Spring Newsletter 2014

Contents Page

Committee 3 & 4 Conference papers 2013 5 - 10 Call for papers 2014 conference 11 News 11 – 18 Exhibitions and Events 19- 29 Books 29-33

Front cover image: Detail of the pocket of a lady’s jacket c.1750. Arlington Court collection. Image © National Trust

DATS Committee 2014 Officers Chair Secretary Edwina Ehrman Rebecca Quinton Curator, Textiles & Fashion, Curator (European Costume and Textiles) Furniture, Textiles & Fashion Department Glasgow Museums Victoria & Albert Museum Burrell Collection Cromwell Road 2060 Pollokshaws Road London SW7 2RL. Glasgow G43 1AT Tel: 020 7942 2673 Tel: 0141 287 2571 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Treasurer Membership Secretary Danielle Sprecher Veronica Isaac Leeds Museums and Galleries Curatorial Assistant Discovery Centre Department of Theatre and Performance Carlisle Road Victoria and Albert Museum Leeds LS10 1LB South Kensington Tel: 0113 214 1557 London SW7 2RL Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Newsletter Editor Web Editor Paula Martin Kate Reeder House & Collections Manager Social History Curator The National Trust Beamish North of England Open Air Arlington Court and the National Trust Museum Carriage Museum Beamish Barnstaple Co. Durham DH9 0RG Devon EX31 4LP Tel: 0191 370 4009 Tel: 01271 851129 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

SSN Officer Jenny Lister Curator, 19th Century Textiles and Fashion Department of Furniture, Textiles and Fashion Victoria & Albert Museum South Kensington London SW7 2RL Tel: 020 7942 2665 Email: [email protected]

Representatives East Wales and West Veronica Isaac Sarah Jane Kenyon Curatorial Assistant Museum Curator Department of Theatre and Performance Dents Museum Victoria and Albert Museum Furnax Lane South Kensington Warminster BA12 8PE London SW7 2RL Tel: 01985 212291 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Exhibitions & Arts Officer Trowbridge Museum The Shire Shopping Centre Court Street Trowbridge BA14 8AT Tel: 01225 751 339 Email: [email protected]

Central Northern Veronica Main Natalie Raw Significant Collections Curator Curator (Costume and Textiles) Luton Culture Leeds City Council Wardown Park Museum Discovery Centre Old Bedford Road Carlisle Road Luton LU2 7HA Leeds LS10 1LB Tel: 01 582 547 968 Tel: 0113 37 82103 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Scotland Ireland Rebecca Quinton Valerie Wilson Curator (European Costume and Textiles) Curator of Textiles Glasgow Museums National Museums of Northern Ireland Burrell Collection Cultra 2060 Pollokshaws Road Holywood Glasgow G43 1AT Co. Down BT18 0EU Tel: 0141 287 2571 Tel: 028 9039 5167 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Conservation London Ann French Beatrice Behlen Collections Care Manager / Conservator Senior Curator, Fashion & Decorative Arts (Textiles) Museum of London Whitworth Art Gallery 150 London Wall Oxford Road London EC2Y 5HN Manchester M15 6ER e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 0161 275 7485 Email: [email protected]

Papers from the 2013 Conference. Thank you to all the speakers who contributed to the conference and made it such a success. Caroline Ness and Christina Parker have kindly written synopses of their papers for this newsletter. The Mattli collection at the Fashion Museum: evidence for couture construction – synopsis

By Caroline Ness PhD, Centre for Textile Conservation, University of Glasgow

I was particularly thrilled to be invited to speak at the 2013 DATS conference as my PhD research is based upon the Mattli archive at the Fashion Museum in Bath.

The title of my thesis is: Famous, Forgotten, Found: rediscovering the career of London couture fashion designer Giuseppe (Jo) Mattli, 1934-19801

My research focussed on researching Mattli’s long career in the form of a case study for investigating how to recover hidden dress histories effectively. Mattli is a good example of a once famous and then just about forgotten mid-twentieth century London couturier. A Swiss National and the eleventh member of that elite group of couturiers known as the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, Mattli reached the height of his fame during the mid-1950s. Mattli retired from making couture in 1975, and his ready-to-wear business finally closed in 1980, barely two years before his death.

My paper for DATS concentrated on how I used object-based evidence combined with oral history to investigate and interpret surviving Mattli garments in the Fashion Museum collection. Object-based research often results in evidence that cannot be found elsewhere. I wanted to determine which garments were constructed in the couture method of the time and which were produced as ready-to-wear. Eight garments in the Fashion Museum collection contained ‘Mattli London’ and one a ‘Mattli Ready To Wear’ label along with 19 that were unlabelled.

Examination of the garments supported by first-hand knowledge from oral testimonies revealed that typical couture construction methods of the time had been used on all the ‘Mattli London’ labelled garments. The ready-to-wear garment was found to have been made to almost the same standard as the couture but with less evidence for personalised fitting. The unlabelled garments were interpreted as original model designs used for showing to clients before individual orders were made. Seven unfinished garments showed evidence of workshop construction techniques including colour-coded basting stitches used when garments were made from a toile rather than a paper pattern.

Much of the evidence was obtained through looking at the objects and using information gathered from people who had worked in the London couture industry. This

1 Caroline Ness, unpublished PhD thesis, University of Glasgow, 2014.

highlighted the effectiveness of object-based research and the importance of oral history where it is possible still to gather.

With thanks to Rosemary, Elaine, Elly and Vivien at the Fashion Museum for allowing me access to the Mattli collection of garments, press books and drawings, for always making me most welcome and for providing wonderful support, advice, and encouragement during my research project.

A World in a Wardrobe: Case Study

Christina Parker, Head of Education, Holburne Museum

In the Spring of 2013, the Holburne Museum in Bath held an exhibition called Painted Pomp: Art & Fashion in the Age of Shakespeare. The exhibition centred on nine full- length Jacobean portraits by William Larkin on loan from Kenwood House during its closure for restoration. The paintings originally came from the collection of the Earls of Suffolk and Berkshire at Charlton Park, Malmesbury and show members of the extended Howard and Cecil families – the cream of Jacobean courtly society. One theory is that they were made to mark the marriage of Thomas Howard and Elizabeth Cecil.

The most striking feature of the portraits is the costume, painted in exquisite detail, so at an early stage in the planning it was decided that this should not just be an art exhibition but that the focus should be on the clothes. The portraits were exhibited alongside early 17th century clothing and accessories from the Fashion Museum, The Ashmolean, The Royal Collection, the Worshipful Company of Glovers and private collectors as well as two costumes on loan from the Royal Shakespeare Company and a video showing the actors being dressed in the different layers of that costume.

We were keen to maximise the opportunities that this exhibition presented and were successful in our bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for funding to enable us to develop and deliver a rich and varied programme of activities, workshops and interpretation to complement the exhibition. The funding enabled us to take risks and to experiment. Unsurprisingly, one of the grant conditions was that we evaluated all of our activities. We used a variety of questionnaires to suit the different audiences that we worked with and analysed the evaluations using ‘Generic Learning Outcomes’ –a system developed by the former Museums, Libraries & Archives Council – dividing responses into evidence

of Knowledge & Understanding; Skills; Enjoyment, Inspiration & Creativity; Activity, Behaviour & Progression, and Attitudes & Values.

We were already working with Jane Malcolm-Davies in an advisory role and the funding enabled us to engage her to help us to offer some new experiences both for us and our visitors. Generous as the HLF grant was, we couldn’t run to having reproductions of any of the lavish costumes in the Larkin paintings made but Jane had costumes of the correct period that we could hire. We knew that these would still enable us to interpret the paintings as, due to their quality, we could still demonstrate fabrics, construction, accessories and the complexity of what people wore.

Our experience at the Holburne of using costume as an interpretative tool was limited. We have had actors at events in period costume and we use child-size costumes in some of our school workshops, not to teach about the costume however but to reproduce the composition of paintings – so purely as a prop and of the ‘recreation standard’ referred to by Jane Malcolm-Davies. I think it’s fair to say that we thought the costume would provide a nice entertaining ‘add-on’ but its popularity and its effectiveness took us all by surprise.

Jane ran an excellent, highly enjoyable training day for education staff, freelancers and volunteers. This was essential to the success of the activities. Not only did Jane teach us about the costume of the period but she had numerous practical hints about running the sessions. Although the training day was obviously focused on enabling us to provide activities for the exhibition, many of the outcomes, as identified by the participants, were transferable skills:

• increased knowledge of Jacobean fashion and the historical period • increased skills in demonstration techniques • increased skills to engage with a variety of audiences and their needs • raised awareness of the importance of ‘hands-on’/interactive opportunities.

So what did we do? The HLF funding enabled us to offer a number of workshops free to schools and colleges. We ran seventeen primary school workshops. Each began with a 30 minute costume session at which two children were dressed by a session leader, supported by a volunteer; they talked about each item of clothing as it went on and

7 answered pupils’ questions. After the costume session, pupils visited the exhibition and completed activity challenges. They then returned to the education room to make ruffs, shoe roses and fans based on what they had seen both in the costume session and the exhibition.

Whilst there was great hilarity during the sessions, they weren’t just entertaining. Teachers were given a quiz to give to their pupils after the visit to enable us to assess the most effective activities and delivery methods. Evaluation showed that the costume sessions were the most memorable and effective part of the visit. Pupils remembered and felt that they had learnt more about the costume than anything else…and the activity that helped them learn the most about the exhibition – was the costume session.

Based on 218 pupils’ responses

We also ran five sessions for secondary schools and three for further education colleges for students studying GCSE & A level Art and Textiles. Session leaders were able to go into far more depth about the costume and the students enjoyed the costume as much as the younger pupils. Some of the groups made standing ruffs out of Stitch & Tear interfacing as their follow-up activity.

One teacher wrote: I really got inspired by the paintings because of the way you set the scene – usually they wouldn’t be so interested in these sorts of formal paintings. This was an interesting comment; we had originally planned to do the costume session after the exhibition visit but at the very first session the school was late and we changed the order of activities. We soon realised that pupils’ enthusiasm for, understanding of and interaction with the exhibition was a direct result of their having experienced the costume session first. It enabled further learning to take place – something that we hadn’t anticipated.

Even more of a new experience for us though was our decision to offer hour long costume sessions for the general visitor every Saturday afternoon plus extras in the school holidays. Due to practicalities of space and noise, we ran these, not in the exhibition, but in our larger Portrait Gallery, followed by an optional visit to the exhibition with the session leader. What came as a total surprise to us was that, rather than being primarily families, at whom we had aimed the events, 75% of the total audience over the twenty-one sessions was adult. Adults enjoy such activities just as much as children so we learnt some useful lessons about how we market our activities. The sessions also attracted a number of adults who were members of costume societies, re-enactment groups and historic dance groups; their informed questioning proved a challenge for some of the session leaders despite Jane’s excellent training. Evaluations showed that these sessions were a big attraction and hugely successful: 61% of respondents had visited the museum especially for the costume session and 99% felt the session helped them understand and enjoy the exhibition more (based on 260 visitor responses). Visitor comments included:

Great commentary, made the pictures come to life! and

Made me notice more than my previous visit

So often in museums we are passive observers. What was great about these sessions was that they were enjoyable, social occasions that people really felt a part of and that even got strangers talking to each other

In conclusion, the use of reproduction costume as a major interpretative tool was a highly enjoyable and effective one for both the Holburne Museum and our audiences and one that we are keen to repeat. It is something that everyone can relate to, whatever their age or gender and really enabled audiences to look more closely, to understand and to appreciate not only the portraits but a little of the lives of those depicted in them; it is most certainly not just ‘dressing-up’.

DATS 2014 CONFERENCE 25 -26 SEPTEMBER, LONDON CLOTH: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE CALL FOR PAPERS

We welcome proposals for 20 minute and 30 minute talks about any aspect and type of cloth from research, development and design to manufacture and use, as well as its conservation, storage and interpretation.

The emphasis of the conference will on sharing expertise and working with collections and the public. Papers that relate to projects and the challenges they posed, will be particularly welcome.

The conference will be held at two locations.

Day 1, 25 September, will be held at Clothworkers’ Hall, Dunster Court, Mincing Lane, London EC3R 7AH. This day will consist of a series of short papers grouped in themes.

Day 2, 26 September, will be held at the V&A’s new Clothworkers’ Centre for the Study and Conservation of Textiles and Fashion which is located at Blythe House, 23 Blythe Road, London W14 0QX. This day will focus on object study and will include introductions to the textile and fashion archives in the Archive of Art & Design, the V&A’s Theatre and Performance Collection, the new Clothworkers’ Centre (which includes custom-built storage and upgraded conservation studios) and the British Museum textile store (tbc).

We would also be interested to hear ideas for short object-based sessions at the Clothworkers’ Centre. These could combine a PowerPoint presentation supplemented by objects from the V&A’s collection, which is available on line at: collections.vam.ac.uk/

Please send proposals by 9 May with a 300 word synopsis of the talk and its length (20 or 30 minutes) to Edwina Ehrman, Research Department, Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL.

Should you have any questions please email: [email protected] News

Lotherton Hall Aberford, Leeds, LS25 3EB 0113 3782959 www.leeds.gov.uk/lothertonhall

Major Redevelopment of the Fashion Galleries Lotherton Hall has been awarded funding from the Department for Culture Media and Sport and Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, to redevelop its fashion

galleries. As part of the planned work, several rooms will be refurbished and a new lift installed so visitors can have full access to the much loved country house as well as the exciting modern exhibition spaces. The redevelopment will create an up to date 21st century gallery space, which will have the flexibility and the facilities to allow for a regular changing programme of fashion and textile exhibitions. Work will begin behind the scenes this summer and the current exhibition, ‘Dressed for Battle’ will close in September with the launch of the Fashion Galleries in March 2015 with a debut exhibition ‘Age of Glamour – Fashion from the Fifties’.

Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills Canal Road, Leeds, LS12 2QF 0113 263 7861 www.leeds.gov.uk/armleymills New Tailoring Gallery

The tailoring displays at Armley Mills Museum are currently being updated and a new tailoring gallery will be open in May 2014.

The new gallery will explore the importance and vast scale of the Leeds tailoring manufacturers during their heyday and beyond. On display will be suits, along with photographs and amazing film footage from well-known names like Burtons and Hepworth’s. The objects and the stories collected from people who worked in the industry will demonstrate how the Leeds multiple tailors once dominated Britain’s high street and their significance to men’s’ fashion history.

Yorkshire Textiles Micro-manufacturing project

What would otherwise be industrial artifacts of the textile industry and heritage of Yorkshire are being brought to life by the 'Yorkshire Textiles' micro-manufacturing project developed by Susan Gaunt, at Armley Mills. With vast textile experience and a UK textile designer, Susan Gaunt has directed the work to bring the Hattersley Loom back into working order. A passion for the textile industry and encouraging young designers to understand the skills and creative processes needed to produce fine woollen textiles have been driving forces.

Producing a luxury, ethical cloth with a heritage pedigree using British wool – developed with Laxton’s Mill – Susan will be using the Hattersley to weave a unique cloth that reflects the heritage of Armley Mills.

With the resurgence of interest and appreciation of the provenance of products in the luxury market the scheme will highlight the Yorkshire textile heritage and its place in modern day design. Ultimately the aim is for the cloth to be available on a commercial basis.

Temple Newsam

Temple Newsam Rd, Off Selby Rd, Leeds, LS15 0AE 0113 336 7461 www.leeds.gov.uk/templenewsam

New Acquisition of a 17th century Beadwork Mirror

Leeds Museums and Galleries have recently acquired an exceptionally fantastic late 17th century beadwork mirror. The mirror had been on loan to Temple Newsam House since the 1940s but has now been purchased with aid from the Art Fund, V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the Leeds Art Fund. Further funds have been awarded by the Monument Trust for the mirror to be conserved so it can, once again, be displayed at Temple Newsam House.

Although the exact provenance of the mirror is unknown it came to Temple Newsam from the Horton Fawkes family of Farnley Hall, Otley, near Leeds. The mirror may well have been passed on down through the Horton-Fawkes Family or brought to the house by the antiquarian collector (and friend of Turner) Walter Ramsden Fawkes (1769 – 1825), who inherited the Hall in 1792.

Leeds City Museum Millennium Square, Leeds, LS2 8BH 0113 224 3732 www.leeds.gov.uk/citymuseum

Voices of Asia

The World View gallery at Leeds City Museum is re-opening on 18 April 2014 with ‘Voices of Asia’, which will showcase a broad range of our Asian collections, including some textiles in the ‘Fashion and Style’ section. The first installation will include a Gujarati tie- dye shawl, a Japanese Uchikake wedding robe, a Chinese dragon robe, and bridal wear from South Asia. The dragon robe is of red silk, so may well be for a bride too. The displays have been planned in partnership with many different local community groups. The topic will stay in this space for five years, but change annually to reflect different project work, and a different world faith each year, beginning with Hinduism in 2014.

Northampton shoe collection goes virtual.

One of the largest shoe collections in the world is going to be digitised and made available online for everyone to see.

The virtual shoe collection will provide an accessible source of inspiration for designers, students, researchers and academics across the globe as well as for people who love shoes.

The project is part of a wider drive by Northampton Borough Council’s museum service to raise awareness of its world famous shoe collection and make it accessible to a greater audience.

Northampton museums have been collecting shoes since the 1870s and today there are over 12,000 pairs of shoes in the collection dating back from 1000BC to the present day. In 1997 the collection was given Designated status by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council in recognition of its national and international importance.

International shoe and fashion designers, academic institutions, researchers, filmmakers, TV, radio and print media as well as other museums and galleries use the collection as a resource, but currently only around five per cent of the collection is available digitally.

This latest initiative, which will increase access to the collection and raise its profile, has been made possible thanks to a successful bid by the council to Arts Council England for £69,900 in grant funding.

Councillor Brandon Eldred, Northampton Borough Council cabinet member responsible for museums, said: “This is a great opportunity for us to showcase the collection and share it with the widest possible audience.

“It is also an opportunity for us to tap into income streams that are open to museums to generate income from image licensing. At the moment we licence our images for a fee but can’t satisfy all enquirers as the quality of images we have isn’t always good enough. We now live in a digital age and this is a fantastic opportunity for us to build a catalogue of print quality photos that are widely available.”

Peter Knott, area director of Arts Council England, said: “Designated collections show the richness and variety of our country’s cultural heritage. Investing in digital technology will make it easier for people interested in shoe-design to access the Northampton shoe collection. It will also allow international audiences to explore Northampton’s shoe-making legacy.”

Work will now start to photograph all of the shoes in the collection which will be featured online alongside descriptions of the shoes. The virtual collection is expected to be online by April 2016.

Victoria E Davies Exhibitions Officer Northampton Museum and Art Gallery 01604 837632 Follow us on Twitter @NorthamptonShoe

www.textilesociety.org.uk

The Textile Society is a charity which promotes the history, culture and study of textiles, established in 1982.

The Professional Development Award 2014

This award is intended for those professionally practising in their chosen textile field, whether craft, design, curatorial, scientific or any other related textile field. Its intention is to aid further development for professional practising textile people. The Award is for a monetary bursary of £2000 and is NOT intended for BA and MA students. It is aimed at professionals or researchers working within a recognised textile field. Applications are assessed annually, and the award is given on the strength of the applicant meeting the professional criteria within their set textile field; there is only one award for all fields.

Guidelines

The application should show: 1. The applicant has a dedicated past career with a genuine enthusiasm for their project. 2. An innovative and ambitious project with energy and originality. 3. How the Textile Society funding would be spent, preferably with some mention of budget costs 4. How your project will further the aims of the Textile Society and benefit its members.

A working liaison with the Textile Society is encouraged and as such: The Textile Society should be appropriately acknowledged on any winning project. The Textile Society will be provided with a brief report which may be published in TEXT (The Textile Society Journal) and/or if appropriate a Study Day or another educational Event held at an appropriate venue.

The applications should be written on no more than 4 sides of A4

The application should include no more than 6 good quality visuals, which can be used by the Textile Society for publicity purposes. These should be sent separately to the written sheets either by email or CD if sending by post.

For further detail and an application form please see http://www.textilesociety.org.uk/bursaries-awards/professional- development- award.php

In order to qualify the applicant must be an individual member of The Textile Society or working within an institution that is a member.

The closing date for applications is 1st September 2014 (applicants will be notified if they have been successful or not).

Please see the website for past winners, http://textilesociety.org.uk/bursaries- awards/professional-development- winners.php

www.textilesociety.org.uk

The Textile Society is a charity which promotes the history, culture and study of textiles, established in 1982.

The Textile Society Museum, Archive and Conservation Award 2014

The Society offers awards of up to £5,000 for a textile related project within the museum, archive or conservation sector. The Award is designed to support textile related projects within a museum, archive, or conservation studio for exhibition, publication or conservation and will help achieve greater awareness and access for the public. It is not an award for an individual e.g. individual researcher (unless attached to a museum).

Criteria/Guidelines:

1. The project should have a clearly defined educational objective which will increase public access to a collection or archive. 2. Your project must be viable (preferably with some mention of budget costs) and have vision. 3. Your application should state clearly how the Textile Society funding will be

spent and how your institution could benefit the members and aims of the Textile Society. 4. The museum or conservation studio should have a registered / provisional registered status. If the applicant is a private society or repository then a request for information may be necessary to verify that archival / museum standards are undertaken.

Application: The application should be no more than four written sides of A4; each sheet should be clearly marked with the name of the institution applying. The application should provide 4 good quality visuals, which are referenced and the society is able to use for their publicity purposes. These should be sent separately to the written sheets either by email or CD if sending by post. The information should be sent by email or post in PDF or Word format together with the application form.

For further detail and an application form please see http://textilesociety.org.uk/bursaries-awards/museum-award.php.

Deadline for applications: 2nd June 2014.

Judges are selected for their professional museum knowledge and experience. They will be chosen each year so as to provide a fair unbiased view.

Applicants DO NOT have to be institutional members of the Textile Society to apply, however if you are not a member then a £25 administration fee will be charged.

A working liaison with the Textile Society is encouraged and as such the Textile Society should be appropriately acknowledged and the Textile Society Logo should be displayed on all written material. The Society should also be provided with a report which may be published in TEXT (The Textile Society Journal) and /or if appropriate a study day held at the winning institution.

Awards cannot be put towards salaries of employees or the running costs of the institution.

In 2013 £3,000 was awarded to Bexley Heritage Trust for David Evans Remembered a project to document and digitise an archive of pattern books and printed samples from David Evans Company, silk printers.

£1409 was also awarded to the Fleet Air Arm Museum for the conservation of a Second World War ensign from HMS Nairana, an escort carrier which saw convoy duty in the Arctic Ocean.

Please see the website for other past winners, www.textilesociety.org.uk/bursaries- awards/museum-award-winners.php

Calling all craft, sewing and stitch groups! The Royal School of Needlework launches st 21 Century Sampler Competition

To coincide with its current Sampler Exhibition, the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) has launched an exciting competition, to design a sampler that depicts the 21st Century. Open to everyone, the sampler can be stitched by individuals or sewing and craft groups in any technique and the winning design will be announced on 7 July. The winner will get the opportunity to make up their sampler design for the RSN (with some help if required) so that it becomes part of the RSN’s Archive Collection for years to come.

The RSN exhibition has an extensive range of Samplers on show. With exhibits ranging from 1731- 2013, from band samplers to ABCs with Bible verses, patterns and motifs, map samplers, darning samplers, long sewing and stitch lesson samplers from school days to doll- size costumes to illustrate stitching, making-up and patching.

RSN 21st Century Sampler Competition details at:

www.royal-needlework.org.uk/21stCenturySamplerCompetition

RSN’s Sampler Exhibition details at: www.royal- needlework.org.uk/samplerexhibition

The Royal School of Needlework was founded in 1872 and is the international centre of excellence for the art of hand embroidery. It is based at Hampton Court Palace in Surrey and offers a range of embroidery courses from day classes for beginners, a Certificate and Diploma course and a Degree programme.

www.royal-needlework.org.uk

Contact Monica Wright, External Relations Manager, Royal School of Needlework T: +44 (0)20 3166 6943 E: monica.wright@royal- needlework.org.uk

Exhibitions and events

London

Royal School of Needlework, Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU www.royal-needlework.org.uk/samplerexhibtion

Sampler Exhibition. 20 January – 17 July 2014.

With items dated from 1731- 2013, from band samplers to ABCs with Bible verses, patterns and motifs, map samplers, darning samplers, long sewing and stich lesson samplers from school days to doll-size costumes to illustrate stitching, making-up and patching. How to book: • Visiting times: On set dates/times during each month and all places must be pre- booked • £16 for 1.5 hour tour which includes a power point presentation and a guided tour of the exhibition lead by volunteers • Individuals and groups welcome • For group tour bookings contact Belinda Egginton on +44 (0)20 3166 6941

Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Street, London SW7 http://www.vam.ac.uk/

The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945 – 2014. 5 April - 27 July 2014. A comprehensive look at Italian Fashion from the end of the Second World War to the present day. The story will be explored through the key individuals and organisations that have contributed to Italy's reputation for quality and style. http://www.vam.ac.uk/b/blog/glamour-italian-fashion

Wedding Dresses 1775-2014. 3 May 2014 - 15 March 2015. The exhibition will trace the development of the fashionable white wedding dress and its treatment by key fashion designers such as Charles Frederick Worth, Norman Hartnell, Charles James, John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood and Vera Wang offering a panorama of fashion over the last two centuries. The exhibition will highlight the histories of the dresses, revealing fascinating details about the lives of the wearers and offering an intimate insight into their circumstances and fashion choices. http://www.vam.ac.uk/b/blog/here-come-brides

Museum of London, 150 London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN www.museumoflondon.org.uk The Anatomy of a Suit. Until 1 June 2014 As the capital gets set to celebrate men’s fashion with London Collections: Men, we unpick the secrets of the suit with a free display in the Sackler Hall. Using historical suit jackets from markets across the capital, we've dissected a selection of historical jackets in order to trace the technical genius lurking underneath the suit’s surface.

Previous research into the suit has at times overlooked the fact that it is a feat of engineering, with the ability to transform the body. Since the secrets of the suit are hidden on the inside, it’s easy to see why. It’s only through deconstructing the suit jacket and turning it inside out that we can bring its technical genius to the fore.

Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF T: 020 7407 8664 | E: [email protected] MADE IN MEXICO. The Rebozo in Art, Culture & Fashion 6 June – 30 August 2014

This summer the Fashion and Textile Museum stages the first-ever exhibition on the rebozo – the classic Mexican shawl made famous in 20th century culture by artist Frida Kahlo. Made in Mexico explores the key role textiles have played in promoting Mexican culture worldwide from the 17th century to the present day. Rebozos on display include major loans from: the Franz Mayer Museum, Mexico City; the Museum of Textiles, Oaxaca; the British Museum and rebozos from private collections that have never been shown in public before. Contemporary Mexican and UK artists, photographers, fashion and textile designers also present new work created in response to the rebozo and Mexican textiles – including Francisco Toledo, Graciela Iturbide, Carla Fernandez, Zandra Rhodes and Kaffe Fassett

Knitwear in Fashion – Chanel to Westwood 19 September 2014 – 18 January 2015

Inspirational vintage fashion knitwear from the 20th century. Highlights include 1920s Chanel jersey, 1930s woollen swimwear, 1970s Bill Gibb and conceptual garments from 1980s and 90s designers Comme des Garçons, Vivienne Westwood and Julien MacDonald. An exciting combination of famous names and visually exciting pieces, the exhibition charts the influence of art movements Pop, Punk and Deconstruction alongside new knitwear technologies and design innovation.

The South East.

The Bexhill Museum, Egerton Rd, Bexhill, East Sussex TN39 3HL. 01424 787950

Drawing Museum Lace. 3 Feb – 8 May 2014,

The exhibition will feature 20 intricate white-ink drawings of hand-made lace from museum collections across the country and will include a specially commissioned drawing of a hand-made Honiton lace collar from Bexhill Museum's costume collection. The original lace collar will be on display with the drawing in the Costume Gallery throughout the exhibition. Drawing Museum Lace is supported using public funding by Arts Council England and the exhibition continues until 8th May.

Forthcoming exhibitions featuring Teresa Whitfield’s lace drawings:

‘Lace Effects’: Calais Museum of Lace & Fashion (25 May – 7 Dec 2014)

‘Drawing Museum Lace’: Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum (13 Sep 14 – 3 Jan 15)

Waddesdon Manor, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0JH 26 March-26 October 2014 Wednesday to Sunday, 10-5pm (grounds), 12-4pm (house weekdays), 11-4pm (house weekends) www.waddesdon.org.uk Telephone: 01296 653226

Image caption: Tatted buttons based on 18th-century buttons collected by Baroness Edmond de Rothschild; © Photo and design: Jennifer Williams

Continuing our contemporary programme, lace-makers and selected artists have been invited to respond to the collection at Waddesdon, which includes historic lace acquired by Baroness Edmond de Rothschild (1853-1935).

While examples of lace and accessories from the 17th to the 20th centuries are displayed, the new works are inspired by aspects of Waddesdon as diverse as architecture, automata, porcelain and panelling and are shown in the historic interiors, challenging the traditional concept of lace.

Materials and techniques will be explored through a range of events, including lace demonstrations, ‘drop-in’ and bookable workshops. Artists working with or inspired by lace will be featured in the shop.

To complement the exhibition, a symposium The Art of Lace: Historic and Contemporary Materials, Techniques and Display will take place on Saturday 13th September 2014. Speakers Philippa Lawrence (Contemporary Artist), Annabel Talbot (Freelance Consultant), Lauran Sundin (Contemporary Artist) and Gail Baxter and Carol Quarini (Directors, Lace Research Network, UCA Farnham) will explore the challenge of displaying historic lace in museums and historic houses, the inspiration it provides to contemporary artists and makers, and the many ways lace techniques are interpreted in the 21st century.

The Art of Lace will include an opportunity to view Imagine...Lace at Waddesdon which has been organised by Waddesdon Manor and Lace 21, comprising members from the Lace Guild, the Lace Society and the Ring of Tatters.

Tickets for The Art of Lace can be booked via the Waddesdon booking line 01296 653226. The booking line is open Monday-Friday 10.00-4.00. The ticket price is £25.00 which includes coffee and biscuits and tea and cake, but not lunch. Please note, this event is not being advertised in the Waddesdon diary of exhibitions and events or on the website, to give lace-makers and museum colleagues priority when booking.

For more information on Imagine...Lace at Waddesdon see www.waddesdon.org.uk/collection/exhibitions/imagine...lace-at-waddesdon

Chertsey Museum, The Cedars, 33 Windsor Street, Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 8AT Tel: +44 (0) 1932 565764

Farewell to All That 1901 – 1914. 14 September 2013 to 23 August 2014

As we move towards the centenary of the start of the First World War, our current fashion exhibition looks back at a golden era.

On display from the Olive Matthews Collection are garments worn in the years before the conflict, from iconic pieces of underwear, to sports clothing, daywear and dazzling evening dress. Items of particular interest are two diaphanous tea-gowns, rigidly boned corsets, a complete tennis outfit and a voluminous lady’s bathing costume. Eveningwear includes a lavish opera coat attributed to seminal designer Paul Poiret and a stunning salmon pink satin evening gown with a long, sweeping train.

The South West The Fashion Museum, Bath Assembly Rooms, Bennett St, Bath, BA1 2QH

Tel: +44 (0) 1225 477789 www.museumofcostume.co.uk

GEORGIANS: Dress for polite society. 25 January 2014 - 1 January 2015.

The Fashion Museum’s special exhibition for 2014 celebrates the museum’s situation in the Georgian Assembly Rooms in Bath. The new exhibition will present a selection of the finest fashions worn by those attending Assemblies, and other glittering occasions of 18th century life.

The exhibition will include over 30 original 18th century outfits and ensembles from the museum’s world-class collection, including gowns made of colourful and richly patterned woven silks, as well as embroidered coats and waistcoats worn by Georgian gentlemen of fashion. A highlight of the exhibition will be a trio of wide-skirted Court dresses dating from the 1750s and 1760s (held out by cane supports known as panniers, from the French word for baskets), the early years of the reign of King George III.

The Grand Finale of GEORGIANS will include 18th century-inspired fashions by five top fashion designers: 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. David Sassoon. A Life in Fashion - Bellville Sassoon Lorcan Mullany. 25 Jan 2014 - 1 Jan 2015.

In 2011 British fashion designer David Sassoon donated his archive of hundreds of fashion drawings from the late 1950s to the 2000s to the Fashion Museum in Bath. This generous gift charts the history of the firm Bellville Sassoon Lorcan Mulanny as one of London’s top couturiers, and represents an unparalleled record of a life in fashion.

Three years later in 2014 this special display at the Fashion Museum celebrates both the gift of the archive to the museum, and the three extraordinary designers - Belinda Belville, David Sassoon, and Lorcan Mullany - who together have run this uniquely British fashion house for over 50 years. Twenty five choice evening dresses have been assembled by Mr. Sassoon, each one lovingly kept across the years by Bellville Sassoon’s loyal clientele, and now borrowed back especially for the display at the Fashion Museum in Bath.

A centre piece of the display in Bath will be three ensembles designed by Bellville Sassoon for Diana, Princess of Wales, including the cantaloupe melon silk ‘going-away’ outfit, which she wore as a young bride in July 1981.

The Fashion Museum’s Dress of the Year 2013. 11 April 2014 onwards

The latest Fashion Museum Dress of the Year has been unveiled. In 2013 the museum asked celebrated fashion blogger Susanna Lau of www.stylebubble.com to make the selection.

Susanna’s choice as Dress of the Year 2013 is a sugar pink silk organza dress from leading British designer Christopher Kane's Spring/Summer 2013 collection. The on-the- knee sleeveless dress is embellished with cut-out white machine-made lace panels to which are affixed jewelled roundels, made up of hundreds of tiny pink diamantes. Strips of black duct tape are attached all over the front of the garment – a bold heavy detail against the delicacy, lightness, and brightness of the dress.

Totnes Fashion & Textiles Museum, (Home of the Devonshire Collection of Period Costume), Bogan House, 43 High Street, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5NP. www.totnesfashionandtextilesmuseum.org.uk

'LET'S PARTY’ Glamorous Garments from Assembly Rooms to Discos circa 1760 – 2010. 20 May - 4 October 2014

Open from, Tuesday - Friday (inc) 11.00 hrs. - 17.00 hrs. (Last entry 16.30 hrs.) Guided tours and Research appointments outside these times - phone 01803 862857.

Killerton House, Broadclyst, Exeter, Devon, EX5 3LE Telephone: 01392 881345 http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton

The Nature of fashion. 15 February – 31 December 2014

Find timeless, historical garments transformed from natural fibres to catwalk fashion in our latest costume exhibition 'the nature of fashion'. This latest exhibition highlights the skills and processes involved in creating intricate cotton, wool, linen and silk garments from raw materials.

Trowbridge Museum, The Shires, Court Street, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 8AT

Mockingbird, 3 May - 27 September 2014

Left: Papier Mâché Bird, 2013 © design: Jan Lane and Photography: Sarah Jane Kenyon Right: TRWBM: 1987.13, card of cheviot wool dye samples, 2012 © Trowbridge Museum and Photography: Sarah Jane Kenyon

A partnership with Cloth Road Artists and Trowbridge Museum, small flocks of birds.

This year is the 3rd year of a partnership with Cloth Road Artists and Trowbridge Museum. The exhibition will debut a new body of work from Jan Lane, Holt based Cloth Road Artist. ‘Mockingbird’ opens on 3rd May 2014 to coincide with Cloth Road Artist Week, 3rd to 11th May 2014, continuing until 27th September 2014.

Small flocks of Papier Mâché, ceramic and needle felt birds inspired by textiles from Trowbridge Museum’s archive collection. The exhibition will include a flourishing programme of FREE craft activities for both children and adults. Follow the blog, www.mockingbird2014.wordpress.com

For more information please contact Sarah Jane Kenyon, Exhibitions & Arts Officer 01225 751 339 [email protected]

North of England

University of Leeds International Textiles Archive, St Wilfred’s Chapel, Maurice Keyworth Building, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT. www.leeds.ac.uk/ulita 0113 343 3919 [email protected]

Around the World in 80 Textiles: celebrating the tenth anniversary of ULITA 30th April-25th July & 30th September-28th November 2014

To celebrate a decade since the opening of ULITA at St. Wilfred’s Chapel, this exhibition showcases the scope of the archive by presenting costume and textiles from all the countries featured in ULITA’s collections.

All items selected for display have not been exhibited since the opening in 2004.

The exhibition highlights some of the fascinating donors’ stories, including: the adventurous Professor Barker, who brought together one of ULITA’s finest collections – of nineteenth century Chinese textiles; and the amazing embroiderer Louisa Pesel, whose work was inspired by her extensive travels.

ULITA has its origins in a university research collection brought together in the early twentieth century. With substantial recent additions, this exhibition provides an opportunity to view the diversity of motifs, symbols, patterns, techniques and constructions found in the world of textiles.

Countries represented include Britain, Turkey, France, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Moldova, Romania, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Iran, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Japan, China, Peru and Mexico.

Notes: • This is a FREE exhibition • ULITA is open on Tuesdays-Thursdays 09.30-16.30 • Visits can be arranged by appointment on Fridays and during the Summer vacation period. • The exhibition is curated by Jill Winder

Gallery of Costume, Platt Hall, Rusholme, Manchester M14 5LL Manchester City Galleries www.manchestergalleries.org

Ossie Clark, a British fashion genius, 1967-1977. 30 Jan – 29 June 14.

A retrospective for one of the most influential of British designers of the later 1960s and 1970s. Renowned for his fluid lines and unsurpassed cut, Ossie Clark also used the creative and cutting edge prints of his wife, Celia Birtwell. The Gallery will showcase 25 outfits from the height of his career, many acquired very recently.

The images below are of dresses acquired especially for the show and they are COURTESY KERRY TAYLOR AUCTIONS

Manchester Art Gallery now opens until 9pm every Thursday. Platt Hall is open weekdays 1-5 and weekends 10-5.

The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Co Durham DL12 8NP [email protected]

Birds of Paradise: Plumes & Feathers in Fashion. 25 October 2014 – Spring 2015

This luxurious and elegant exhibition celebrates the art of the plumier and feathers in fashion and haute couture. Featuring extravagant catwalk creations and elegant eveningwear together with exquisite shoes and chic accessories from Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and Gaultier the exhibition is sure to enthral and delight.

The Quilt Museum and Gallery, York. The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles. Tel: 01904 613242

‘Cabin Fever’ – Log Cabin Quilts – An exhibition featuring historical and contemporary work using the log cabin block 25 January – 10 May 2014

‘Anglia Textile Works Presents…’ – A guest exhibition of new contemporary work

‘Setting the Scene’ – Quilts from The Quilters’ Guild Collection shown alongside costumes from favourite film and TV costume dramas, including Downton Abbey, Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. 16 May – 30 August 2014

‘Dressed to Quilt’ – An exhibition of contemporary quilted dresses by artist Ineke Berlyn.

‘La Tour de France’ – A small exhibition of work by Quilt Museum and Gallery volunteers in response to the Tour de France in Yorkshire.

The Midlands

Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, Guildhall Road, Northampton, NN1 1DP Telephone: 01604 838 111 www.northampton.gov.uk/museums

Corset & Cami-Knickers. 29 March - 8 June 2014

Discover the history of underwear in 50 objects. This exhibition examines how underwear has affected the lives of people through the ages, and how fashion has dictated ideas of body image. Highlights include a beautiful sateen corset from the 1890s, pairs of stays from the 18th century and a pair of French knickers made from parachute silk for a post wartime bride.

Kobi. 24 May - 20 July 2014

An exhibition showcasing the innovative and intriguing work of international shoe designer Kobi Levi. Kobi’s designs challenge the conventional definitions of design, art and fashion creating a niche of their own.

Books Book Reviews by June Swann

A book to treasure (mine is still in the sturdy carton it was posted in, within its own sturdy, gold-labelled red box): Introduction by the collector, Nazim Mustafaev, articles by Maria Koz’yakova and Raisa Kirsanova, Red Shoe, published by Shoe Icons, Moscow 2012, in Russian and English, 294 page hardback, with 38 page hardback Index, superb colour photographs from p.49 to the end, Index also fully illustrated; no ISBN no.; see www.shoe-icons.com. All red, it includes men’s (ecclesiastic of course, but also football boots), women’s, children’s-babies’, from c1750-present, not in chronological order, mainly European to USA by famous makers and designers, but including their traditional footwear and extending through the Ottoman Empire to the Far East. The order may frustrate research, but will enliven the dark winter days; a pleasure to turn the pages.

Also with a red cover, but more frustrating, Margo Gantz and Catherine Belanger with photographs by Lois Lammerhuber, Chaussures peintes, Painted Shoes, Calzados pintados, Gemalte Schuhe, Edition Lammerhuber, Baden ISBN 978-3-901753-23-7, 2011, 256 page hardback, heavy, requires table to work on, as many of the photographs are 2-page spread; all in colour they are large details of shoes in paintings c1280-1834 in the Louvre Museum, Paris. Text in French, English, Spanish and German, with origin of paintings even more widespread. Index of the complete paintings with photographs (somewhat larger than postage stamp size) p.238-250 in roughly chronological order; sadly it does not include every page where each is mentioned. Many pages of paintings without number or caption. All will find a number of favourite boots and shoes, plus rather too many classical-style sandals and hose.

Tarnya Cooper, Tudor and Jacobean Portraits, National Portrait Gallery with the National Trust, 49 page paperback, ISBN 978 1 85514 451 4, 2008. A good selection of full-length portraits as well as shorter, from Henry VII to James I.

Also by T. Cooper with Ian W. Archer and Lena Cowen Orlin, Elizabeth I & Her People, NPG Exhibition catalogue 2013, hardback, fully illustrated. Includes paintings and objects from the lower as well as upper classes, including a set of seaman’s clothes and other rarities.

Edited by Olga Dmitrieva and Tess Murdoch, Treasures of the Royal Courts, Tudors, Stuarts and the Russian Tsars, V&A Publishing 2013, ISBN 978 1 85177 731 0, 176 page hardback, many colour photographs of portraits, garments and other textiles, armour, silver and jewellery.

ICOM-CC Leather & Related Materials Working Group, ed. by Céline Bonnot-Diconne, Carole Dignard & Jutta Göpfrich, Postprints of the 10th Interim Meeting, Offenbach, Germany 2012 published by ICOM-CC 2013, ISBN 978-3-9815440-1-5, 168 page paperback. It includes article on Conservation of 12th c. pair of ceremonial sandals (sandalia) from Castel Sant’Elia, Italy, in fact 1 of 3 pairs similar to those of Stavelot’s abbot (Belgium) after he was given this privilege in 1161: slightly pointed toe, no heel, vamp and quarters incomplete, but consisting of perforated gilt leather underlain with blue silk, all decorated with silver dome-headed rivets in arabesque pattern; on low (?about 1”/2.4 cm) tawed leather-covered cork platform sole, with hint of red silk to attach it or cover the edge. P.63-4 has technical description of a Coptic sole. P.157-163’s photographs illustrating G.M. Zink’s paper on conservation of Wet Leather from Schleswig, tantalisingly shows shoes and soles of various dates from 1-piece shoes to medieval cut- work from Elisenhof, Schleswig/Schild with its reference p.163 to C. Schnack’s 1992 article.

Buckles appear twice in a guidebook, Discover The Museum of Somerset, published by Somerset County Council 2011, ISBN 978086 1833955, 60 page paperback with descriptions and colour photographs of some of the Taunton museum’s more interesting objects. The earlier buckle is D-shaped, set with pastes, anchor chape, reputedly given to a child by James, Duke of Monmouth during his escape after the battle of Sedgemoor in June 1685. Though thought to be cut from his coat, there would have been no reason to cut it, and it resembles buckles used for shoes and knee breeches. The other are a pair, shown laid on the outsize, front-lace, black leather shoes of the 7 ft. 4 inches tall Joseph Sewell who died young in 1829. About 3 inches/7.7 cm square at toe, 14 inches/5 cm long, surprisingly the upper appears to be cut in 1 piece, seamed at back, slit front with 5 or 6 pairs of lace-holes. Although the pattern could not have been a good fit, they were well worn, with ½-sole repair. The superfluous buckles presumably were thought to belong to him: rectangular, about 6 inches/15.2 cm wide x 3½ inches/8.9 cm, cheap 1790s pewter type with ‘wave’ pattern, made when these transferable buckles were going out of fashion.

Paul Moorehead, Buttonhooks, An Historical Perspective, ?published by The Buttonhook Society, 2013 (the author was founder member of the Society and still Chairman, Secretary and Editor), 151 page paperback, many black and white photographs and drawings; no ISBN no. Sadly, though he quotes some of my comments from the early years of the Society (est. 1979), he has not kept up with recent research. P.2 the pair of men’s suede side-button boots, in Liverpool Museum before WW2 blitz, are obviously c1600-5/maybe-1610 and nothing to do with 15th c. Henry VI; and I now doubt the suede was stiff enough to require a buttonhook. If anyone has evidence for using boutonneur/buttoners to fasten dress before the first OED 1611 reference to the word, we would all like to know. I also recommend checking the more general history that leads the author astray from his subject with more reliable sources. The biggest problem with the subject is finding the picture information, too often buried in adjacent text. There is no list of contents and the index is inadequate. Only one of the 10 References is dated. And apologies to the Friends of Fashion for the garbled version of the brief CV he attributes to me. The history of buttonhooks remains to be written.

On the history of shoemaking, we now have 2 more books: Mark Palmer, Clarks, Made to Last, the story of Britain’s best-known shoe firm, Profile Books, London 2013, ISBN 978 1 84668 520 0, 398 page hardback, 16 pages of colour photographs (mostly advertisements but including a slipper, a shoe and a foot-gauge), many black & white photographs and drawings; idiosyncratic Index with indents in page-order instead of alphabetically, general advertising exaggerating position of the company. Some of the history seems to be based on Tim E. Crumplin’s PhD thesis (Clark’s Business History 1825-2003). Note that John Thornton was Head of the Boot and Shoe Department, Northampton College of Technology 1948-74, not 1980s, an error that warns the reader. It would be more use half the length without the adulation.

The second is, Frances and Michael Holmes, The Story of the Norwich Boot and Shoe Trade, published by Norwich Heritage Projects, 2013, ISBN 978-0-9566272-3-0, 262 page paperback, colour and black and white photographs. There is a brief mention of shoemaking as one of the 130 trades there in the early 14th c. with reconstruction of c1300 market layout (shoemakers in south-east corner and in Gentleman’s Walk, earlier Cordwainers Row, together with ‘leather hosiers’, which I hope someone will explore further). It moves swiftly on to 1792, their first certain mention of ready-mades, even though Henry III ordered from 1229 to ’72 3 times a year 9 towns and cities in turn (not including Norwich) to supply up to 345 pairs of shoes to give as alms to the poor. The 1792 enterprise survives as Start-rite. The history of 30 other companies is also described and 3 shops. As well as the customary pictures of factory outings, factories inside and out, with workers operating various machines, some watched by members of the royal family or other celebrities, I am very pleased to see also tools, many machines and over 70 boots and shoes depicted, so rare in books on the industry (see Clarks above). Some 62 workers in the trade have contributed their memories. Complete with map showing position of the factories, boardroom portraits, glossary, 2-page bibliography and index, it is by far the most comprehensive book on a shoe town’s history that I have so far found. Hopefully an example for others to follow. New Books

New in luxury and fashion history by Bloomsbury

A History of the Paper Pattern Industry The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution

By Joy Spanabel Emery

Showcasing beautiful illustrations from original pattern pamphlets, packets and ads, as well as 9 complete patterns from which readers can reproduce vintage garments of different eras, the book provides a unique visual guide to homemade fashions as well as essential exploration of the industry that produced them.

Luxury Fashion, Lifestyle and Excess By Patrizia Calefato

Using approaches from cultural studies, semiotic research and aesthetics, Luxury presents a wide range of case studies including urban space and new technologies, travel, interior design, cars, fashion ads and jewellery to explore what luxury represents, and why, in the contemporary world.

Luxury Fashion A Global History of Heritage Brands By Caroline Cox

An in-depth collection of feature portraits of 50 of the finest luxury fashion brands (renowned heritage labels and hidden gems) as well as an essential directory of a further 150 brands, which includes details of key items and where to find them.

Glasgow Museums Seventeenth-century Costume

Rebecca Quinton

Publication date: 9 December 2013 £16.99 / $27.95 100 colour illustrations 170 x 240mm; 148 pp

For further information about the book email [email protected] www.unicornpress.org.uk

The early seventeenth century was a time of growing wealth in Britain, which was reflected in the opulent clothes and accessories worn by the fashionable elite. Rich silks embellished with needlework were used to create expensive, high quality garments, affordable only for the wealthy. Yet their very exclusivity has meant that few items have lasted through the centuries, many having fallen victim to reuse and repurposing as other garments and household items.

Several rare and beautiful pieces do however survive in Glasgow Museums’ collections. Important and unusual items, such as a handsome group of embroidered and enamelled falconry accessories owned by James VI and I and a fantastic crimson silk petticoat associated with his consort, Anne of Denmark, feature in this lavishly illustrated catalogue.

This book is the first in the series of publications about Glasgow Museums’ European Costume collection. Designed to appeal to costume and embroidery enthusiasts and social historians alike, it features new photography and the fruits of recent research, revealing the intricate details of exquisite embroidery.

Rebecca Quinton is Curator, European Costume and Textiles at Glasgow Museums and Honorary Senior Research Fellow, History of Art, University of Glasgow. Prior to this she was Curator, Costume and Textiles at Brighton and Hove Museums.