To me, springtime in Wellington means a glory of magnolia blossoms in the suburb of Thorndon and the botanical gardens, an obsession I share with noted NZ artist Rita Angus. The magnolias were at their absolute peak when Theresa and I visited the gardens last Friday, and some of the best photographs were taken against the serene mauve petals, or in the dappled shade of the twisting branches.
Mrs C has given me a very interesting textile on long term loan, and I thought it would be the perfect ‘Textiles on Thursday’ feature. The textile is an embroidered silk coat with a rabbit fur lining. The coat is fascinating for all sorts of reasons. It’s an excellent example of an export textile, made in Asia (probably China, possibly Japan) for the Western market. As an export textile, it’s particularly interesting because it isn’t a particularly luxurious item. Chinese design features aside, the coat is a great piece of early 1920s fashion. Finally, it’s an exciting vintage item because it isn’t that small, it easily fits a modern 14-16. Poor Isabelle is a little swamped in it! So, let’s break it down. First, what’s this export textile thing? Well, the West has had a love affair with Eastern goods and aesthetics for centuries. Just look at Chinoiserie in the 18th century and Japonism in the 19th century, as well as the trade in kashmir shawls in both. The newest trends in Eastern imports always …
I’m dreadfully overdue in posting images of Shell in my Japonisme dress (the talk was weeks ago), but in a way I’m glad. Because I waited to post these, I had the opportunity to get to know Shell both for her grace and poise as a model, and for her warm nature and wicked sense of humour. Of course, only her grace and poise are on show in this post. OK, maybe just a bit of the wicked sense of humour: In other news, I have recovered my photos from the road trip (yay!) so tomorrow I’ll be posting some of those.
