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4 form in ContentsCONCEPTtextilesinfineart18ConflictandCostumeJimNaughten’senigmatic images of the Herero tribe of Namibia capture the influence of a colonial past and the courage of a proud, independent country. 96 Pioneer spirit Sarah Burwash’s evocative watercolour illustrations are inspired by hard working women of the past and the rugged Canadian landscape. INDUSTRY from craft to commerce 25 The Tailor & Cutter Promoting the principles of proper dress from 1866 to 1972 EricMusgrave, author of ‘Sharp Suits’ – a celebration of men's tailoring over the past 150 years – looks at the contributionthispopularmagazinemadetothetailoringindustry 48 COVER STORY Pressing matter Gail Kelly’s range of printed home textiles mirrors her signature style SeeGail’sworkandthatofotherBritishdesignersattheBritishCraftTradeFair,7-9April,Great YorkshireShowground,Harrogate,www.bctf.co.uk GLOBAL textiles from around the world 54 COVER STORY Maine Line Writers Rinne Allen and Lucy Gillis take a tour of the craft communities that are surprisingly commonplace in the State of Maine IllustratedbySarahBurwash ANECDOTE textiles that touch our lives 36 Forgotten Crafts A timely reminder from those who remember NigelLegge,MatthewWilliams, David Bragg andDavid Chubb reveal why they have dedicated themselves to keeping the dying craftsoflobsterpotmaking,longstrawthatchingandweavingbeeskepsalive 71 Fabric swatch No.15: Duck Canvas. Sarah Jane Downing tests the worth of this durable and hard working cloth Illustrated by TomFrost 75 Labour is not its own reward Editor Beth Smith believes small makers should get more defensive about copyright IllustratedbyMarkLazenby COHABIT stunning interiors beautifully photographed 76 Home theatre Step back in time and glimpse the world of the Huguenot silk weavers in Dennis Severs’ strange and wonderful house in Spitalfields PhotographedbyRoelofBakerandwrittenbyClareLewis andBeckyJones,foundersofAdventureWalksforFamilieswww.adventurewalksforfamilies.co.uk 76 Luggage office Lisa Tilley, the designer behind the label ‘U old bag’, explains why she’s stuck on creating vintage bags and cases with decoupage decorations. ATTIRE critical reporting of fashion trends 29 Golfing Glamour Fashioning an identity on the fairway Hannah Fleming, Museum &Heritage AssistantCuratoratTheBritishGolfMuseum,explorestheevolutionoffashiononthelinks 34 COVER STORY Labour party Nicola Donovan discovers that more and more people are adopting workwear as a trend and discovers how function became fashionable. 16 attire Labour party HOW FUNCTION BECAME FASHIONABLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT WISHART 1 7 a t t i r e selv edge.org Crossing over the Orange River on an old and rusting 500cc motorbike, I felt as though I had been transported to a different planet: lunar, scorching and inhospitable. Barely a year out of college, I had only a rudimentary knowledge of Namibia and its people, but within a matter of days I had reached Lüderitz, a curiously out-of-place German colonial port, and visited Kolmanskop, nearby German ghost town. I spent a few nights camped on the ominously named Shark Island, an island-turned-peninsula sandwiched between the dunes of the Namib Desert and the ice-cold waters of the Atlantic. (Years later, I would learn that it had been the site of a brutal concentration camp.) I was spellbound by the majesty and magnitude of the Namib, the world’s oldest desert, and bewitched by Namibia’s strangely elusive colonial history, little known or recorded, yet tantalizingly visible – superficially, at least – in the country’s architecture, street names and deserted settlements, the last preserved only by the aridity of the desert. I rode north, past the highest sand dunes in the world, towards the seaside resort of Swakopmund and the shipwreck-strewn Skeleton Coast, known as ‘The Land God Made in Anger’ by the local San tribe, in view of its isolated, desolate and hostile environment. Over the course of my travels, I learnt more about this remarkable corner of Africa, from the extraordinary cave paintings of the earliest inhabitants to the nomadic Himba people; and from the first Afrikaner settlers to its brief period as German SouthWest Africa and the days of the diamond rush. The 4 s e l v e d g e . o r g A CAREER AS A SAVILE ROW TAILOR SUITS KATHRYN SARGENT A perfect fit 3 1 lson icho Nichard R Blonde, be-suited, 30-something tailor Kathryn Sargent is on a roll. She was appointed head cutter in Savile Row in 2009, working for the seriously pukkha firm of Gieves and Hawkes; early last year she set up her own company and this spring examples of her work will go on show in the Rhode Island School of Design’s exhibition Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men of Fashion in the US. She is also the recipients of the Hand and Lock Embroidery Prize for the second time. ‘I keep pinching myself – I’m living the dream,’ she says. It’s a dream Sargent’s followed since she enroled on a fashion course at UCA Epsom in 1993 and realised that womenswear was not for her. Aware that she needed a job at the end of college, Sargent realised that out of about 60 students only 10% went into menswear and so took the unusual decision to specialise in this area; it wasn’t just any menswear, but the high-end, high-quality craft of tailoring that she was drawn to. ‘I was a bit of a Mod at the time and liked 1960s styling and sharp tailoring,’ she explains, adding, ‘It was a deliberate choice to make myself a bit different.’ This choice was the start of a love affair that Sargent has pursued passionately. Her degree course hardly covered tailoring so she taught herself. ‘I bought old Burberry suits and took them apart to learn how they had been made, photocopied the pieces and then put them together again,’ she says, adding, ‘I wanted to make everything myself and to understand the process.’ Another study aid was the second-hand tailoring books she collected published by Tailor & Cutter, see pg 24, which were full of arcane tips of the trade, illustrations on how to draft traditional patterns and analysis about how classic clothing was constructed. After graduating Sargent was taken on as a trimmer by Gieves and Hawkes. And this is where she honed her skills: tailoring, like any craft, is all about hands-on experience. ‘I got my head down and got on with the work and practised and practised and practised,’ she says. This dedication clearly paid off as she rapidly worked her way up the tailoring tree, winning the Golden Shears Award in 1998 and becoming a cutter with her own clients in 2000. And although Savile Row is very much a man’s world, run by men for a predominantly male clientele, Sargent managed to avoid hitting a tweed ceiling on her way up. She attributes this to her professionalism, but I suspect her undoubted talent and steely determination also helped. ‘I didn’t want my gender to hold me back so didn’t let it become an issue,” she explains briskly. And the result is she now runs her own company, Kathryn Sargent Bespoke Tailoring. So what exactly is bespoke tailoring? It is the intricate process of making a personalised garment for an individual client from scratch. The process starts with Sargent meeting the client to discuss their needs, tastes and lifestyle. ‘Communication is really key,’ she says. The client is then measured and from this set of measurements the cutter, ‘the architect of the suit’ according to Sargent, makes a unique paper pattern which is then used to cut the actual cloth (which will have been chosen by the client with Sargent’s input). This is lightly basted, or tacked, together for a further fitting and then details such as pocket position are decided on before a final fitting and hand finishing. A bespoke suit can take up to 50 hours to make in a process that involves eight different specialists including cutter, trimmer, coat and trouser maker and presser. The starting price for a Sargent suit is £3,200 plus VAT, but for this the client gets exactly what he or she wants and a garment that they will look and feel good in: an experienced tailor will be able to disguise a client’s physical imperfections and subtly flatter their physique. It’s this individual approach that appeals to Sargent who, in spite of the relatively limited range of clothing she makes, never gets bored with her job. ‘Everything I make is different as every client has a different personality,’ she says. In fact her range is constantly evolving and is no longer limited to the traditional business suit or dinner jacket as clients are now ordering more casual wear. Womenswear is also becoming increasingly important and now accounts for 15% of Sargent’s business, an increase probably due in part to the elegant tweed jackets she makes for herself to wear at work – a great advertisement for both her skill and commitment to the world of bespoke tailoring. Diana Wolf in d u s t r y s e l v e d g e . o r g When, from our positions of relative ease and comfort, we look back on people who had to create by hand every necessity of life – food, shelter and clothing – the effort they expended is almost impossible to imagine. But from artist Sarah Burwash research and imagination comes a series of images that capture the day to day struggle of pioneer women and the central role that textiles played in their lives. She explains: “My point of departure are stories gathered from journals, memoirs and biographies by those who were brazen and persistent in forging for a new social order. My research turns to past generations who lived rurally and relied on community, resourcefulness, ritual, spirituality and tradition for survival to create narratives.” Historically quilt making gave women an acceptable outlet for creativity while fulfilling their household duties. Sharing the labour of quilting through quilting circles, relieved the isolation of women's lives. Sarah explains: “I’m interested in this sense of community as well as the act of repetition, daily domestic tasks and the philosophy of the fold. Deleuze writes, ‘repetition changes nothing in the object repeated, but does change something in the mind that contemplates it...(repetition) is not carried out by the mind, but occurs in the mind which contemplates, prior to all memory and reflection’. I’m investigating how repetitive and laborious tasks allow us to transcend our imagination, blurring the lines between present and past, reality and fantasy, neither time or place fixed.” Another important element in Sarah’s work is her physical environment. “I am4 3 9 c o n c e p t 54 it cohab selv edge.org The bedroom décor reflects the fashions of the 1760s by which time the Gervais family had anglicised their name to Jervis. The bed is fur nished with hand woven textiles; an extravagance only afforded by the wealthy. The monkey climbing the rope is a mechanical toy. At the time goods from around the globe, including exotic animals which became favoured pets, were flooding into London’s thriving port. s e l v e d g e . o r g 5 5 c o h a bit Inspired by Charles Dickens’ descriptions of a visit to a weaver’s house in Spitalfields, (published in his weekly jour nal Household Words in 1851) Severs set up this attic room as homage to Dickens. The props setting the scene include: Ebenezer Scooge’s bed and his top hat, coat and money box; Oliver Twists’ empty gruel bowl; Bob Cratchit at his desk; Tiny Tim’s crutches; a picture of Bill Sykes with his dog Bullseye and Little Nell’s basket. The Regency Room represents the end of the wealthy Spitalfields and the demise of the family. The pretty embroidered fabric and lace from Elizabeth’s wedding dress, woven by her husband’s weavers, decorate the dressing table. The little etching propped up against the mirror depicts Elizabeth as a young woman. A small portrait (not shown) by the window has a black ribbon hanging over it to show that the subject, her son, is deceased. s e l v e d g e . o r g
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58 inform ire insight insp inform Maine Line CRAFT COMMUNITIES ARE COMMONPLACE IN THE STATE OF MAINE Rocky shorelines, evergreen forests, dramatic vistas: this is coastal Maine. A place where, for centuries, artists, visitors and residents have reveled in the landscape, palette and climate, soaking up all that the natural world has to offer. Not only do the colours, textures and patterns of the physical environment provide inspiration, but the state’s seasonal extremes invite a sense of community among those with a passion for textiles. Generations of knitters, weavers, textile artists and This history stretches back to the mid 1800s, when textile mills and production thrived along the waterways to the sea. Centered around Biddeford, these early mills produced textiles on a large scale, but, sadly, many of them are now closed. On a smaller scale, Maine’s textile history was also rooted in the basic need for warm garments in the colder winter months, as well as in a yearning for indoor activities and community during this season. A driving adventure along the coast provides thus Ramblers Way was born. They are proud that their garments are 100% made in America, from the yarns to the weaving to the sewing. Their commitment to these production values will be echoed time and time again in many other stops along our tour. The next is the mill town of Biddeford. Once the center for textile production in Maine, Biddeford and Saco are home to a few places of note. The first, Quince and Company, began when three knitters from diverse backgrounds joined forces. 5 9 g l o b a l selv edge.org Burwash Sarah Ramblers Way Quince and Co Saco River Dye House yarn-lovers have long thrived in this environment, creating while communing. The pull of such a place has always been strong for many who find themselves in other parts of America – eager for a career change or a simpler way of life. And those who gravitate to Maine discover the charm of its small communities, but also its sense of possibility. Whether “Mainers” or transplants, these creative entrepreneurs share a common goal to offer products of beauty, utility and substance, as well as to produce them by ethical and environmentallyfriendly means. These are businesses that owe much to the rich history of textiles and craft in Maine. much delight for the textile enthusiast. Travelling along the famous Route 1, the road meanders in and out of small communities and larger towns, each one as charming as the next. A popular drive for many visitors, the often-busy road begs you to slow down and breathe in the salt air. Your journey begins in the south, not far from the border, at a young business founded by long-time Mainers Tom and Kate Chappell called Ramblers Way. The Chappells are well-known entrepreneurs, having founded a line of health care products, ‘Tom’s of Maine’. But, as long-term residents of Maine, they also saw a need for well-made woollen clothing and Similar to other textile companies along the coast, the owners were inspired by the love for and tradition of handcraft in Maine; in this case, knitting and yarn. They set out to provide an exceptional, beautiful and natural product, one with limited environmental-impact made through morally sound business practices. Their offerings range from sustainably sourced and dyed yarns to classic knitting patterns, all available directly to the consumer. As co-founder Pam Allen states, “Selling directly to the knitter has made it possible to be the business we want to be.” Product inspiration comes from cold Maine4 s e l v e d g e . o r g 32 attire Golfing glamour FASHIONING AN IDENTITY ON THE FAIRWAY selv edge.org 70 attire Working class TWENTIETH CENTURY MENSWEAR IN THE VINTAGE SHOWROOM selv edge.org 3 3 a t t i r e ibrary Art L ridgeman / The B 's, Scotland t. Andrew of S lub lf C t Go ien Anc l and Roya Popular culture often pokes fun at golfing dress; the comic image of plus fours and diamond patterned sweaters is a common one. But why, when the golfing apparel business generates millions of pounds each year, does it have such a questionable reputation in the style stakes? Living in St Andrews, we are surrounded by gangs of golfers throughout the year, and, despite an increase in established designers using cutting edge fabrics, there is definitely a clear look, perhaps even a uniform, for both men and women. The pioneers of the game would have ventured onto the links wearing their everyday outdoor clothing; breeches, tailcoats and ruffled cravats. The one piece of clothing that became synonymous with golf was the tailored jacket; it was usually red but occasionally blue for some societies. The red coats were similar to those worn by noblemen for all outdoor pursuits and Captains of some of the earliest golf clubs and societies adopted the trend. Opinions differ on the reasons behind the colour, some writers believe it served as a warning to other people who were using the land for purposes other than golf. Others suggest that the style stemmed from the military red coats worn by men of this era. The jackets not only showed the wearer’s patriotism, but also their allegiance to a particular society or club. They were representative of the power and rank of the wearer and, on a practical note, kept early golfers warm whilst on the cold Scottish links. Yet physical comfort was a secondary consideration. The jackets were essentially a uniform which golfers were expected to wear. If not properly attired, they could face a f ine imposed by their club. Today such formal golfing dress is usually reserved for ceremonial occasions and serves as a link to the past. Women golfers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries also disregarded practicality and comfort. They adopted the red jackets of their male counterparts but in addition a constant check on modesty was also stressed. A vital accessory for the golfing lady was a black elastic band used to control the skirt. Known as a ‘Miss Higgins Hoop’ it was worn around the waist and moved to the knees as the wind got up. Full coverage was required – plenty of layers that must have impacted on the ladies’ swing. In an article for Golfing Magazine journalist Dermot Gilleece relates an anecdote about the English Championship of 1924 in which “the knitted skirt of one competitor became so saturated with rain that the wearer could no longer move. With her match all square at the 18th, she asked if she might go to the clubhouse and put her skirt through a mangle.” Gradually garments became more streamlined, but the women who chose golf as their sport battled not only the British weather in uncomfortable clothing, but also opposition and derision from some observers. Men’s outfits became lighter but essentially remained a three piece suit with starched collars. The arrival of the 20th century heralded a few practical modifications. Norfolk jackets became acceptable attire for the gentleman golfer, and one of the most famous golfing garments, knickerbockers (plus fours and plus twos, as they would become known) made their appearance. The garment’s name derives from the extra inches of material that folded over the wearer’s knee-length stockings, plus fours being much baggier. One of the fans of this look was Harry Vardon; winner of a record six Open Championships. Vardon was often pictured wearing his knickerbockers whilst his contemporaries still favoured the trouser. By the 1920s liberalisation of fashion for both genders had led to some changes in golf apparel.4 Medal Day at St Andrews, 1894, oil on canvas, Wardlow, Alexander 1870-1899 s e l v e d g e . o r g Although today specialist workwear is increasingly only worn for specialist tasks – by those working in dangerous environments, or by the emergency services and so on – in the first half of the 20th century to wear such kit was the norm rather than the exception. One piece of what was originally workwear – five-pocket Western jeans, devised by Levi Strauss & Co for miners and gold panners in the American West – has become the default for all sorts of manual workers, but also as an almost universal piece of leisurewear. Once a profession as humble as a streetsweeper or dock-worker could be identified by the clothing the man put on for work – and he would wear it only for work. In the US train drivers wore locomotive jackets; in France a road-builder would wear the distinctive short, blue canvas jacket with the Peter Pan collar; in the UK a factory worker would wear similar, only his would be of a darker blue and have revers (turned-back edges) – smart even amid the smut. The Vintage Showroom’s collection of workwear is as much an expression of the diversity of work – or, at least, of manual work – as it is of the clothes that were created to make that work safer and easier; be that through the level of protection it afforded or – something that is almost universal to workwear – the durability of the fabric and construction, which has meant much of it is still going strong today. Not that some of it hasn’t taken a battering: arguably a large part of the appeal of vintage clothing is best suggested by workwear; the lives of the clothing as expressed in the darns and patches, the alterations and home repairs. The idea of ‘Sunday best’, of keeping back a pristine outfit for more formal or public occasions, is surprisingly global, and with less need for work clothing to be presentable – in any conventional sense – it was worn until it fell apart. And was fixed and fixed again until it could take no more fixing. Perhaps more so than sports and leisure, or military clothing then, the workwear selected by The Vintage Showroom has, down the decades, become more art works than workwear: each piece originally mass manufactured, and over time becoming more and more hand-made, albeit by hands more concerned with the practicality than the prettiness of the effect. It serves as a reminder that the rarity of a piece of vintage clothing is not always simply a question of it being one of a few remaining survivors. Sometimes it can become a true one-off only through the long use it has endured. Vintage Menswear: A Collection from the Vintage Showroom, Josh Sims, Douglas Gunn and Roy Luckett, Laurence King Publishers, ISBN-10: 1856698831, £30, The Vintage Showroom, 14 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9LN, T: +44 (0)207-836-3964, www.thevintageshowroom.com 7 1 a t t i r e 24 industry PROMOTING THE PRINCIPLES OF PROPER DRESS FROM 1866 TO 1972 The Tailor & Cutter selv edge.org 2 5 in d u s t r y Co. of Frederick Wa rne & ion iss by perm Reproduced , 2002 Co., 1903 Frederick Wa rne & t © Copyrigh In 1903 The Tailor & Cutter was so well known that Beatrix Potter had a mouse reading it on the cover of The Tailor of Gloucester. In less than 40 years, this trade paper had acquired an international reputation as the authority on matters sartorial. Appearing almost always as a weekly, The Tailor & Cutter (the T&C) flourished from 1866 until 1972. It was the creation of an obsessive Scotsman, John Williamson. In January 1866 he produced The Tailor, which supported social reform to improve working conditions for journeymen tailors. Hand-tailoring was the most common form of clothing manufacture – the industrial sewing machine had appeared only in the late 1840s. During 1866 Williamson relocated to London and in September that year, backed by one Angelica Patience Fraser, he launched two titles, The Tailor and The Cutter: but these were soon merged into one journal which provided regular communication and technical information to the thousands in the trade. Williamson was obsessed with tailors bettering themselves and improving their craft. He wrote in 1869: “Our mission is to put a superior class of literature dealing with the science and art of the trade into the hands of every tailor.” In the densely packed pages of the early magazines, education and information were key ingredients, supported by detailed patterns for cutters and discussions about the merits of particular cutting systems and techniques. Readers’ opinionated letters criticised other tailors’ approaches. In 1866 Williamson and Fraser established The Tailor’s School of Art at 93-94 Drury Lane, London. The Tailor & Cutter promoted the school and its correspondence courses, which were sold globally. The T&C courses became renowned for setting the highest standards for the bespoke trade. Clothing patterns, manuals, shears and other equipment were also sold through the magazine. The Tailor & Cutter promoted the view that London gentlemen were the best-dressed in the world. Womenswear was included although a separate journal for women’s tailoring was produced from 1884. Illustrations of the latest fashionable styles were featured and from its inception Williamson sold these handsome engravings so that tailors beyond the capital could show what London trend-setters were wearing. From its earliest editions, the T&C spoke with confidence and authority on dressing correctly. For more than 100 years, the magazine was a fascinating amalgam of a technical journal, an industry news magazine, a style publication and a gossip sheet of the well-dressed of high society. In 1902 the tailoring academy and magazine relocated to its celebrated 42-43 Gerrard Street address. Outside the five-storey building hung a sign showing The Tailor by Renaissance artist Giovanni Battista Moroni, an image that was adopted as the T&C’s logo. In 1884 the magazine was “A Journal of Art, Science and Trade”. By 1930 it claimed “The Largest Circulation of Any Trade Journal In The World Issued For The Tailoring, Clothing and Allied Trades.” In 1932 it added that it was “The Leading Authority On Clothes”. By 1945 this had been significantly amended to be “The Authority on Style and Clothes”. After WW2 the title was given fresh impetus by a new editor, John Taylor, who embraced the cause of correct dressing and style with singular enthusiasm. In the 1950s and 1960s, the magazine flourished. A prolific writer with a national reputation, Taylor looked after the editorial while the advertising was handled by Keith Fraser, who persuaded dozens of suppliers to support the title. Of the advertisers of the post-1945 era, many cloth merchants still flourish in some form, such as Dormeuil, Harrison’s of Edinburgh, Lear, Brown & Dunsford, H Lesser, Porter & Harding, and Dugdales of Huddersfield. Despite the unstoppable rise of ready-mades after World War II, the T&C still championed the bespoke trade and classically smart dressing. It had around 20,000 subscribers and in the 50s and 60s it organised a tailoring competition and exhibition. The 14 awards for various tailored garments were topped by the gold “Dandy” award for the tailor of the year. Taylor made the T&C less focused on patterns and technical features and more about matters of style and social life. As a complement to the T&C, in 1950 Taylor conceived and launched Man About Town, an early example of a modern men's style magazine. The end for the T&C came in 1972, a few years after Taylor departed. (He died in 2004, aged 82.) The drastic reduction of the UK tailoring trade meant there was no commercially-sized audience for a regular publication. The famous academy closed its doors; the building at 42-43 Gerrard Street is now occupied by a Chinese supermarket. Eric Musgrave In 2010 financial contributions by Savile Row Bespoke, Scabal, Dormeuil and the UK Fashion & Textile Association enabled The Gallery of Costume in Manchester to complete the binding of its archive of The Tailor and Cutter. This superb collection comprises 116 volumes from 1868 to 1969. Platt Hall, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14 5LL, T: +44 (0)161 245 7245, www.manchestergalleries.org s e l v e d g e . o r g 8 inform It’s official; the Queen buys her ‘fine knitwear’ from John Smedley. The company has received their first Royal Warrant in a 229 year history and really the only question is why did the acknowledgement take quite so long? John Smedley has a proud history of manufacturing the finest Merino wool and Sea Island cotton garments, both underwear and outerwear, in Great Britain and employs 390 people, each of whom has “contributed to the application for The Royal Warrant” says Managing Director Ian Maclean. www.johnsmedley.com Quarry Bank was once part of one of the largest cotton spinning businesses in the UK and The National Trust are determined to restore it to its former glory. The 18th century industrial site at Styal is at the start of an ambitious four year project which will cost in the region of six million pounds to complete. Project Manager Catherine Prasad, explains: “Quarry Bank is a rare early industrial community. Founded by Samuel Greg in 1784, it helped put Britain and Manchester (AKA Cottonopolis) at the leading edge of the Industrial Revolution. Although the majority of the Quarry Bank estate has been in the Trust’s care since 1939, it has recently acquired the remaining parts of the site. Now they want to weave all the ‘threads’ together and bring Quarry Bank to life.” The fundraising target is £1.4 million to enable work to begin. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/quarrybankappeal selv edge.org Fashion does not only exist hanging in a shop, on a catwalk or red carpet. Georgian Bath’s stylish society knew only too well that fashion was not just what you wore but how you wore it. To celebrate the city’s fashionable legacy as a place to be seen, Bath in Fashion looks behind the ‘seams’ at how fashion is presented and created. The festival will include a series of workshops and The Norman Parkinson Archive will stage a centenary exhibition to celebrate one of the 20th century’s most innovative and influential fashion photographers. Bath in Fashion 2013, 15-21 April, www.bathinfashion.co.uk The select few According to American organisation experts, who specialise in “Closet Realignment”, we wear 20 percent of our clothes 80 percent of the time and that small percentage reflects our true personality. Spare some sympathy then for the curators who, to mark the Fashion Museum’s 50th anniversary in Bath, had to reduce a collection of national significance to a mere 50 fabulous frocks. The exhibition has taken two years to plan and each of the chosen garments has their own story to tell in the history of fashion. The curators admit that “there were pieces that came, and then went, and then came back again into the final exhibition object list.” The final roll call of 50 frocks embraces the best of fashion’s Hall of Fame from Poiret, Vionnet and Schiaparelli to Ossie Clark, Vivienne Westwood and Comme des Garcons. www.museumofcostume.co.uk Costume party Would Daisy Buchanan wear Prada? Probably – any woman that weeps at the sight of “sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel” would surely appreciate one of fashion’s most iconic brands. Sketches of four of the dresses that appear in director Baz Luhrmann's long awaited screen adaptation of The Great Gatsby offer a small glimpse of Miuccia Prada’s collaboration with Luhrmann and Academy Award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin. The sketches include an orange organza dress with fish scale sequin embroidery which, like the other 39 featured dresses, was inspired by the Prada and Miu Miu archives. They indicate that cinema goers can expect a sea of "shimmering silk gowns; velvets, furs and dancing fringing; flickering shades of emerald, jade, topaz and gold" when Gatsby’s legendary parties come to life on screen. The Great Gatsby, UK cinema release Friday 17 May 2013, thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com It sounds like the Crafts Council is taking its lead from ‘tiger moms’ everywhere and has decided to ‘Hothouse’ its rising stars. Thankfully it entails “a tailormade programme of creative and business support” rather than a rigidly enforced regime of daily piano practice and french lessons. Nevertheless expectations are high as this is the third year of Hothouse – 45 makers have successfully completed the scheme since 2010. The programme is run in partnership across four regions and among those selected are Catherine Carr (north cohort) who knits or crochets fibreglass to create formed glass vessels and Claire-Anne O’Brien (south west) who makes furniture and interior accessories combining oversized vibrant hand-knit forms using British wool. www.craftscouncil.org.uk Need to know 23: The Carlo Goldoni Puppet Theatre Who was Carlo Goldoni? Carlo Goldoni was one of Italy’s greatest playwrights who altered the direction of Italian theatre in the early 18th century. Moving away from the stock characters and set pieces of Commedia dell’ arte, he wrote a series of 137 comedies, five tragedies and numerous other pieces that reflected the lives of the Italian nobility and the burgeoning bourgeoisie. What was the purpose of the puppet theatre? Goldoni wrote his first play aged 8. He found the puppet theatre invaluable to plan every detail of each scene from the stage direction to the costume and movements of each character. When was it made? According to Goldoni’s autobiography, his father Giulio Goldoni had the puppet theatre made for him when he was a child as it was valued as a training method in Venetian theatre. What scene does it depict? It depicts Scenes XIII and XIV from The Servant of Two Masters written in 1745: the pink silk mantua of one of the puppets is remarkably similar to a full-size gown of pink silk and fine silver thread embroidery of the same date in the collection at the V&A. What is the importance of the puppet theatre? Although puppetry was an important aspect of popular entertainment in the 18th century, they were mostly tawdry Punch and Judy style shows. This puppet theatre and 18th century puppets from the Grimani ai Servi family collection are remarkable for their attempt at realism and their gorgeous costumes cut from contemporary high fashion fabrics. SJD Carlo Goldoni’s House, San Polo 2794, 30125 Venice, T +39 041 2759325, http://carlogoldoni.visitmuve.it 9 in f o r m s e l v e d g e . o r g 5 39 COVER STORY Working Class The menswear collection in the Vintage Showroom offer a lesson in the diversity of manual work in the 20th century – and they look great too. 26 COVER STORY Endless cycle The Tweed Run is the latest way to honour a historic fabric Amy Fleuriot, founder of cyclodelic, discovers the craft at the centre of a truely uplifting festival. Illustrated byLeniKauffman INDULGE textiles to buy, collect or simply admire 13 First gear Beautiful attire and the best accessories for fashion-conscious cyclists everywhere. EVENTS 14 The Selvedge Spring Fair Spring treats and Easter gifts at The Chelsea Old Town Hall. Following the success of our Winter Fair we are adding an extra day and evening reception: so add 22nd and 23rd March to your diaries and we’ll look forward to seeing you there... WIN 83 Prizes this issue Win one of 10 pairs of tickets to the Spring Knitting & Stitching Show worth £15 each. The Spring version of one of our favourite shows will be opening its doors for the first time this March. Newly founded company South Street Linen are offering Selvedge readers the chance to win one of their ‘Workhorse’ linen aprons worth $159. inf o r m INFORM the latest news, reviews and exhibition listings 803 Bias /Contributors A letter from the founder Polly Leonard and comments from our contributors 07 News The Wool House, John Smedley, Quarry Bank Mill, Hot Housing by the Crafts Council, Prada costumes for the Great Gatsby, Norman Parkinson and 50 Fabulous Dresses at the Fashion Museum, Bath. 09 Need to know The Carlo Goldoni Puppet Theatre 14 How to make a bow tie by Fox and Brie 80 Subscription offers This issue every new subscriber and renewal will receive a pack of pretty Fog Linen tapes worth £9 84 Listings Exhibitions, fairs and events taking place around the world in April and May 84 Books The Collier Campbell Archive: 50 Years of Passion in Pattern by Emma Shackleton and Sarah Campbell, Textiles: The Art of Mankind by Mary Schoeser 88 View Micheal Brennand Wood: Forever Changes, Polly Binns and Anne Morrell: Light and Line, Marimekko with Love, Painted Pomp: Art and Fashion in the Age of Shakespeare 93 Resources Websites, reading lists and sources for those who would like further information about The Dependable Issue 95 Coming next The Botanical Issue: Bast fibres and beautiful florals. Including Portugal, Provençal prints, Cameron Short, Textile graduates 2013, The Language of Flowers, TM Collection, Clothing for Madonnas, Bast and leaf fibres around the world SELVEDGE ('selnid3 ) n. 1. finished di fferently 2. the non-fraying edge of a length of woven fabric. [: from SELF + EDGE] s el v e d g e . o r g

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ContentsCONCEPTtextilesinfineart18ConflictandCostumeJimNaughten’senigmatic images of the Herero tribe of Namibia capture the influence of a colonial past and the courage of a proud, independent country. 96 Pioneer spirit Sarah Burwash’s evocative watercolour illustrations are inspired by hard working women of the past and the rugged Canadian landscape.

INDUSTRY from craft to commerce 25 The Tailor & Cutter Promoting the principles of proper dress from 1866 to 1972 EricMusgrave, author of ‘Sharp Suits’ – a celebration of men's tailoring over the past 150 years – looks at the contributionthispopularmagazinemadetothetailoringindustry 48 COVER STORY Pressing matter Gail Kelly’s range of printed home textiles mirrors her signature style SeeGail’sworkandthatofotherBritishdesignersattheBritishCraftTradeFair,7-9April,Great YorkshireShowground,Harrogate,www.bctf.co.uk

GLOBAL textiles from around the world 54 COVER STORY Maine Line Writers Rinne Allen and Lucy Gillis take a tour of the craft communities that are surprisingly commonplace in the State of Maine IllustratedbySarahBurwash

ANECDOTE textiles that touch our lives 36 Forgotten Crafts A timely reminder from those who remember NigelLegge,MatthewWilliams, David Bragg andDavid Chubb reveal why they have dedicated themselves to keeping the dying craftsoflobsterpotmaking,longstrawthatchingandweavingbeeskepsalive 71 Fabric swatch No.15: Duck Canvas. Sarah Jane Downing tests the worth of this durable and hard working cloth Illustrated by TomFrost 75 Labour is not its own reward Editor Beth Smith believes small makers should get more defensive about copyright IllustratedbyMarkLazenby

COHABIT stunning interiors beautifully photographed 76 Home theatre Step back in time and glimpse the world of the Huguenot silk weavers in Dennis Severs’ strange and wonderful house in Spitalfields PhotographedbyRoelofBakerandwrittenbyClareLewis andBeckyJones,foundersofAdventureWalksforFamilieswww.adventurewalksforfamilies.co.uk 76 Luggage office Lisa Tilley, the designer behind the label ‘U old bag’, explains why she’s stuck on creating vintage bags and cases with decoupage decorations.

ATTIRE critical reporting of fashion trends 29 Golfing Glamour Fashioning an identity on the fairway Hannah Fleming, Museum &Heritage AssistantCuratoratTheBritishGolfMuseum,explorestheevolutionoffashiononthelinks 34 COVER STORY Labour party Nicola Donovan discovers that more and more people are adopting workwear as a trend and discovers how function became fashionable.

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Labour party HOW FUNCTION BECAME FASHIONABLE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT WISHART

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Crossing over the Orange River on an old and rusting 500cc motorbike, I felt as though I had been transported to a different planet: lunar, scorching and inhospitable. Barely a year out of college, I had only a rudimentary knowledge of Namibia and its people, but within a matter of days I had reached Lüderitz, a curiously out-of-place German colonial port, and visited Kolmanskop, nearby German ghost town.

I spent a few nights camped on the ominously named Shark Island, an island-turned-peninsula sandwiched between the dunes of the Namib Desert and the ice-cold waters of the Atlantic. (Years later, I would learn that it had been the site of a brutal concentration camp.) I was spellbound by the majesty and magnitude of the Namib, the world’s oldest desert, and bewitched by Namibia’s strangely elusive colonial history, little known or recorded, yet tantalizingly visible – superficially, at least – in the country’s architecture, street names and deserted settlements, the last preserved only by the aridity of the desert.

I rode north, past the highest sand dunes in the world, towards the seaside resort of Swakopmund and the shipwreck-strewn Skeleton Coast, known as ‘The Land God Made in Anger’ by the local San tribe, in view of its isolated, desolate and hostile environment. Over the course of my travels, I learnt more about this remarkable corner of Africa, from the extraordinary cave paintings of the earliest inhabitants to the nomadic Himba people; and from the first Afrikaner settlers to its brief period as German SouthWest Africa and the days of the diamond rush. The 4

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A CAREER AS A SAVILE ROW TAILOR SUITS KATHRYN SARGENT A perfect fit

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Blonde, be-suited, 30-something tailor Kathryn Sargent is on a roll. She was appointed head cutter in Savile Row in 2009, working for the seriously pukkha firm of Gieves and Hawkes; early last year she set up her own company and this spring examples of her work will go on show in the Rhode Island School of Design’s exhibition Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men of Fashion in the US. She is also the recipients of the Hand and Lock Embroidery Prize for the second time. ‘I keep pinching myself – I’m living the dream,’ she says.

It’s a dream Sargent’s followed since she enroled on a fashion course at UCA Epsom in 1993 and realised that womenswear was not for her. Aware that she needed a job at the end of college, Sargent realised that out of about 60 students only 10% went into menswear and so took the unusual decision to specialise in this area; it wasn’t just any menswear, but the high-end, high-quality craft of tailoring that she was drawn to. ‘I was a bit of a Mod at the time and liked 1960s styling and sharp tailoring,’ she explains, adding, ‘It was a deliberate choice to make myself a bit different.’

This choice was the start of a love affair that Sargent has pursued passionately. Her degree course hardly covered tailoring so she taught herself. ‘I bought old Burberry suits and took them apart to learn how they had been made, photocopied the pieces and then put them together again,’ she says, adding, ‘I wanted to make everything myself and to understand the process.’ Another study aid was the second-hand tailoring books she collected published by Tailor & Cutter, see pg 24, which were full of arcane tips of the trade, illustrations on how to draft traditional patterns and analysis about how classic clothing was constructed.

After graduating Sargent was taken on as a trimmer by Gieves and Hawkes. And this is where she honed her skills: tailoring, like any craft, is all about hands-on experience. ‘I got my head down and got on with the work and practised and practised and practised,’ she says. This dedication clearly paid off as she rapidly worked her way up the tailoring tree, winning the Golden Shears Award in 1998 and becoming a cutter with her own clients in 2000. And although Savile Row is very much a man’s world, run by men for a predominantly male clientele, Sargent managed to avoid hitting a tweed ceiling on her way up. She attributes this to her professionalism, but I suspect her undoubted talent and steely determination also helped. ‘I didn’t want my gender to hold me back so didn’t let it become an issue,” she explains briskly. And the result is she now runs her own company, Kathryn Sargent Bespoke Tailoring.

So what exactly is bespoke tailoring? It is the intricate process of making a personalised garment for an individual client from scratch. The process starts with Sargent meeting the client to discuss their needs, tastes and lifestyle. ‘Communication is really key,’ she says. The client is then measured and from this set of measurements the cutter, ‘the architect of the suit’ according to Sargent, makes a unique paper pattern which is then used to cut the actual cloth (which will have been chosen by the client with Sargent’s input). This is lightly basted, or tacked, together for a further fitting and then details such as pocket position are decided on before a final fitting and hand finishing. A bespoke suit can take up to 50 hours to make in a process that involves eight different specialists including cutter, trimmer, coat and trouser maker and presser.

The starting price for a Sargent suit is £3,200 plus VAT, but for this the client gets exactly what he or she wants and a garment that they will look and feel good in: an experienced tailor will be able to disguise a client’s physical imperfections and subtly flatter their physique. It’s this individual approach that appeals to Sargent who, in spite of the relatively limited range of clothing she makes, never gets bored with her job. ‘Everything I make is different as every client has a different personality,’ she says. In fact her range is constantly evolving and is no longer limited to the traditional business suit or dinner jacket as clients are now ordering more casual wear. Womenswear is also becoming increasingly important and now accounts for 15% of Sargent’s business, an increase probably due in part to the elegant tweed jackets she makes for herself to wear at work – a great advertisement for both her skill and commitment to the world of bespoke tailoring. Diana Wolf in d u s t r y s e l v e d g e . o r g

When, from our positions of relative ease and comfort, we look back on people who had to create by hand every necessity of life – food, shelter and clothing – the effort they expended is almost impossible to imagine. But from artist Sarah Burwash research and imagination comes a series of images that capture the day to day struggle of pioneer women and the central role that textiles played in their lives.

She explains: “My point of departure are stories gathered from journals, memoirs and biographies by those who were brazen and persistent in forging for a new social order. My research turns to past generations who lived rurally and relied on community, resourcefulness, ritual, spirituality and tradition for survival to create narratives.”

Historically quilt making gave women an acceptable outlet for creativity while fulfilling their household duties. Sharing the labour of quilting through quilting circles, relieved the isolation of women's lives. Sarah explains: “I’m interested in this sense of community as well as the act of repetition, daily domestic tasks and the philosophy of the fold. Deleuze writes, ‘repetition changes nothing in the object repeated, but does change something in the mind that contemplates it...(repetition) is not carried out by the mind, but occurs in the mind which contemplates, prior to all memory and reflection’. I’m investigating how repetitive and laborious tasks allow us to transcend our imagination, blurring the lines between present and past, reality and fantasy, neither time or place fixed.”

Another important element in Sarah’s work is her physical environment. “I am4

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The bedroom décor reflects the fashions of the 1760s by which time the Gervais family had anglicised their name to Jervis. The bed is fur nished with hand woven textiles; an extravagance only afforded by the wealthy. The monkey climbing the rope is a mechanical toy. At the time goods from around the globe, including exotic animals which became favoured pets, were flooding into London’s thriving port.

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Inspired by Charles Dickens’ descriptions of a visit to a weaver’s house in Spitalfields, (published in his weekly jour nal Household Words in 1851) Severs set up this attic room as homage to Dickens. The props setting the scene include: Ebenezer Scooge’s bed and his top hat, coat and money box; Oliver Twists’ empty gruel bowl; Bob Cratchit at his desk; Tiny Tim’s crutches; a picture of Bill Sykes with his dog Bullseye and Little Nell’s basket.

The Regency Room represents the end of the wealthy Spitalfields and the demise of the family. The pretty embroidered fabric and lace from Elizabeth’s wedding dress, woven by her husband’s weavers, decorate the dressing table. The little etching propped up against the mirror depicts Elizabeth as a young woman. A small portrait (not shown) by the window has a black ribbon hanging over it to show that the subject, her son, is deceased.

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