Baselines

    Before we can have a statement to make, before we can assemble garments into a coherent sentence, we must first have fabrics from which to make them.  It is this, that is the jumping off point for all Attire conversation.  It is by the weave structure, color, texture, density, and movement of those textiles that the first bits of communication happen. 
    A single design, rendered multiply in different textiles of precisely the same color, becomes a series of connected, but differing sartorial words.  Think for a moment about a humble pair of blue jeans.

We all know intimately how denim feels, how it looks, how it moves, and the sorts of things its capable of communicating.  But take that identical garment pattern and make it in indigo leather, or indigo satin, or indigo silk chiffon, and the statement made is radically different each time. So, its the fabric that is the single most critical base point for how and what gets said by a garment, or set of clothes.
    Even before we decide on color, the actual physical structure of that fabric is the alpha point, the genesis point for everything that comes afterwards.  In fact, we often can look at a garment and imagine it in another color, and realize that it might communicate more effectively that way.  I posted an image in Scatter 29, last Saturday, that spoke to exactly that condition.  It was not the textile that made it problematic, but the color.  The fabric itself was beguiling.  So it wasn't the starting point that was in error. The communication problem happened later in the process.
    The way that a fabric moves over the body, because of its woven, felted or extruded structure, contributes the first bits of information we get in the Attire statement presented.  Is that fabric stiff and unyielding?  Is it softly fluid? Does it reveal or conceal the body? Is it texturally interesting?  all these questions get instantly posed, before we even note the rest of the story being told us.

   So, with all that said, here are some things to ponder.  Take a look at these images and think about what the fabrics themselves communicate, devoid of their colors or decorative elements.  Break it all apart if you can, and get back to the baseline.

Dagmar

    Born in November of 1847, Marie Sophie Frederikke Dagmar of Denmark was destined as an adult to become Empress of Russia.

                              Princess Dagmar on the left, with the brother Vilhelm, sister Alexandra, and father Christian IX

  Her name became Maria Feodorovna and she became consort empress to Alexander III, after having been first betrothed to his brother, Nicholas, who died of meningitis not long after their engagement. She eventually outlived her son Nicholas II, finally passing away, in exile,  in 1928.

                                                           Alexander III with Dagmar
    I wanted to take a bit of time here to look at not only her personal style, but the manner in which the Russian court was different from, and far more lavish than any other royal environment in the Western world.
    Just like any other member of the Russian court, Maria Feodorovna had her uniforms to wear.  This is one of them.

  As dress of this sort, would have been worn for formal state occasions where the hierarchy of place would have been strictly adhered to.  As the highest female figure in court her dress train would have been longer than anyone else's, the regulation hanging sleeves could be loner as well, and she would have been accorded far more latitude with regard to the amount and type of decoration on her dress.
 

 
     During other times, when not in attendance on official functions the Empress would be free to dress in whatever manner she chose.  But even here, the tendency towards large scale display and a more extremely lavish level of decoration is in evidence.
 

 
     Of the garments belonging to Maria Feodorovna that still exist, none is more wildly, outrageously extravagant than this remarkable evening dress from the 1880s.  Made up in off white silk satin damask, the dress conforms in shape to a European dinner dress of the cuirass style.  And owing to the very large scale of the textile, it is quite likely the product of Worth's house.  Worth routinely used a fabric like this one, with large repeating ovals in the pattern.  The dress is laden with literally tens of thousands of pearls in varying sizes that have been embroidered in patterns , and also used as looping swags, and fringes.  As if that weren't enough glamor, the dress is also has white ostrich plumes attached in the upper rear of one side of the skirt.  The decoration as a whole is largely asymmetrical, which only adds to the drama of it.

 
    And the survival of such garments as these also stands as a strong physical example of why things changed in Russia so dramatically, and in such a bloody way. 

Scatter #29

    Here we go again, Kiddies. Its time for another wild ride in my funhouse brain.
  
   

When I came across this image, I have to say my response was instant and unpleasant.  That particular shade of pale pink just took me straight to viscera.  I was reminded of something that had been flayed of its skin.  So, because I like to challenge myself, and I don't like to dismiss things without closer observation, I  made myself look again, and more critically.  My take aways are these:  I actually love the sweater coat and double breasted knitted vest as ideas. I even like the texture a great deal.  The only thing that I find personally disturbing is that color, which by the way, would also be a tough color to pull of for most people.  What's your first response?
   

We don't really think much about Princess Margaret, since she was destined from birth to be the also ran in the English Throne Olympics.  But what she had over her sister was a good deal more style.  This image of her in her early 20s shows her giving us her best Liz Taylor look.  Both her hairstyle and her dress are a god deal more on point for the time than her sister Elizabeth tended towards.  I am sure part of that is a matter of knowing what her role was going to be, and she probably was accorded a bit more license since she wasn't destined to rule.  But I was surprised and delighted by this look at the young Margaret.
   

Two menswear looks from the most recent Yohji Yamamoto collection for 2015.  As usual, Mr Yamamoto is largely about stretching our conceptions of proportion, usage and fit.  And for that I will always applaud him.  That he marries those goals to impeccable workmanship makes this even better.  Am I fully on board with these?  Nope.  The pant length is just plain awkward looking to me, hitting at a place that looks almost as if it was a mistake, though I'm sure it wasn't.  I love both of the jackets, with the exception of the deliberately over-long sleeves.  But that's a couture detail that could be easily corrected for real world wear.
   

Dressing monochromatically is not only not boring, it can be poetic in the extreme.  Allowing shape and texture to do all the talking can be a visual delight, and surprisingly sexy in a quiet way.  This ensemble is a feast of texture from smooth to knobby.  And because everything is fitted easily, and has a similar softness of hand, it all falls together to create an observed tone poem.  And the resulting Attire sentence is virtually a short story.  As a side note, dressing in this manner can allow the focus of the eye to travel inevitably to the face; always a good goal.
   

This gentleman's doublet is from the 16th century, around 1560, really.  Its a very fine example of the most common shape of a man's doublet.  It bears all the standard elements.  The red brocade is only lightly trimmed with braiding;  so this would have been something for a gentleman of either upper middle class birth, or perhaps a nobleman of smaller means.  Of particular interest is the cut of the sleeve.  Sleeves were cut very tightly, and so, in order to allow some range of motion the elbow area was cut with some fullness, creating a bit of a point on the back.  Also, the armseye, where the sleeve is attached would be very high and tight. in order to allow motion there, either the sleeve would be left seam would be left open under the arm, or a gusset would be added.  A beautiful piece, from the V&A's considerable collection.
  

Christian Dior designed this amazing draped ball gown. Its being modeled by house model Asia, who was one of Dior's muses.  I am gobsmacked by the virtuoso draping and gathering involved here. And if you think this isn't so tough looking, just try it sometime. Mr Dior and his atelier workers probably invested dozens of hours in fiddling with the muslin toille of this gown before cutting into the final material.  And of course there are doubtless dozens of tiny tacking stitches, to make quite certain it stays looking like it does here.  A typical ball dress of this sort would require 200 to 500 hours to complete, and the labor of a dozen skilled workers. Add complex beadwork and the hours sail over a 1000, easily.
   

Made of gold and rubies with a clay cylinder, this is a combination rolling seal, and ring.  And wanna take a stab at how old this is?  Try over 5500 years old.  Its from Mesopotamia.  One of the curious things is the facets stones.  Its one of the many things that disappeared from knowledge in the West during the Dark Ages.  The survival of things of this sort leaves me shaking my head in wonder.
 

Something I'm really appreciating about the increasing use of robotics and other higher technologies in textile design and manufacture is that there are amazing new textures being devised that could not have existed before.  This fake fur coat is just such a texture.  I love the density of the surface and how it manages to look both soft, and a trifle prickly at the same time.
   

     I shake my head occasionally. I do. This is one of those times.  Now, you all know how willing I am to see beyond the normative and to appreciate something that is trying to challenge our conceptions.  This, to me, just looks like a DIY project gone very wrong.  "I know, lets hot glue a bunch of daisies onto a plain white shirt and pants. That'll make it edgy." Uh, nope.  Sorry. Not this time.
  

To bring up the rear today this delicious image I came across.  Easily a dozen and a half pairs of delectable 18th century women's shoes, including some show boxes, were staged together for this picture.  Its a marvelous way of looking at the extravagances of that time, and also the level of presentation brought to purchasing something like a pair of shoes.  Get a load of those boxes.  Just dive right in and wallow in Shoe Porn a while.

Well, that's this edition of Scatter. I hope you had fun.
Have a Grand Weekend, All.

One Shot - Cloth of Gold

    This insanely lavish evening dress is perhaps the ultimate expression of the ball gown as it was imagined in 1900.  The dress was designed by couturier Jacques Doucet in 1902 and resides in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, though it is not on display, probably due to the fragility of its material.  Why is this fabric fragile?  Its heavy, really, really, heavy.

    What is this amazing thing made of?  Its cloth of gold, children, the real deal, straight up. Yup, silk threads are wound with incredibly fine gold wire to create the finish thread which is then woven as normal.  Only the amazing malleability of gold makes this possible.  Other metals wound about a thread core would break quickly, or be far too stiff to work as a woven textile.

    As if that weren't enough, the material is heavily embroidered over its surface, also in gold, and the hem has been embellished with cutwork.  And as if that wasn't enough to satisfy the need for luxe, there's the yards of hand made blonde lace covering the sleeves and corsage.  The lace alone would've required the diligent labor of a couple of lace makers for the better part of a year.

    So, all in all, this is the nee plus ultra of dressing to impress.  It simply doesn't get any more outrageously pushy.  If it were possible to recreate this garment today its cost would be in millions of dollars, that's if you could find the people to do the work of making the thread and weaving the cloth.

And it also stands tall as a magnificent example of the beauty we can create, when we are of a mind to.

Regional Dialects

    Like any spoken language, and even considering the variations in gestural languages like sign, the Attire language is one full of colloquialisms, slang expressions and regional variations.  The daily apparel of an office worker in Miami varies from the office attire of a worker in New York.  The street clothing of new York varies from that in San Francisco. The evening attire in San Francisco varies from that in Phoenix.  And that's just the United States.
    Many of these subtle variations are determined by climate.  For example, while you can readily see people out doing their daily errands in not much more than their swim wear, while you're in Malibu,

you'd be rather surprised to see it in Boston, considering the climate.  And the layering of clothes that is considered de rigueur for San Francisco, and I should know, cause its my home place, would be a head scratcher somewhere else, like Raleigh.  Places like Los Angeles and San Diego, where climate is a virtual constant, are places outside of seasonal changes in clothing selection.  But oddly enough San Francisco is also outside of that winter and summer wardrobe thing, because the climate can vary radically, not only day to day, but by where you are in the city.  So all these sorts of factors contribute to the development of regional variations in the Attire language.
   The second thing that is a major player is the dominant type of employment for the people of a particular place.  Is it rural or urban?  If its urban, what kind of industry is predominating there?  If its rural, what kind of agriculture is done?   So, say we have an urban environment largely devoted to politics, like Washington DC.  The clothing choices there are far more conservative overall than would be the norm for some other major city, because of the type of work being done there. Its essentially a company town, and you must be seen to be part of the company, by abiding the dress code.

In New York, however, where the dominant focus less clear, the reliance on what is most fashionable in dress clothing is far greater.  One's advancement at work will be partly due to the style of one's clothes being on point for the times.
    The third thing that invests a place with its regional individuality is the ethnicity of the majority of the people there.   Albuquerque  has a very large number of people who are either Native Americans or are of Mexican heritage, and their history and culture affects the style, color and fit of a good deal of the apparel worn.  In my birth place of Pittsburgh, where the vast majority of people originally hail from Eastern Europe,  that has had its effect on how people dress, by a certain reliance on the colors and patterns of the old country.

Now, this situation is unusual because, as time has gone by, and those immigrants became fully socialized to the US, and especially now that their children's children are adults this part of their regional dialect is fading fast.  There still, however, remain items of attire that define Pittsburgh as a place separate from others.
   The final, and perhaps the most important part of this process is what, for lack of a more precise term I'll call the vibe of a place.  How the people there think about themselves and their position in the world; how they view the rest of the globe; and how they respond to the inevitable odd balls in their area all contribute to that vibe.

Do they think of their place as a small or big one?  Do they think of the rest of the world as something strange, or something wonderful?  Do they embrace or ostracize their quirky citizens?  Of course there are a nearly endless list of things in this part of the process that contribute, art, education, sport, politics, religion, science and history all have their role in determining a place's special feeling.  And all of that is what helps to make an area's Attire dialect grow and function.

    As a way to sum up, I'll present this.  Living as I do, in San Francisco, I see and interact with people from all over the globe nearly every day.  Can I usually tell when someone's not from the area, even if I can't see the ubiquitous guide book?  Sure.  The clues are subtle, but there for the observant to see.  A type of jeans that aren't made or sold here, shoes of a clearly non-American style, certain other accessories that aren't really in use in SF, or even how a person wears their hair can be a tip off.
    So, any and every place has its little subtle variants on what we wear, dependent on climate, business, ethnicity,  and general social energy.  Look around at your own home place, wherever that may be and try to determine what things make it sartorially unique.

Passionate Life

Scatter #28

    Picking up the odd bits and snippets of my mind each week and sending them out to you all, is as much a way to clean house, as it is to inform and entertain. (grin)
    So, here's this weeks set of scraps from the floor of my brain.

 
     This first image made me think of how we treat the males of our current culture, and how hemmed in in many ways men are. Sure men are running things in a temporal sense, but in other ways they are just as oppressed, just as held back.  Within western culture we have boxed men into a corner, sartorially.  Fortunately that box is finally beginning to break down, but that's the stuff that came up for me, looking at this image.  If men were allowed more freedom to express themselves without fear of social reprisal, would men feel as much need towards aggression? I don't know the answer, but its an intriguing question, no?
   

This is a Queen Mother pendant mask.  Its from 16th century Nigeria, made by the Edo people of the court of Benin.  I love this both as a work of considerable beauty, but also as a statement about human transformation, which is, as you all know, one of my go to topics here.  There is a sense of profound, enduring strength here. I'm spellbound.
   

This detail image of an anonymous French nobleman from 1506 shows two of the more strange men's fashions in Attire history.  The peascod belly doublet was fashionable for about a 10 year span from the 1560s through the 70s.  The shape was achieved with stiffening, sometimes with cardboard,  and padding, that made the out-jutting shape rock solid, and interestingly was a reverse image of the arc of a man's codpiece, the other sartorial weirdness in play here.  As a psychological ploy, the two deliberate forward thrusting shapes were clearly intended to promote thoughts of male power and virility.  The upward angle of the codpiece implying a man's stiffened resolve, and the downward angle of the peascod belly, his willingness to fight his stance when needed.
   

Vienna was the home place of these marvelous boots from 1900.  With 15 buttons up the side, the obviously custom boots would've required a buttonhook, and probably a ladies maid.  They're of caramel colored kid, and as an apparel word, I think they are marvelous.
   

Designer Damir Doma did this interesting coat for a recent menswear collection.  While I certainly would have preferred to see it styled differently, I can't fault the coat itself.  I love the color, the over-scaled herringbone pattern, and how well its been used in the pocket area to create interest.  What would you like to see it shown with? would you wear it?

In the Summer of 1963 Cristobal Balenciaga showed this minty green evening dress at his Atelier in Paris.   The densely puckered fabric was one that had a good long run of popularity in the later 50s and early 60s; cloque'.  The fabric gets its pronounced texture from the weave structure, as variations in tension cause puckering to happen. The couture was using this as a go to fabric while the silhouette was steadily gaining the rigid space aged look it acquired in the 60s.  It allowed couturiers to play with contemporary shapes, while still giving couture clients that sense of luxe and exclusivity they wanted.
  

Shoe Pron, plain and simple.  These are by Dreis van Noten.  part of what I find appealing about them is the juxtaposition of the fruit, floral, and insect decorations with the big chunky shape of the shoes themselves.  Would I wear these?  Oh HELL yeah.  Would you?
   

Sometimes, an image from the fashion world is so thoughtfully done that it leaps the gap from illustration to art.  This is just such an image.  Its a glorious, graphic, and yet ghostly looking image.  It possesses both power and fragility in equal measure.  The white mink is by Alexandre and the silk faille hat with the burnt ostrich plumes is by Mr John. A remarkable image.
   

This is a gentleman's frock coat from 1820.  Made up in a wonderfully colored plaid fabric this would have been just the thing for the dandy of the family.  I love the flattering shape, and the generous fit at the sleeve head that widens the shoulders line.  Also, after this time the frock coat would begin to shrink.  Eventually with its hem ending below the knee, but above the calf line.  So this is the beginning of the end for this wonderfully extravagant fashion.  And now, as an Attire word, its shorter cousin is relegated to formal weddings only.

Gareth Pugh is one of my favorite avant garde designers.  I like the extreme editing of his work, how he focuses all his energy on paring down his looks to a few essential elements.  This white evening dress I actually think would be quite flattering on a lot of women.  And I enjoy the use of the branch motif, that keeps it stylishly barren looking, without overwhelming the clean lines of it.  Seen in other colors I can imagine this being extremely appealing looking.

    So, that's this weeks pile of oddments and interests.  Have a splendid weekend!