Zandra Rhodes: A Lifelong Affair with Textiles

The Dress Installation shot by Anthony Scoggins
Zandra Rhodes at the Mingei Museum

Architect Mies Van de Rohe once said "God is in the details." This quote came to mind when I toured the Zandra Rhodes exhibition at the Mingei Museum the other day and studied the garments up close. There were so many exquisite details that are just not visible in photos. Hand-rolled hems, delicate beading, intricate patterning, ornate stitching, and precise tucks are barely visible. These beautiful details are the hallmarks of work that is done with passion.

Details of The Dress 73/44 by Zandra Rhodes
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2011

Whimsical accessories complete the look. Isn't this hat zany?

Hat to accompany The Dress by Zandra Rhodes
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2011

This waistcoat in creamy silk with a quilted silk yoke is from 1970 but just as hip today. Note the V-shape of the body formed by the edge of the print and brown cock feathers emphasizing the tasseled fringes.

Chevron Shawl Waistcoat, 1970 Style 70/9
Zandra Rhodes Installation at the Mingei Museum
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2011

And would this outfit be as complete without the matching stockings?

Zandra Rhodes Printed Tights 1970
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2011

Zandra's deep love of travel and influence of other cultures is clearly evident in her work. Garments inspired by Mexico, India, Africa and other cultures are included in the show. As well, the juxtaposition of items from the Mingei Museum's collections, including Chinese baby hats, kimonos, ceremonial coats, and other textiles, layers in another dimension to this retrospective and adds an element of timeless and universal beauty to her work.

Punk dress 1978 and Dinosaur Coat 1971
Zandra Rhodes at the Mingei Museum

Installation Shot Color Gallery
Zandra Rhodes at the Mingei Museum

In the adjacent gallery, an exhibition of costumes and folk art objects from Romania are displayed in a show called Between East and West, Folk Art Treasures of Romania. I was told that Zandra spent some time there. Maybe we'll see a Romanian themed show from her in one of her upcoming collections.

Zandra Rhodes, A Lifelong Affair with Textiles, is on display at the Mingei Museum until April 3, 2011. 

What's on the Fashion Calendar for March?

The worlds of fashion and art have collided and there seem to be an unprecedented number of promising exhibitions on the calendar.

Worth Evening Gown and shoe by Isabelle de Borchgrave 2004
Photo by Andreas von Einsiedel
Courtesy of the Legion of Honor

Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave recently opened at the Legion of Honor Museum of Fine Arts in San Francisco. In this exhibition, over 60 paper sculptures from the studio of Isabelle de Borchgrave depict the history of costume. Taking inspiration from paintings, photographs, sketches and museum collections, this artist paints and manipulates paper to look like fabric, which is then styled into the dress silhouettes of the past.  I recall seeing her work in a show called Papier a la Mode at the Royal Ontario Museum  and I've been a fan ever since. In fact, I often revisit her exquisite work inside the beautiful book Paper Illusions, The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave. 

In Los Angeles, the Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915 exhibition at LACMA will close at the end of the month. This exhibition examines the changes in fashionable dress over a period of  two hundred years and considers the evolution in textiles, tailoring techniques, and trimmings in the presentation of the museum's relatively recent acquisition of a major European collection. With an incredibly beautiful book filled with breath-taking photos, I'm almost breathless with anticipation at finally getting there.

Also in Los Angeles is the unpretentious FIDM museum where there is an exhibition of  the 19th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design . The Academy award winning costumes from Alice in Wonderland by Collen Atwood are included in the exhibition as are costumes from The Kings' Speech, The Kids are Alright, The Tempest and other movies from 2010.

Installation shot of Punk Garments, 1977-78
From Zandra Rhodes: a life in textiles
Photo by Anthony Scoggins
Courtesy of the Mingei Museum

And of course, there is the exhibition of Zandra Rhodes: A Lifelong Affair with Textiles at the Mingei Museum. This iconic textile artist, fashion designer and costumer will be speaking about her opera costume and set design work on March 19th in San Diego.

Textiles are the first step of the process of creation for designer Yoji Yamamoto.  He once said "Fabric is everything". Using a variety of traditional Japanese techniques and other more common weaves such as gabardine and tweed, Yamamoto has all his fabrics made in Japan to his own specifications. He became internationally renowned for his unconventional designs that incorporate unusual pattern cutting and often seem oversized, unfinished, non-gender specific, or constructed out of non-traditional fabrics like felt or neoprene.  Yoji Yamamoto retrospective at Victoria and Albert Museum opens March 12.

So many places to be, so little time....

Inspiration and Process

A long time ago, an art teacher told me that it takes at least ten years of hard work to fully develop as an artist. At the time, I dismissed his comment, but as the years march on and I look back at where I've been and where I'm going, I now know he was right. It takes a lot of time, effort and work to find one's voice, to learn where to find new inspiration, and to understand process.

Zandra Rhodes, Crinoline Dress, 1973
Photo by Anthony Scoggins

As I delve deeper into the world of Zandra Rhodes, I think there is much to learn about her process as an artist and textile designer. The garments she creates are all about the textile, with lines and silhouettes that  highlight the textile. Looking at how she cuts the fabric, it is clearly evident that she maximizes the most beautiful features of the pattern and minimizes waste (reminding me of how it was done in the 18th century when cuts were minimized on the expensive and ornate fabrics).

Zandra Rhodes Sketchbook at the Mingei Museum
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2011

But the process all begins with her sketchbook. Unlike many fashion designers, she does not sketch garments. Instead her black hard-covered sketchbooks document her travels around the world and record whatever caught her eye on any given day. The sketches include plants, flowers, ceramic tiles, architecture, cartoons, waves, sculptures, doodles, anything that interested her.  Her sketchbooks are the first and most important step in finding inspiration for her fabric designs and the reason the Zandra Rhodes label is so unique. The book Zandra Rhodes, a lifelong affair with textiles, includes pages from her sketchbook and illustrates the process of translating these sketches into patterns for fabric design. The book is the next best thing to seeing the exhibition at the Mingei.

As an artist myself, I have a sketchbook, actually there are at least five of various sizes and shapes on my desk right now, but my use of them has been sporadic at best. And even though I travel widely and often, they rarely get the use that they should because I've let myself be distracted by demands of my family, my job, my blog, my Blackberry, and a symphony of other stuff.




Zandra Rhodes: A Lifelong Affair with Textiles
Mingei Museum
1439 El Prado - on the Plaza de Panama, San Diego CA
P: 619-239-0003

Is Fashion an Art Form?

Garments from Zandra Rhodes Collection of 1986-87 Spanish Impressions Collection,
Photo by Anthony Scoggins 2010

Is fashion an art form? According to acclaimed fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, the answer is yes!

In a conversation with Alice Rawsthorn, a columnist for the NY Times, Zandra said "I think fashion is an art form - you might call it decorative or applied art as opposed to fine art, but what is the distinction? Because the same amount of artistic expression goes into clothes, a piece of pottery or a painting." (pg. 103, Fashion Theory: A Reader, Routledge, London, 2007). Rawsthorn argued otherwise - citing the practical purpose of clothing as the reason fashion is not a true art form.

It's probably no surprise that I agree with Zandra. Her work speaks for itself. Fashion and art are one.

Zandra Rhodes was born in 1940 and her mother was a fitter for the Paris fashion House of Worth. Zandra studied printed textile design at The Royal College of Art in London and was a pioneer in the use of printed textiles as an intrinsic part of the garments she created. She opened her first shop in London in 1967 and was nicknamed the "Princess of Punk" after her 1977 collection which incorporated holes and beaded safety pins.  Zandra is renowned for her use of bold prints, feminine patterns and theatrical use of colour, not to mention her signature pink hairdo. She has created garments for many celebrities including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Isabella Blow, Helen Mirren and Sarah Jessica Parker. In the last few years, she has designed sets and costumes for the opera. Her work is included in many museum collections, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Royal Ontario Museum.

Installation shot of Punk garments by Zandra Rhodes, 1977-78.
Photo by Anthony Scoggins 2010

The Mingei Museum in San Diego is currently showing a retrospective of Zandra Rhodes work called A Lifelong Affair with Textiles which features garments from the 1960s through the 1980s.  The pieces reveal her process, approach to shape, color, technique and worldwide influences, and are complemented by textiles and objects from the Museum’s collection to emphasize the varied cultural sources of her creations.  The exhibition, which continues through April 3, 2011, has previously been seen in London, Italy, Australia, and Mexico City.

Zandra Rhodes Title Wall, Photo by Anthony Scoggins 2010

Zandra Rhodes will be speaking at the Mingei Museum on Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 7-8 pm in conversation with Nicolas Reveles, The Geisei Director of Education and Outreach for the San Diego Opera.

Mingei Museum
1439 El Prado - on the Plaza de Panama
San Diego CA 92101
P: 619-239-0003
F: 619-239-0605
E: mingei@mingei.org

Photo credits: The photos for this post were provided courtesy of the Mingei Museum and subject to copyright.