All posts filed under: Textiles & Costume

Let’s go to Mexico

Though it seems hard to comprehend as I sit barefoot in my garden and eat another slice of watermelon, I understand some of you are having some dreadful, cold, stormy weather. To warm you up, for this Textiles on Thursday* let’s go to exotic locales south of the border and examine some vintage Mexican themed fashions and fabrics. To start, I’ll throw you off this deep end with this jacket, which is pretty…umm…awesome. Just in case you couldn’t tell where it is from, her skirt says ‘Mexico’ For something a little more restrained, and more suitable for actually wearing in Mexico, what about these? Or you could go for something a little dressier: And, of course, no survey of vintage Mexican themed garments would be complete without a scenic circle skirt. I love the teals and purples in this one. I have some charming unmade-up vintage Mexican themed fabrics in my stash, courtesy of my Grandmother, who lived in California. I love the aqua and fuschia colors in this fabric. Very art-deco carry over: Let’s …

‘Them’ and the silk trade

Published by The Dreamstress

Things I love about this article: ‘Them’ is used as a (relatively) good term Lots of fabric history! Fabrics named ‘Billowee’ and ‘Krinkle Krepe’ are considered elegant in comparison to ‘Necking Time’ and ‘Razzle Dazzle’ “It was not exactly something new; it was merely old enough to seem new” Reprinted from Times Magazine, Monday September 12, 1932 The U. S. silk industry, to its intense delight, last week found itself suddenly in the midst of a boom. Unlike cotton and woolen men, silk men are much at the mercy of THEM and last week it was gloriously plain that THEY–the fashion designers of Paris, the style buyers and editors from the U. S., and the 40,000,000 U. S. women who wear dresses–had decided on a style change which would require the U. S. silk industry’s most diligent services. THEY do not decide all of a sudden. The blessed event which now delights silk men really began last February when the U. S. style buyers found nothing to excite them at the Paris salons and bitterly …

A different kind of robe a la francaise

Published by The Dreamstress

In addition to all the recreation dresses that were in last Saturday’s talk, I used some real vintage garments as well. I own this beautiful early 1930s rayon robe, made in Japan for the Western market. The theme of Saturday’s talk was The Eastern influence on Western fashion, with a focus on Japonisme and Chinoiserie, so what could be better than a kimono inspired robe made in Japan for the Western market? Madame O has a beautiful 1940s peach pink negligee that paired perfectly with the robe (and being the darling that she is, of course she was willing to let me use it for the talk). The only thing we needed was a model. I got asked to do Saturday’s talk at the last minute, and coordinating models was touch and go the whole time. Enter Mrs C and Hortense (you have to say her name in the most glamorous French accent possible). Hortense is a French exchange student who came to Saturday’s conference with her host. Mrs C found her, pounced on her, …