering the mass of silver fly braid and lace that trims out the edges of each of the structured bows, and runs down the center point.  And everything about the manner of its decoration adds to the gravitas of the whole. This was not meant to be a playful garment, but one for serious occasions.  Were this meant for daytime, or more casual pursuits the decoration of the stomacher would have been more playful, the bows less rigid.

    So to sum up, this garment is a sublime example of the period and style.  It is not only beautifully constructed and decorated but is harmonious in every part of its design.  Whoever was lucky enough to have owned this was a woman of great taste and restraint.  It must have felt marvelous to be seen in this amidst the candlelight of an evening gathering.

Scatter #108

   Holy Crap, it's July already!  How did this happen?  Well, no matter how quickly the week speeds by, I will not fail in my effort to bring you, weekly a compilation of randomness for your amusement and enlightenment.   Herewith the Scatter for the first week of July 2016.

    Anya Hindmarch seems to like it architectural.  When I saw this I was instantly struck by how much gets accomplished with how little.  The structure of this coat dress could not be simpler, and yet, what could be bland is nothing but, because of the wise choice of textile, and its perfect deployment.  There is rhythm, energy and even a hinting to the body underneath with the intersecting lines implying the shape within.  It's a great textbook image of what happens to a basic garment when a well trained design eye takes it up and works with it.  Boring becomes amazing. And an Attire word that might have communicated little of interest, now relays something strong.

    Here is a great example again of what happens to something simple when a keen design eye is trained on it.  This pair of men's shoes is from a Jean Paul Gaultier collection form 2013. What interests me here is that, first of all, men's shoes so rarely get serious embellishment outside of athletic footwear.  So seeing something with applied work is refreshing.  Second, the choice of decoration is both formal, and playful.  Third, and most interesting to me is that this concept is one that could be done as a DIY project quite easily with a plain pair of shoes and some interesting pieces to apply.  Hmmmm. I might just have to experiment myself.

    These Parisian frillies are a pair of drawers, made in 1900.  By the time these were made it was no longer deeply shocking to wear bifurcated undergarments, women of all sorts did.  What is of interest to me is that it could be seen as the emergence of pants for women in a nearly literal sense.  Within a few more years forward thinking women, especially those with the wealth and freedom to do so, would start wearing pajamas, and resort gear that included pants.  So first it was out of the question, women wore skirts under their skirts, even as sleep gear.  Then during the mid 1800s, they began wearing pantelettes as underclothing, though they were considered very racy. By 1900, they were commonplace, but still invisible to surface view, with the single exception of bloomers.  And by 1950, they were seen daily all over the place.  A slow steady surfacing from subconscious, to conscious.

    This gentleman's coat made me swoon a little when I saw it.  The textile is glorious, a silver metallic brocaded silk frisee velvet.  The cut of this coat marks it as being from between 1730 and 1740, when a man's coat skirts were still to the knee, had considerable volume to the rear, and cuff that went right to the elbow point.  Sadly, the matching breeches no longer exist, but I can still imagine the entire ensemble together.  The suit would have been worn with a shirt with a long fall of lace, white stockings, and the shows, most likely would have had red heels which were a major fashion at the time.  The lucky gent who owned this was either a man of major means, or extreme debt.  Textiles like this one were immensely expensive.

    This cotton lawn day dress is from 1905, and it's a masterpiece of hand work. Lawn is a fabric of such lightness and fragility that it must be handled with great care.  Every stitch mark shows, and won't go away if mistakenly sewn. So imagining the time and care it took to create those arcing bands of inserted lace makes my head hurt a bit, and my fingers ache in sympathy.  Such a gown as this would have been reserved for summer exclusively, since the whole dress probably weighs only a few ounces. And caring for it was also an onerous task, since ironing had to be done with great care so as not to scorch the material.  Milady's maid I'm sure never looked forward to tending this.

    Of late a trend has been around that I have found interesting for what it says about us, and how we want to be perceived by others.  The trend, here presented by KTZ, from 2015 is replete with patches, unified only by color, that are seemingly randomly placed on the frame of the jacket. What I find interesting here is the seeming need we have to advertise ourselves with applied imagery. We are so bombarded with input from every corner of our lives that perhaps it's only natural that we would eventually feel the need to up our game in order to maintain our individuality and relate our interests to others, visually.  In the simplest terms it manifests itself with the current popularity of buttons.  Where I work we carry myriad ones of all sorts that people purchase in bunches to put on hats, backpacks and jackets.  When this peters out, I wonder what will take up the slack, since our culture is hardly getting less frenetic?

    This is an Uzbekistani headdress from the 1890s  I love what it says about our desire to adorn, ennoble, and make ourselves feel important.  And I love too that there is not a culture anywhere on earth that does not utilize the concept of the crown in one form or another.  Whether it's made of hide, feathers and shells, covered over with seed pearls, or made up in precious metals and rare crystalline minerals they exist everywhere and have for all our long history.  Sure, it was an inevitable consequent of our fist sticking leaves in our hair, but that it became a universal is what intrigues me.  So the concept of the crown/headdress is a base term within the Attire language, much like robe, shoe or skirt are.

    I just flat out love this image for so many reasons.  This is a interesting look at how people choose to view themselves, even within a subculture.  The young woman has chosen to follow the dominant fashion trends, and looks right out of a fashion periodical of the time.  The young man, however has chosen to move in a completely counterculture way, referencing his heritage, but making it cool by the shape of his tunic and pants.  We, each of us, find our own way through the seeming morass of Attire, trying to get to a set of words we feel entirely comfortable using, that express our own uniqueness effectively.  NYC 1969.

    Talk about style!  this is German film star Hans Heinrich von Twardowski who was active in film from 1920 to 1944.  I was simply blown away by his appearance. What I'm not certain of is whether this was his actual style or if this was devised for a film he was in. In either case it is an extraordinarily evocative and expressive set of Attire terms.  Every detail contributes. from the cut of his clothes to the tilt of his hat and the sort of flower in his lapel adds to the message.  Even the way he is wearing his gloves makes a small additional remark.  Wonderful, whether it is costume or real time clothing, just wonderful.

    This lovely article is a woman's shirt/chemise from about 1570.  Its survival is probably due to it's having been such an elaborately worked one of its sort.  But it's here to speak to us about how people lived their lives a bit.  Shirts like this from dead plain to highly decorated were a unifying factor of dress for both women and men of every status.  This would have been worn underneath all other clothing, and would often serve as sleep gear.   Much of the extensive embroidery would have been visible to viewers of the lady wearing this. Certainly the gorgeous sleeves would have been on display, either through slits in her oversleeves, or worn fully deployed.  We are lucky indeed that this survives.

    Oh that wacky fellow Walter van Beirendonck.  I must applaud him, ever, for being so willing to take us to new places and try and get us to see things differently, even when those visions are not entirely successful.  As remarkably silly as that coat is, I love its playfulness, and the expert use of the ribbons as they work around the openings.  There is some very fine workmanship on display here,r regardless of the final outcome.  Also, there are ideas here that could translate to real world use.  Could we see coats with bordered cut outs?  Sure we could. And I do like the notion of putting random and unusual areas of the body out there for a look see.  (Also I want those shoes).

I'm finishing this week's Scatter with something rather challenging.  Manish Arora typically creates clothing for women that is lovely and readily understandable.  This statement piece from the S/S 2014 collection is no less easily understood. Its impact is profound, calling to attention the reality of what we are, by bringing our interior outwards and making of it a kind of armor. Perhaps that is the thing that makes this so potent a piece of work. It implies that our internal selves, (and not just our viscera), are indeed our strength and protection.  And yes, in case you were wondering, the cuirass was entirely 3D printed.  Amazing, disturbing, and provocative.

That's that for this week, my friends!  Have fun out there!