Antique Doll on a Stand

Yesterday while poking around a vintage shop on Queen Street, I came across this antique doll on a stand. Unfortunately, the owner of the store could not tell me anything about its history. The doll is about 2 feet tall and has a beautifully painted face and articulated joints in the arms.

Has anyone ever seen something like this? I'd love to research the doll but don't even know where to begin. Help!

Lace in Contemporary Fashion

Photos from Prada shop in London, England, July 2008

This is the last of my posts about lace. Although I intended to write about lace lappets (a relic of fashionable formal headdresses) I found myself yawing at the thought. If I'm bored by the topic, I'm fairly certain you, my loyal readers, will be too.

While I appreciate intricate workmanship that goes into making lace, especially by hand, I don't care to wear it myself. I agree with Monsieur Dior that lace "easily looks old fashioned". I prefer simple elegant lines in my clothing.

Last summer, when the fall 2008 lines were launched, I was quite surprised to see that Muicia Prada had used lace extensively in her collection. To me, the look was dowdy and old-fashioned. I think only gazelle like creatures with long legs and slim waists could carry off the look.

What do you think? Do any of you like to wear lace?

Book Review: Fashion Show, Paris Style

This book is not what it appears. While it may appear from the cover to be a superficial look at the world of fashion, it contains a wealth of information on the history of French fashion, beginning in the 17th century and up to the present day. Fashion Show: Paris Style was the exhibition catalogue from a 2006 show at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

The essay "La Mode: Paris and the Development of the French Fashion Industry" by Pamela A. Parmal, curator and head of the Department of Textile and Fashion Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, comprises one third of the book. Well written and beautifully illustrated with engravings, paintings and fashion plates, this is the best part of the book. Parmal writes with precision and elegance as she explores the rich history of the development of Paris as a fashion capital. I have read this essay numerous times and with each rereading I come away with a deeper level of understanding as to why Paris remains the focus of fashion to this day.

"To be in Paris without seeing fashion is to have one's eyes closed."
Marquis de Caraccioli, 1772 (page 13)

The second part of the book is a bridge between fashion history and contemporary fashion designers and consists of an 18-page essay on "Haute Couture and Ready-to-Wear: A Recent History" by Didier Grumbach.

The balance of the book is comprised of profiles of 10 fashion houses and designers, including: Azzedine Alaia, Hussein Chalayan, Chanel, Christian Dior, Maison Martin Margiela, Rochas, Valentino. Viktor & Rolf and Yohji Yamamoto. The profiles are accompanied by lavish colour photographs.

This book is an absolute must-read for all serious students of fashion!!

Title: Fashion Show, Paris Style
(Exhibition Catalogue, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
Essays by Pamela A. Parmal and Didier Grumbach
Designer Profiles by Susan Ward and Lauren D. Whitley
Published by: MFA Publications, Boston 2006
Category: Non-fiction, fashion
Number of Pages: 221
Price: $65

The Lace Sleeve Ruffle

Detail from a painting of The Marquise d'Aigurandes by F. Drouais, 1759

In eighteenth century France, lace sleeve ruffles were a very important fashion accessory. The sleeve ended just above or just below the elbow to show off the lace ruffle to best advantage. The ruffles could be single, double or treble, with each layer cut to enhance the effect of the lace.

Sleeve ruffles evolved during 18th century (as fashion is wont to do):
Early 1700s: Ruffles are slender and shaped, tapering from a deep central motif.
1720s: Double ruffles are popular.
1730: Shaped ruffles were often attached to muslin upper ruffles.
1750s: The weeping ruffle, which consisted of three layers was introduced.
1780s: Ruffles declined in popularity as the preference for simpler, lightweight, informal styles of dress such as the muslin chemise took hold.


Who knew that lace sleeve ruffles could be such an important accessory?

Dior on Lace

Today on my book blog, Blog of a Bookworm, I reviewed The Little Dictionary of Fashion written by Christian Dior and first published in 1954.

This is what Dior wrote about lace:

"Originally beautiful and expensive handwork, now machinery has made it possible for every woman to have it. I love lace for evening dresses...for a cocktail frock...or for a blouse. I am not so keen on it for trimmings -- it easily looks old fashioned. A little lace collar can look charming on a black frock but it must be chosen with discretion -- you don't want to look like Little Lord Fauntleroy! Under a black suit or with a full skirt for parties, a lace blouse can look charming. But being a rich and elaborate material it should only be used for very simple styles. When a fabric is fancy in itself it needs simplicity of design to show it to its best advantage. It is the same with an evening dress -- choose a style of great simplicity; no complicated drapes or complicated cutting." (page 71)

Book Review: The Little Dictionary of Fashion by Christian Dior

Title: The Little Dictionary of Fashion, A guide to dress sense for every woman
Author: Christian Dior
Category: Non-ficiton, fashion
Publisher: Abrams, New York, 2007 (First published in 1954 by Cassell & Co)
Price: US$19.95, Canada $21.95 (hardcover)
Number of Pages: 126


What it is about:
Christian Dior was not only a leading couturier, he was also a writer. He wrote several books, including this one. In his introduction, he says "Much has been written about Fashion, in all its aspects, but I do not think any couturier has ever before attempted to compile a dictionary on the subject".

In The Little Dictionary of Fashion, Dior compiles an alphabetical guide/dictionary to dressing with style and elegance. Beginning with "Accent" (that little personal touch which makes a dress your own dress) and ending with "Zest" (that is the secret of beauty and fashion, too), the book includes tips on style.

Dior wrote the book so that it would be "possible for a woman to be elegant without spending very much money on her clothes, if she follows the basic rules of Fashion and is careful to choose the clothes that suit her personality. Simplicity, good taste, and grooming are the three fundamentals of good dressing and these do not cost money."

Why I Chose this book:
After hearing Dr. Alexandra Palmer (Senior Curator of Fashion and Textiles at the Royal Ontario Museum) talk about her upcoming book on Dior, I decided to read everything I could about this leading couturier.

My Favourite Passage:
"Elegance: This is a word that would need a book to give it is right definition! I will only say now that elegance must be the right combination of distinction, naturalness, care, and simplicity. Outside this, believe me, there is no elegance. Only pretension.
Elegance is not dependent on money. Of the four things I have mentioned above, the most important of all is care. Care in choosing your clothes. Care in wearing them. Care in keeping them." (page 37)

Rating:
This is an amusing book for a serious fashion history buff like me. Although I was charmed, I would guess that most people would find this book out of date and somewhat dull.

The Establishment of a Lace Making Industry in France

Dress c 1690 (Note the profusion of lace trimmings and the lace lappets).

Lace is said to have originated in Venice in the 1300s. Over time, centres of lace-making developed in other parts of Europe including Flanders, Dresden and France.

Designs of early bobbin and needle laces have a strong resemblance to one another due to the creation of pattern books, which were disseminated throughout Europe. The earliest lace pattern book is believed to be from 1524.

Making lace was a labour-intensive process. For example, a pair of men's ruffles made of Valenciennes lace (a type of bobbin lace with the motifs outlined by small pin holes) might take "10 months to produce, based on a 15-hour working day". Not surprisingly, lace was extremely costly.

As the dictates of fashion in the seventeenth century proscribed lace cuffs, ruffs, collars, and trimmings, the demand for Venitian lace (as well as lace from Flanders) resulted in a huge amount of capital flowing out of France. Louis XIV's brilliant finance minister, Colbert, authorized significant investment in a French lace-making industry in Normandy. This site may have been chosen because there was already the beginnings of a lace and braid industry in the Duchy of Alencon.

In 1665, a Royal Ordinance established the manufacture of Points de France with an exclusive right to supply the French Court.

In 1667, the sale or wearing of Venetian lace or any other foreign lace was prohibited in France.

This prohibition was taken very seriously and foreign laces were publicly burned. In 1670, R. Montague said: "They are so set in this country upon maintaining their own manufactures that only two days ago there was publicly burnt by the hangman a hundred thousand crowns worth of point de Venise, Flanders lace and other commodities that are forbid."

Initially, the French copied Italian lace designs. With the high level of Royal patronage, the centres of Alencon and Argentan eventually developed their own styles and characteristics. Alencon often has a horsehair stiffening for the picots (loops) which meant that it was more often used in winter when humidity swelled and stiffened the horsehair. Argentella uses hexagonal mesh, each side of which is worked with buttonhole stitches.

After the French Revolution and the banning of ruffles in 1794, production fell dramatically. Alencon lace continued to be produced in the 19th century.

In May, I will be visiting Normandy, specifically the the Musée Baron Gérard which has an impressive collection of the local lace in both bobbin and needle technique dating back to the 18th century. The collection has household items (tablecloths, doilies, pillows, curtains, bedspreads) as well as garments (infant Christening gowns, wedding veils, dresses and blouses).

Lace in 18th Century France

1760 Robe a la francaise with engageantes, quilles, and lappets of lace

In the 18th century, lace was used extensively to enhance the dress of both men and women. For women, lace could adorn the fronts of their robes and gowns (engageantes), the sleeve ruffles (quilles) and lappets on the headdress. Decorative lace aprons were also very popular.

Lace was created using delicate handwork techniques involving either a needle (needle lace or needlepoint lace) or bobbins (bobbin lace).

Needle or needlepoint lace involved a single needle and thread. In its earliest form, lace was created using a piece of fine linen or silk where the threads of the fabric were cut or pulled to form holes and shapes. Those threads were then secured with tiny stitches or embroidered into patterns.

As lace-making developed, another form of needlepoint lace was created whereby the lacemaker pinned a groundwork of linen threads to a parchment strip and the pattern was built up on them with buttonhole stitches. This allowed the lacemaker to break free of a rectilinear pattern and permitted the creation of curved shapes (often found in 17th century laces).

Part of a French needle-lace collar associated with Marie Antoinette, 1780s


Bobbin lace was created by weaving linen threads separated by weighted bobbins around pins stuck in a pattern on a circular pillow. The pins were removed as each section developed and reinserted into the pattern. Between 80 and 200 bobbins had to be manipulated to create the lace patterns, making it the purview of professionals, while needle lace was considered appropriate for the gentlewoman.

Brussels bobbin lace cravat possibly made for Louis XIV

Postscript:
This post was inspired by an inquiry by Melinda who is a student at Missouri Southern State University. To that end, I'll writing about lace all this week. Lappets are worthy of their own post!

Book Review: The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris

Title: The Beautiful Fall, Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris
Author: Alicia Drake
Publisher: Back Bay Books, New York, 2006
Category: Non-fiction, Fashion, History
Number of Pages: 439
Price: US$14.99, Canada $17.25 (Paperback)

What it is about:
The lives and careers of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent were intertwined from the moment they both stood on the stage to receive their awards in the 1954 International Wool Secretariat fashion design competition. Yves Saint Laurent, aged eighteen and recently arrived from Algeria, was the winner of first and third prizes in the dress category. Karl Lagerfeld, aged twenty-one from Hamburg, was winner of the coat category. From that point, Laurent and Lagerfeld were friends and rivals as their careers and lives evolved in the heady world of Parisian haute couture.

The story of the rivalry between these two iconic designers is written chronologically and the book spans the period 1954-1989. The pawn in the game between the two men was the bon vivant Jacques de Bascher. In the course of his short life, Jacques traveled between the two rival fashion camps, wrecking havoc in his wake with his affair with Yves Saint Laurent and troubled relationship with Lagerfeld.

Why I Chose this book:
It was recommended as an excellent chronicle of the 1970s fashion scene in Paris.

Favourite Passage:
"It is a grim moment for the designer when he or she finds himself or herself totally out of fashion, left behind, out of synch as time moves on. A new generation is born and the designer's vision or creative expression no longer describes or evokes the time around them. This is a creative pain unique to fashion. Of course there are trends and moods in every art form, the recent dominance of conceptual art being an obvious example. But a painting, even if it is not fashionable, can still possess its own intrinsic artistic and creative merit. Whereas one of the defining qualities of fashion is that it should describe its epoch and the desires of that moment." (page 291)

Rating:
This title of this book is a misnomer because it doesn't even hint at the scandal contained within the pages. The author has constructed shocking portraits of two of the 20th centuries greatest designers.

I was stunned by the story as it unfolded. There was so much genius, so much debauchery and so much animosity. Even though I have written extensively about Yves Saint Laurent on my fashion blog, I had little knowledge of his personal life until I read this book.

I was horrified by the degree to which Lagerfeld has manipulated and refashioned his life story to suit his purposes. The fact that Lagerfeld filed a legal writ against the author in 2006 claiming invasion of privacy, which was denied by the court, is proof of the explosive nature of the material contained in this book. No doubt the author's meticulous research and documentation (extensive footnotes and interview lists are included in the book) served her well in court.

The only weak part of the book are the title and the cover image. The rest of it is sizzling hot!

Paper Dresses and Accessories

Zara, Paper Dress and Accessories, Mixed Media, mounted in 8x10 shadow box
copyright Ingrid Mida 2009

Gabriela, Paper Dress and Accessories, Mixed Media, mounted in 8x10 shadow box,
copyright Ingrid Mida 2009


Daisy, Paper Dress and Accessories, Mixed Media, mounted in 8x10 shadow box,
copyright Ingrid Mida 2009

These whimsical miniature paper dresses and accessories are meant to evoke a feeling of nostalgia for the 1960s when paper dresses were all the rage. I hope they bring some sunshine and delight to your day.

If you'd like to read more about paper dresses and their place in fashion history, please see my posts from February 8, 2009 and February 9, 2009.

A Peek into my Studio

Inspiration: "a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul of a man"/(woman) Webster's Enclyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary

Although books and films are sources of inspiration for my artwork, I also am constantly ripping out magazine clippings of pretty things. Sometimes it is a line, a colour, or a mood that I like. I try not to think about it, I just rip..... Many of these clippings sit in piles on my desk at home, on the table in my studio, in files, in art journals, stuffed into drawers.... Only a fraction of them end up on this mood board.

For Gabriela Delworth's Mood Party today, I spent a bit of time tidying up my board to make it presentable. After looking at my photo, I think I might have ADD!!! Audrey Hepburn, Egon Schiele's wife, the Mondrian dress by YSL, the red dresses and a corset by Valentino, an outfit by Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier, a pink couch, a French playing card, a peacock feather -- I have no idea what they share, except beauty and elegant lines. I suppose that is the essence of my work, of me....

Inspiration

Gabriela Delworth is hosting a mood party on her blog on Saturday, April 18th and invited me to join her as she celebrates the powers of inspiration behind this creative tool.

Being somewhat wrapped up in this week's deadlines, I wasn't sure whether I could participate. And truth be told, I have been somewhat disorganized in how I handle all the clippings I've ripped out of fashion, design and art magazines. Sometimes I glue them into an art journal. Sometimes they pile up around my computer. And sometimes I hang them up on my inspiration or mood board. But with a little bit of effort, my mood board was presentable enough to take some photographs for Gabriela's party.

Here is a peek at a corner of my mood board today:


Come back tomorrow and I'll show you the whole thing!