Newsletter no. 8-2007

Editors/Redaktion

This newsletter is written in order to spread experiences within the topic of ”historic textiles”. Our ambition is to amuse you and stimulate interest in the 18th Century. As permanent writers you will find Martin Ciszuk, MA in textile history, Laila Durán and Maria Fernström, who all work for the Durán Textiles AB company. We will also have help from colleagues and specialists from several museums and universities. This newsletter will be distributed ten times a year and is free of charge. We hope you will enjoy our articles and offers and help us to spread the letter to friends and colleagues.
Contact: www.durantextiles.com

Detta nyhetsbrev skrivs för att sprida erfarenheter inom ämnet ”historiska textiler” och 1700-talet. Ambitionen är att roa och stimulera intresset. Vi som skriver är Martin Ciszuk Fil.mag textilvetenskap, Laila Durán och Maria Fernström, samtliga verksamma inom Durán Textiles AB. Till vår hjälp har vi kollegor och specialister från olika muséer och universitet.
Nyhetsbrevet kommer ut tio gånger per år och är helt kostnadsfritt. Vi hoppas ni skall uppskatta våra artiklar och erbjudanden och även sprida informationen vidare till Era vänner.
Kontakt: www.durantextiles.com

A typical 18th century dress ...

By Laila Durán.

Some months ago I was contacted by a museum who wanted to show reproductions of 18th century fabrics and costumes. The request was quite familiar, but when I asked for the details it became clear that in one showcase there was the intention to show costumes like people in common would expect 18th century clothes to look like. A typical 18th century dress….!

For the first time in many years I was completely stuck. There was no images before my inner eye. What is a typical representation of 18th century fashion? What does the museum visitor expect? Is it the pictures from fairytale princesses or a grandiose glittering costume from a movie or stage play you hope to see? Maybe the rushed laces and white wigs from the films about Marie Antoinette mixed with a vague feeling that everything went in paste colours?
For weeks I went thinking, but my stock of fabrics did not give an answer. Probably I had read too many books on history of fashion and seen too many costume movies to fulfil this task….but there was one dress I always dreamt of. The problem was that the fabric did not exist.

”Necessity teaches a naked woman to spin” is an old saying, and even if I did not plan to make the fabric myself, I knew who could make it in India. The fabric I dreamt of was an embroidered silk with garlands of flowers and fluttering bands of lace. Impossible? It was worth a try.

After several weeks of commented drawings, colour indications and samples the fabric, which was given the name ROCOCO, finally arrived. A romantic dream of pink and red flowers and sprays combined with a lace garland, machine embroidered on silk. It was ready to cut and sew.

This typical 18th century dress will be on display on Stockholm Stadsmuseum – Stockholm City Museum - in the exhibition: “Bellman, Sevenbom och Prinsessan” from October 27, 2007 until August 31, 2008.

The fabric ROCOCO is made in five colour ways. crème (on the photo), pink, yellow, greyish lilac and reddish beige. The fabric will be displayed on our homepage www.durantextiles.com from November.

A typical 18th century dress ... By Laila Durán.

Go back to the first page » Click here

A typical 18th century dress ...
By Laila Durán.

Go back to the first page
» Click here