A Christmas Tradition

“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would  be there”.

A visit from St Nicholas, Clement Clarke Moore, 1823

 The People's Home Journal, December 1907

  F.M. Lupton, Publisher, New York

Legend has it that St. Nicholas was traveling through a small village and heard of 3 impoverished girls whose father could not afford dowries for them.  St Nicholas entered their cottage by sliding down the chimney and found freshly laundered stockings drying by the fire.  He filled their stockings with gold coins.

St Nicholas was born in Greece (now the southern coast of Turkey) in the 3^rd century.  He is the protector of those in need, fishermen and children.

Christmas stockings made from a 19thC quilt and trimmed with vintage laces and ribbons.

  

Hopefully your stockings, if not filled with gold, will not be filled with lumps of coal.

Armor-dillo Part 2

Armor-dillo Part 2

Last week, in armor-dillo part 1, protective clothing made of vegetable materials was explored.  Most likely, though, when we think of armor it is plates of metal made into protective suits that comes to mind.

During the 3^rd millennium BCE a new material was manufactured for the making of tools and weapons, Bronze.  Bronze is made by alloying copper with tin which was more strong and durable than copper, itself.  The alloy could be beaten into shapes or pored into molds of stone or clay.  While copper and tin were not common, the demand for these ores lead to new networks for trade.

Greek Bronze Armor c1200 BCE

Greek Archaic vase painting

Souvenir postal card of a Chinese Terracotta Warrior wearing bronze armor.  The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, built a massive mausoleum which was guarded by more than 6,000 life size terracotta soldiers.

During the period 1200 – 550 BCE metallurgy produced iron and the so-called iron age was the third of the prehistoric ages: stone age, bronze age and iron age.

 Adding carbon to iron ores produced steel, which was used to make the best weapons and tools.  If insufficient amounts of carbon were added the steel was not as strong.  If too much carbon was added the resultant steel was hard but too brittle.  Iron was not cast but hammered into shape.

Medieval knights wore suits of protective clothing , which included mail or linked iron rings.  Makers of mail could produce “tailored” garments by increasing or decreasing the number of links. A padding called aketon or gambeson made of quilted linen or wool and stuffed with horsehair was worn under mail, but could also be worn separately.

Scenes from the Bayeaux Tapestry: (see blog  8/24/14)  soldiers wearing suits of mail and protective helmets

It is a common misconception that plate armor was heavy and clumsy, impeding the motion of the warriors.  In fact, a full suit weighed approximately 50 pounds.  The advantage of plate armor, was just that: plates that were hinged to each other so that they moved with the actions of the wearer.  Separately moving plates also provided protection for the war horses. 

Body suits of full plated armor, including helmets with visors, gloves and boots.

Modern protective clothing for military, police and fire applications is a topic for a future discussion.

Armor-dillo?

Armadillo

If you’re not from these parts, you may not recognize this animal.  It is an armadillo, a toothless, burrowing animal of the southern US, Central and South America.  Its distinguishing feature is an armor-like covering of bony plates, even on his skinny tail.

So today we are not talking about zoology but about armor, covering worn to protect the body, more specifically, for protection from weapons.

Early man, from the Aleutians to the Andes, wore heavy, leather tunics, leggings and head coverings and carried shields cover in hide.  According to Anawalt (The Worldwide History of Dress), Eskimo men wore “armor” consisting of” a series of lower-body hoops made of double sealskin…the head and neck were protected by a large wooden shield covered in sealskin”.  There is also evidence that Eskimos of the Bering Sea area wore plates of walrus teeth (The Basel Museum).

 The Pacific coastal people, Tlinglit and Tsimshian, wore tunics of  multiple layers of hide. They further protected their bodies with garments made of wooden rods or wrapped rope around them for protection. For protection of the head and neck some wore heavy wooden face masks.

Basel Museum

The Plains Indians carried large shields made from buffalo hide.  Some native tribes wore basketry for armor or layers of deerskin.

Central American, Pre-Hispanic Indians, wore body protection made of densely quilted cotton.  Patagonian warriors wore bullhide helmets and layers of horsehide.

Evidence of armor-wearing warriors c.3500BCE was found in Ur (southern Iraq) which was the capital of Mesopotamia.  Excavation of a rubbish dump revealed a royal burial plot.  Amongst the findings was a decayed mosaic, The Standard of Ur.  According to the British Museum it was fashioned from shells, lapis and limestone and consisted (as found) of two main panels known as “war” and “peace”.  On the “war” panel are three horizontal sections depicting Sumarian warriors in battle.  The warriors on foot wore short skirts, covered with a leather cloak with metal studs

 and a fitted leather cap.

Standard of Ur

The peoples of Oceania (Sulawesi, New Guinea and the Gilbert Islands and others) wore wicker helmets and cuirasses (a piece of close fitting armor, protecting the neck and back).  This one-piece body armor was made of coiled bundles of coir (coconut fiber) or rattan held together with fine bast cording.  Beneath the cuirass was worn a shirt, cap and gloves of coir twine.

Next time we will examine the contribution of metallurgy and the construction of plate armor.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving

“Over the River and Through the Wood to Grandmother’s House We Go”

     The New England Boy’s Song About Thanksgiving Day

      Lyrics by Lydia Maria Child, 1844

This is supposedly the busiest travel time in the US, but few of us will be relying on transport by a horse-drawn sleigh through the snow.  Snow, we have.  The so-called polar vortex has frozen the country and dumped feet of early snow.  Most travelers will rely upon cars, buses, trains and planes.  This holiday is known for food, family/friends and football, as well as being the traditional start of the Christmas holiday season.  I remember, as a child, the department stores didn’t display Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving, after all Santa didn’t arrived at Macy’s until the Thanksgiving Day parade.  Nowadays the boughs are hung in big box stores in late summer and the gift catalogs arrive in October.

I have been consoled by many TV and media ads which feature the true meaning of this holiday, that of giving thanks.  It shouldn’t take a special day set aside for this activity, actually we all should set aside a minute or two each day to express our gratitude or perform a simple act of kindness, or be thoughtful and polite.

                                          

                                                                    Gobble, Gobble

Modern Kimono

Modern Kimono

Traditional Japanese clothing is most associated with the wearing of “Kosode”, a geometrical t-shaped garment comprised of two rectangular fabrics draped over the shoulders with seams at the back and each side.  Today, we know this garment as “Kimono”..  Kimono is a relatively modern term for this centuries old garment worn by both men and women.  In the late 1800s there was great western influence in Asia and with the defeat of the Russians in 1904 (Russo-Japanese War) Japan became recognized as a civilized non-European power and western clothing (white shirts, suits and ties) were adopted by Japanese business men.  Simultaneously, western women adopted the beautiful silken robes, kosode.  It was at this time that the traditional garment was renamed “kimono”

The traditional kimono began to blend contemporary elements of color and design in the Meiji (1868-1912). This evolution progressed to include modern fabric production, synthetic colors and art designs that included current events. 

In September, as part of the Textile Society of America’s biennial symposium, I visited LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and viewed a very impressive exhibition, Kimono for a Modern Age.  Curated by Sharon Takeda, the exhibition featured over 30 modern garments from the LACMA collection.  The modern kimonos were visually startling with vibrant colors and a variety of patterning techniques.  There was also the use of modern synthetic fabrics and contemporary themes such as space exploration and abstract art.

These photos illustrate the wide range of modern influences upon a most traditional garment.

This child's garment featured ice breakers and penguins.

Sarah Campbell and Susan Collier

The Collier-Campbell Archive

Last week I spoke to the talents of fashion designer Oscar de la Renta.  We are familiar with those who create “the look” but often we forget that there is another group of designers vital to the creation of fabric, be it for clothing, home furnishings or accessories, even industrial applications.  These are the designers that create the fabric patterning.

Today computerization has taken many tasks that were previously laboriously performed in the textile industry.  While design studios rely heavily upon computer programs, there is, or should always be space for designers to paint, sketch and imprint their artist’s hand in the design. 

 I recently purchased an amazing reference, The Collier- Campbell Archive.  This beautiful volume tells the story of two sisters, Sarah Campbell and Susan Collier and their 50 year career in fabric design.

Collier Campbell Archive: 50 Years of Passion and Pattern, Emma Shackleton,ILEX Press LTD, 2012 

Their career began designing for collections for Liberty, David Hayward and Jack Prince, and became design and color consultants for other design studios.  In the late 1970’s the sisters founded Collier and Campbell in order to control their design rights and the quality of the fabric and printing.

Their story is told in three parts:  The Collier-Campbell Story (their history), The Creative Process (their methods and themes) and The Gallery (their designs and patterns).

The color plates throughout are stunning and offer inspiration for any student of design, artist or textile lover.

 If you get the opportunity to peruse this collection you will understand my enthusiasm.

Designer to the Stars

A Tribute to Oscar de la Renta

This week there have been many tributes to couturier Oscar de la Renta, who died Oct.20, at the age of 82,  and I would be remiss if I didn’t join the accolades.

There have been many fashion designers who have established their place in fashion history: Fortuny, Dior, Channel, Schiparelli.  One must include in this pantheon  Oscar de la Renta. 

Born July, 22, 1932 in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, Oscar de la Renta began his career in Spain where he studied painting.  For added income, he drew sketches of fashion clothing for newspapers and magazines and after one of his sketches was featured on the cover of Life magazine, he turned to design, apprenticing with the famous House of Balenciaga.  He then worked for design houses in Europe and New York.

He was the winner  of many awards, including the coveted Coty Award and was inducted into the Coty Hall of Fame in 1973.

While he was best known as “designer to the rich and famous” creating fabulous gowns for such clients as Jackie O and wives of American presidents ( his last creation was worn as a wedding dress by Amal Alamuddin) he also designed clothing appropriate for a business meeting or luncheon date.  He diversified his business into fragrance (”Oscar”), and a line of accessories and housewares.  His moderately priced ready-to-wear clothing is available at his retail stores and other retail outlets such as Neiman Marcus and online.

He once said “ fashion is a trend, style is within a person”.  That is the genius of the great designers, that their creations are timeless and wearing their designs make their clients feel confident and beautiful inside and out.

This week is also Halloween.  “Listen to them- the children of the night.  What music they make.”  Dracula, by Bram Stoker, 1897