Warner Archive Textiles Fair

Last year, I had a great day at the Textile Fair run by The Warner Textile Archive in Braintree, and I was not disappointed this year either!

Not only do they have lots of traders with stalls selling fabrics, textiles, yarn, and books. But they always have a good selection of free talks from experts in their field. I attended all of them and a free store tour (Inside the archive itself).

The talks included:  

The production of Burnished Indigo in minority south-west China - Martin Conlan

Batik from Java - Diane Gaffney

Textile Conservation in Practise - May Berkouwer

WW1: Fashion in Conflict - Katy Conover

I made some great contacts. May Berkouwer has invited me to visit her lab/studio in Sudbury during June, Katy Conover has given me her email address and has offered to help me with my dissertation and I also introduced myself to the Archive's Archivist, Katy Wigley, who I am in talks with to hopefully get some work experience at the archive itself. All in all, a productive day - and right on my doorstep!

Jean Paul Gaultier @ The Barbican

After spending my birthday submitting my personal philosophy essay,  I decided to spend my birthday weekend visiting the much talked about Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at the Barbican.

What I really loved about the exhibition, was like the Paul Smith exhibition, you where able to take photographs and videos of everything (I had a very dead battery after two hours!). You could also get up very close to the garments and try and work out how they were constructed. Also the size of the exhibition was huge, so I think there is something for everyone really - definitely a must-see!

Although Gaultier's garments can sometime be a bit outlandish to me, I admire his use of historical and cultural references throughout his collections. He also has a strong emphasis on craft. His use of muses also drew parallels with my own experience during the Diversity Now! competition.

Georgians @ The Fashion Museum, Bath

Following the Grey Friars brief given to us by OMCI investments, it just so happened that I had planned a visit the next day to my parents in the Bath. The Grey Friars Building was built in 1755 during the Georgian period, and Bath is a very beautiful Georgian city, so it enabled me to make a good start on primary research for the module.

The Fashion Museum’s exhibition, Georgians, celebrates the museum’s situation in the Georgian Assembly Rooms in Bath. 

The exhibition includes original 18th century outfits from the museum’s collection - gowns made of colourful and richly patterned woven silks, as well as embroidered coats and waistcoats worn by Georgian gentlemen of fashion. 

also included are 18th century-inspired fashions by Anna Sui, Meadham Kirchhoff, Vivienne Westwood, Stephen Jones, and Alexander McQueen. All are influenced by the 18th century aesthetic, and all (in different ways) show how the elegance and grace of Georgian dress continues to inspire fashion today.

Hello my name is Paul Smith

This weekend I visited the newly opened Paul Smith exhibition at the Design Museum, London, and I loved it!

Paul is an avid collector, like myself, and his inspiration for his collections come from the objects around him, and the photographs he takes along the way.

I feel so inspired, everything he says in the exhibition just makes so much sense to me, listening to his monologue:

"Don't spend too much time looking at what other people do...try to be your own person"

"Unfortunately a lot of people look but they don't see - so that means absorb when you look at things, it could be graffiti on a wall, it could be an interesting pocket of a postman's trouser, it could be the shadows on a wall, it could be anything"

"I take my camera everywhere, its like a diary - visual diary"

"I travel a lot, and I always observe the way local people dress"

"I love to go out to Portabello road or because I've travelled quite a lot I go to antique markets around the world, and there you can find lots of inspiration"

"Printing the unexpected onto a fabric always is my handwriting. A flower on a fabric on a fabric a photograph that I have taken printed onto a fabric, shadows, I've always loved shadows…venetian blinds with shadows from them, shadows of trees, shadows of people, the shadow of a bicycle"

"Shape and simplicity, proportion are all ingredients that are essential for design today"

"You can look at a beach hut, see the three colours and that can turn into a piece of knitwear"

Sources & further reading:

http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/sharpened-lead/2013/nov/20/paul-smith-exhibition-design-museum

http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2013/paul-smith

http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/11/paul-smith-says-you-need-a-head-that-can-change-hats-every-hour.html

Club to Catwalk @ V&A

The Club to Catwalk exhibition at the V&A didn't inspire me hugely, although it was really interesting to see how the the 1980s youth subcultures had expressed themselves and made their own clothes, and either became fashion designers themselves, or inspired the trends that made it onto the catwalk.

This quote from Vivienne Westwood, really rings true to me. I love looking to the past for design inspiration, my challenge is to try and incorporate the traditional elements whilst giving them a contemporary edge.

'Dragons' print dressing gown, Georgina Von Etsdorf, 1984

I adore the print on this dressing gown, it looks like it was inspired by the avant garde, soviet constructivist prints of the 1920s-30s.

I have always admired Paul Smith use of colour and the unexpected secrets his clothes hide. His method of teaming an otherwise somber navy suit with a bright printed lining, or hiding a 1950s style pin-up girl print on the underside of a turned back cuff, make his clothes wearable for the office, but desirable to the person who has a fun side.

After I finished with the Club to Catwalk exhibition I had a look at the permanent fashion exhibition. As well as historical detail, I get really inspired by traditional costume from other cultures. The turn of the century saw a taste for the orient in Britain, influencing designers such as Paul Poiret and Liberty & Co.

Printed silk evening dress, Charles James, 1938.

 One of the most amazing designers I have come across during research for several project is Charles James (1908-1978),  an american couturier the construction of his garments are exciting, interesting and beautiful, and they still look contemporary today, some 60 years on.

Coat, Yohji Yamamoto (born 1943) A/W '04-'05

I think that Yamamoto has successfully taken inspiration from a military great coat, but given a contemporary edge with the use of oversized pockets, not only stylish, but practical too.

After the V&A I took the opportunity to take a trip down Berwick street and have a look in the fabric shops for inspiration for my new studio module. Although I haven't finalised my colour palette, it was good to see the huge range of fabrics available in London, as Colchester and Braintree's offerings on the fabric front can be a touch limiting, and buying fabric online can sometimes be tricky, as it is difficult to show a true colour on a computer screen and you can't feel the texture and weight of a fabric, which is always important.

Warner Textile Archive Fair 2013

I am so glad I managed to make it to the Warner Textile Archive Fair on sunday. It really was good value for money. I managed attended all the free talks featured here which were really interesting and inspiring, and for £2 extra I managed to get into the archive store and see some textiles that are not usually on show in the museum. I was also excited to find out that the next exhibition at the archive will be devoted to many costumes and clothing they have in the collection. With my ticket I also got free admission to an exhibition at braintree museum called 'the student textile design challenge'. Over 240 design students from across Britain and Ireland were given a copy of a design from the Warner Archive, from which, they had to draw inspiration, and produce a mixed media textile sample in response.

Indigo and shibori 

 smocking

For more information about what went on at the fair you can read the archive's press release here.

Hollywood, Valentino and mulled wine

So glad I went on our college trip! We managed to squeeze in a visit to Hollywood Costume at the V&A and Valentino: Master of Couture at Somerset House, as well as a seasonal shopping trip around Covent Garden.

Hollywood Costume was absolutely heaving with people. Around each exhibit, literary shoulder to shoulder two to three people deep, which spoilt it for me quite honestly. I did try and read everything and look at everything, but I have come back and can't recall anything that I found particularly interesting or exciting.


It was the Valentino exhibition that really made the trip worth while. The techniques involved in making the dresses are amazing. After walking down the 'catwalk' where his dresses are displayed, you go down stairs and can look at samples of the different construction techniques used to create certain elements of the dresses. The workers in the atelier sew everything by hand, spending hundreds of hours on a single piece. So many hours, so many women and they never use a sewing machine, they hand sew everything. Apparently Mr Giammetti bought them a machine once and it sat in a corner, unused!

Although, as with the Hollywood costume exhibition, there was no photography permitted, there is a virtual museum you can access online, and the free booklet that supports the exhibit, has a useful glossary in the back with definitions of the relevant terms and the names of construction techniques, which is useful to keep on file for reference. 

Such an amazing exhibition, I came out of it feel in enthused and excited about fashion construction, definitely worth a visit!

This short 3-part film is an interesting insight of how the curators of the exhibition decided on how to display Valentino's work.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Warner Textile Archive

If you pay for a visit to The Braintree Museum, you can use your receipt for a free visit to the Warner Textile Archive within 30 days, so I decided to pop in for a quick look round and ended up staying for a couple of hours.

I first visited in about 2006-2007 the archive when I first moved to Braintree and it was relatively new, as Braintree Museum only purchased the archive in 2004. Since then I have attended a 'Behind the Scenes' tour and various exhibitions and textiles fairs. But yesterday I didn't have a whingy child and so I was able to take my time and read and look at everything. There is also a film that a local man took of the last working day of the mill, which is very poignant.

Recently the archive have started to utilise the vast amount of designs that they hold. Their collaboration with Surface View means that anyone can now have a design from the archive printed onto a canvas, blind, tiles or wallpaper. 2012 saw them launch their own wallpaper range and they have just launched their Wendy Bray Collection.

Rouen

Augustin

Wendy Bray Collection 

Swing Boat

New York 

Stylist

The Warner Archive is currently working with The Ashley Family Foundation in order to identify and catalogue garments, documents, samples and fabric designs within their collection, and improve accessibility to these significant historical costumes. So far they have identified over 450 costume items in the Archive's collection which include:

- 16th century Venetian silk brocatelle 

- Two large, rare pieces of Spitalfield silks dating from the mid18th century.

- A silk and gold skirt made for Princess Mary's wedding in 1893. 

- Shoe fabrics woven by Warner & Sons in 1930.

Not only is it a invaluable resource for British textile design, but the archive shop has some lovely handpicked, handmade gifts. On my way out I bought this beautiful lambswool woven scarf  handmade by Wallace & Sewell for my sister's christmas present.

Making A Point @ The Braintree Museum

This morning I popped into the Braintree Museum to view the textile exhibition - Making A Point.

The exhibit has been created by EAST, a group recognised for their excellent and innovative use of a wide range of textile techniques and thought provoking concepts explored within their work. Each member has chosen their own topic/concept to explore for the exhibition, which offers a feast of textile expression combining colour, texture, and stitch.

The exhibition was quite small, so I was only there for a a short time. I have to say that most of the work was not really to my taste. Quite a lot of dark grungy colours, a lot of felting and use of an embellisher machine. I love textiles, so why didn't I like it? Is it because it is textile art? I have typed and deleted many things on trying to describe what I like and why I didn't like most of the work in the exhibition, but nothing quite makes much sense. I'm sure that there has been a lot of work put into the exhibits, but nothing made me think 'wow, that's amazing!', 'how can I make that?' or 'I'd love to buy that!'.

I didn't take any pictures because I wasn't sure I was allowed to, but you can see some images of the exhibition via the link above.

Sport and Fashion at The Fashion Museum, Bath

During half-term we spent a few days with my parents who have a flat in Bath. They live about 15 mins walk from the Fashion Museum, so when I visit I always go and have a look and see if they have any 'new to me' exhibitions on.

Inspired by the 2012 Olympics, their new year-long exhibition is about Sport and Fashion and opened on 4th February. I took a few pictures on my iPhone whilst I was there, but the quality is not great owing to the exhibit being behind glass.

The hood/snood is a modern take on the traditional nomadic headscarfs

Mango Yellow Silk Chiffon Hoodie Dress, S/S '07, By Jasper Conran - fashion's response to David Cameron's 'Hug a Hoodie' speech in 2006.

Magenta Cowl Neck Dress, A/W '11/12, By Victoria Beckham - winner of Best Designer Brand at the 2011 British Fashion Awards.

Grey Team GB Hoodie and Sweatpants, 2011, By Stella McCartney for Adidas - Stella McCartney has designed sportswear for the British Olympic team.

I love how the maker has incorporated the decorative edges of the blanket in this coat, and the re-use of the blanket fits in with the nomadic way of life.

Cream Tobogganing Suit, 1880s - Worn by the Park Tobogganing Club, made from a Hudson Bay woollen blanket.

Is this the ultimate coat for the modern day nomad?

Dark Green Puffa Coat with Red silk Dress, A/W '04, By Stella McCartney - This luxurious coat takes its inspiration from a functional all-weather sleeping bag.

Playing with scale is something I want to explore, I love the oversized knit pom-pom!

Red, Blue and Cream Knitted Ensemble, 2011, By Hannah Taylor, RCA Collection Gran, Will You Knit us a Man City Top? - The sports supporter's scarf inspires a giant knitted ensemble.

This dress has an almost tribal look to it with the bright colours and stripes: I suppose that team kits/strips are a modern way to show you allegiance to your 'tribe'.

Rugby Shirt Dress, S/S '08, By Gary Harvey - Gary Harvey is an eco-fashion designer, using discarded clothing in his work.