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Autumn Newsletter 2015

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Contents Page

Exhibitions and Events 3-19

Books 19

Front cover image: detail of a Schiaparelli dress from 1937. ©Platt Hall

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Exhibitions and events DATS conference: (Re) Introducing the New Thursday 12th and Friday 13th November 2015 at the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester. Book now at www.dressandtextilespecialists.org.uk

(Re) Introducing the New In response to comments from last year’s conference, the broad theme for 2015 is working with contemporary fashion and textiles: collecting, displaying, storing and using collections in new ways for the 21st century. The venue is the Whitworth Art Gallery, with its award- winning sustainable gallery and storage areas, completed in 2014. Fashion exhibitions are a proven draw for large and new audiences and increasingly are found outside traditional decorative arts museums. We hope that this year’s DATS conference will provide a chance to share the challenges and opportunities presented by the demand for fashion, particularly in the current climate of budget cuts and financial targets.

DAY 1 Thursday 12 November 2015 9.30-10.00 Registration and coffee 10.00 Welcome and Introduction 10.00-11.30 Session 1 (Re) Connecting: New ways of engaging with collections and objects · Dr Jane Webb (Manchester School of Art) Reintroducing the Old, Creating the New: slow scholarship, imagination and the archive · Shelley Tobin (Head Costume Curator Killerton House, National Trust Exeter) Re-inventing the past: partnership projects with a local FE college · Judeth Saunders (Collections Assistant, Alfred Gillett Trust), Manufacturing authenticity: the search for the Clarks Polyveldt 11.10-11.30 Questions 11.30-12.00 Tea and coffee 12.00-13.00 Session 2 (Re) Introducing: Digital platforms, social media and showcasing collections · E-J Scott (Assistant Costume Curator Killerton House, National Trust Exeter) Re-defining the future: social media, virtual museums and object VLOGS · Jane Seddon, Rebecca Shawcross and Julie King (University of Northampton, Northampton Museums and Art Gallery and University of Northampton) Virtually Shoes: Digitising and making accessible 14,500 shoes 12.40-13.00 Questions 13.00-14.00 Lunch (provided) 14.00-17.30 Session 3 (Re) Presenting: Exhibitions, displays and new galleries · Ali Bodley (Senior Curator History and Archaeology, York Museums Trust) Shaping the Body: New exhibition for York Museums Trust · Georgina Ripley (Curator Modern and Contemporary Fashion & Textiles, National Museums Scotland) Fashion and Style: A new gallery at the National Museum of Scotland 14.40-15.00 Questions

15.00-15:45 In Conversation: curator and designer using collections as inspiration · Brigitte Stepputtis, (Head of Couture at Vivienne Westwood) in conversation with Beatrice Behlen (Senior Curator of Fashion & Decorative Arts, the Museum of

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London) on using historic collections as inspiration for contemporary fashion design. 15.45-16.15 Tea and coffee 16:15-17:15 (Re)Introducing the New, challenges and successes in collecting, displaying and interpreting dress for the 21st century · Panel discussion between Miles Lambert (Gallery of Costume Manchester), Joanna Hashagen (Bowes Museum), Grace Evans (Chertsey Museum), Dennis Nothdruft (Fashion & Textiles Museum), chaired by Edwina Ehrman (V&A Museum) 17.15-17.30 Round up of the day and discussion. Optional – Visit to Thursday Late event at the Manchester Art Gallery, followed by a meal in a local restaurant.

DAY 2 Friday 13 November 2015 9.15-10.00 AGM/Registration and coffee 10.00 Welcome and Introduction 10.00-11.30 Session 1 · Ann French and the team at the Whitworth Art Gallery New displays and storage at the Whitworth Art Gallery – Tour, talk and introduction to the new facilities and displays 11.30-12.00 Tea and coffee 12.00-13.00 Session 2 · Phillip Sykas (Research Associate, Manchester School of Art) The Beauty of Experiment, Shadow tissues · Helen Wolfe (Collections Manager, Textiles, British Museum) London – Paris – Palestine: Ethnographic textiles inspiring the world of fashion 12.40-13.00 Questions 13.00-14.00 Lunch (provided) 14.00-17.00 Session 3 Delegates will be able to choose between trips and tours including: · Museum of Science and Industry Manchester Textiles Industry: Then & Now – Working loom demonstration, followed by introductory curator talk about MOSI’s current displays on medical and technical textiles · Manchester’s Cotton Industry: Walking tour Guided walking tour around central Manchester, exploring the key sites of the cotton industry and its history · Gallery of Costume, Platt Hall Miles Lambert will kindly provide an introduction to the Gallery and its collection. Delegates will also be able to view the displays and exhibitions currently on display. #reintroducingthenew @WhitworthArt

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London

Survival and Revival: Clothing Design that Survives and Fashion Trends that Are Revived. International Conference of Dress Historians. Saturday, 31st October 2015 The Art Workers’ Guild, 6 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AT The Keynote Address ‘Tailored Menswear: Survival and Revival of Designs and Trends’ Will Be Delivered By Timothy Long, Curator of Fashion and Decorative Arts The Museum of London To purchase tickets, please visit www.dresshistorians.co.uk/calendar. For more information about the conference, please contact Jennifer Daley, ADH Events Secretary at events@dresshistorians.co.uk.

Royal School of Needlework, Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU

www.royal-needlework.org.uk Whitework until December 2015. Delicate antique collars, sleeves and cuffs; christening robes and baby caps; fine underwear and Sunday-best table linen and handkerchiefs exemplify some of the most intricate pieces of Whitework embroideries to form part of the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) exhibition from its Collection from now to December 2015. Co-curated by Dr Clare Rose (RSN Degree Contextual Studies Lecturer) and Dr Susan Kay-Williams (RSN Chief Executive) this exhibition demonstrates how Whitework was once part of everyday life with women and young girls spending hours creating these intricate works of art for very practical uses. Dr Clare Rose comments, “In the past, Whitework embroidery was big business, with professionals producing monogrammed underwear sets for Princesses – and for lesser mortals. Ayrshirework christening gowns and women’s accessories were worked on by teams of embroiderers, with apprentices doing the edging and the most highly skilled doing the delicate needlelace fillings. The value of Whitework can also be seen in the care that was taken to maintain it, from starch glazing and ironing after every wash, to meticulous darns to repair torn muslin ruffles. Whitework is one of the most international techniques, and the exhibition will feature pieces from Bengal and the Philippines.”

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Although the exhibition features one embroidery technique there is a great variety in the pieces on show, for example, an exceptionally fine handkerchief from the Paris Exhibition of 1867 representing the Egyptian Pavilion; a set of miniature garments made in 1844 comprising skirt, boned bodice, bloomers, petticoat, nightdress, shirt and socks; a toddler gown featuring the Prince of Wales Feathers and Ayrshirework, a tea cosy in pulled thread work and bedding featuring a cottage scene. Dr Susan Kay-Williams says, “The quality of work is exquisite and features several of the Whitework techniques including Carrickmacross, Hollie Point, Cutwork, Pulled threads, Hardanger and Ayrshirework.” Contemporary applications of Whitework will be represented by examples from RSN Diploma students and graduates showing how these delicate techniques can be used to create an amazing variety of patterns, textures and designs all without any colour. The exhibition takes place at the RSN’s base at Hampton Court Palace in Surrey on set days each month and pre-booking in advance is essential. Tours are 1.5 hours and cost £16 per person and groups are welcome too. You’ll listen to a short illustrated lecture on the RSN and Whitework and then be shown around the exhibition by volunteer tour guides.

Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Street, London SW7 http://www.vam.ac.uk/ Shoes: Pleasure and Pain 13 June 2015-31 January 2016 This exhibition looks at the extremes of footwear from around the globe, presenting around 200 pairs of shoes ranging from a sandal decorated in pure gold leaf originating from ancient Egypt to the most elaborate designs by contemporary makers. It considers the cultural significance and transformative capacity of shoes and examines the latest developments in footwear technology creating the possibility of ever higher heels and

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dramatic shapes. Examples from famous shoe wearers and collectors are shown alongside a dazzling range of historic shoes, many of which have not been displayed before. The School of Historical Dress, 47 Charles Square, London, N1 6HT www.theschoolofhistoricaldress.org.uk

Winter courses. Pockets for Men & Women c. 1600-1900. 2 day Course - 28th & 29th November Good Plain Sewing – The craft of the home dressmaker. 2 day course – 5th & 6th December The Nature of Fabrics c.1400 – 1800. 2 day course – 12th & 13th December 1860s & 1870s Dress Decorations. 2 day course – 19th & 20th December To purchase a course please go to the online shop - https://shop.theschoolofhistoricaldress.org.uk/

The South East

Chertsey Museum, 33 Windsor Street, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 8AT, Tel. 01932 565764. Fashion Accessories Gallery featuring shoes, fans, hats, bags, parasols, lace, shoe buckles and jewellery with items from the 17th century to the present day. Look out for a beautiful linen cap featuring exquisite black work embroidery and dating from 1700 – 1720. Fashion Exhibition 50 YEARS OF FASHION. 19th September 2015 until 3rd September 2016. To commemorate 50 years of Chertsey Museum, stunning examples of women’s wear from the 1960s to the 2000s will be on show. The exhibition includes a broad range of pieces selected from the Olive Matthews Collection of dress, many by seminal designers such as Hardy Amies, André Courrèges, Bill Gibb and Alexander McQueen. A large proportion of the pieces are new to the collection and have never been exhibited before. Admission to the above displays is FREE Look out for information on events associated with this exhibition

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For further information on any of the above contact Grace Evans, Keeper of Costume on 01932 565764 or email enquiries@chertseymuseum.org.uk

The South West

The Fashion Museum, Bath Assembly Rooms, Bennett St, Bath, BA1 2QH Tel: +44 (0) 1225 477789 www.museumofcostume.co.uk

Great Names of Fashion On display until 3 January 2016 Dior and Balenciaga, Vionnet and Yves Saint Laurent – the history of modern fashion is signposted by a handful of major designers whose work shaped the look of a generation. This new display at the Fashion Museum showcases beautiful evening dresses by a number of these great names of fashion history from the early 20th century to the present day.

From the jewelled key motifs on Elsa Schiaparelli’s (1890 – 1973) powder blue evening dress, to the strapless gown with a skirt made of metres of knife-pleated white silk organdie by Christian Dior (1905 - 1957), this display is a must-see for all those who are fascinated by the history of 20th century fashion. Prepare to be wowed!

Great Names of Fashion 1: Elsa Schiaparelli – Hyacinth blue silk evening dress decorated with pearl latticework and embroidered crossed key motifs in pearls, diamantes and gold beads, about 1936.

©Fashion Museum, Bath & North East Somerset Council

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Great Names of Fashion 2: Great Names of Fashion display case at the Fashion Museum, Bath

©Fashion Museum, Bath & North East Somerset Council

Great Names of Fashion 3: Yellow silk chiffon evening dress embroidered with yellow floss silk, sequins, bugle beads and yellow brilliants, about 1926. Worn by Molly Tondaiman, The Rani of Pudukkottai

© Fashion Museum, Bath & North East Somerset Council

Behind the Scenes

This special display has been refreshed for 2015 and showcases one hundred years of fashion, from snowy white embroidered muslins from the time of Jane Austen through to the new column-like shape of dresses from the time of the First World War.

The display includes an original dress worn by Queen Victoria, along with other Victorian fashions, such as a grey silk taffeta dress, worn over a cage crinoline.

'Behind the Scenes' blurs the traditional museum boundaries between collections on display and those held in store. The gallery is, in fact, the museum store, and the original fashions are presented against a backdrop of collection storage boxes.

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Behind the Scenes: Dress and train of fine cream silk decorated with diamantes and gold and silver metal thread embroidery, 1903. Worn by Lady Curzon, Vicereine of India

©Fashion Museum, Bath & North East Somerset Council

Twilight Talk – Fashion in… The Illustrated London News from the 1840s to the 1890s – 8

Oct, 6.00 pm

Fashion archives curator Karina Virahsawmy - assisted by Jean Scott - will talk about the ‘fashion

finds’ and discoveries about the intricacies of Victorian dress that they have come across during

a project to catalogue a collection of fashion pages torn from The Illustrated London News (the

first illustrated newspaper). The magazine pages are now part of the collection at the Fashion

Museum.

Royal School of Needlework Embroidery Workshop, Crossed Keys of St Peter – 17 Oct, 10.00

am – 4.00 pm

In this one day workshop you’ll be introduced to a selection of techniques that will allow you to

create an embroidered sample inspired by the Schiaparelli dress on display in the Fashion

Museum galleries. The crossed keys of St Peter motif used on the dress has been interpreted by

RSN tutor, Deborah Wilding, to create an original design exclusively for this workshop.

Twilight Talk – Fashion in… 1969, Ossie Clark and the Beautiful People – 22 Oct, 6.00 pm

Fashion writer Judith Watt, regular contributor to Vogue and author of Ossie Clark, 1965-1974

(V&A Publications 2003), will speak about fashion designer Ossie Clark, darling of the late 1960s

London scene, whose 1969 chiffon printed trouser ensemble is part of the Dress of the Year

collection at the Fashion Museum and currently on display in the museum galleries.

In Conversation… with Hormazd Narielwalla – 30 Oct, 6.15 pm

Join us for an after-hours talk with artist Hormazd Narielwalla, who works in collage and uses

bespoke Saville Row tailoring patterns to create artworks exploring the body in abstract form.

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Killerton House, Broadclyst, Exeter, Devon, EX5 3LE

Telephone: 01392 881345 http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton Open daily from Saturday 15 February

From a 150-year-old crinoline to a 60s mini, garments have shaped not only their owners but also the face of fashion. Our latest costume exhibition ‘The F-Word: the changing language of fashion’ opens on Saturday 14 February and explores how fashion has responded to the latest innovations and made its mark across the centuries.

Zips, buttons, elastic – items now taken for granted were revolutionary in their day. They changed what could be worn and also helped people dress faster and with ease. The language of fashion is often bound to the technology and materials used to produce it and we explore how elements of clothing were named in the past. Whalebone and then steel hoops, elastic, rubber and plastics transformed the way clothing works, and created fortunes for inventors and manufacturers.

‘The F-word’ draws on the wealth of the costume collection at Killerton, and uses special items to tell the story of how and why fashion has evolved over the years. The collection has grown over time, to include men’s, women’s and children’s clothing dating from 1690 to the 1970s.

Rare treats in the exhibition include…

• Man’s coat, made of silk woven with metallic thread in about 1690 • Jacquard woven silk afternoon dress, about 1860, highlighting advances in silk weaving (the Jacquard looms, with punched cards controlling the pattern weaving, inspired Charles Babbage who came up with the idea for the first computer) • Woollen wedding dress, knitted on a domestic knitting machine in1971, when the trend for home knitting machines was at its peak • Mini dress made of Crimplene (one of the new synthetic fabrics) in a bright psychedelic print. Minis were at their shortest by about 1969 • Elegant mini and jacket by Emanuel Ungaro, about 1966 • Gold nylon and lurex ballgown by Maryon, late 1940s. Nylon and lurex were new man-made fibres developed in the 1930s.

The exhibition also highlights methods of pattern-cutting and decorative techniques, and fabrics and clothing that were revolutionary in their time. The first water-powered mills, rotary printers and synthetic dyes and materials eased what was a cottage industry into the world of mass production and fashion for all.

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This year, the exhibition showcases new work from an open competition for designers, with their garments on display alongside historic pieces from Killerton’s renowned fashion collection. Designers of all ages submitted new designs and work on the theme of innovation.

North of England

Textile Society Conference and AGM ‘Textiles and Architecture’ Friday 6th – Saturday 7th November 2015 Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester The closing date for bookings is Friday 30th October 2015

Lotherton Hall, Lotherton Lane, Aberford, Leeds LS25 3EB www.leeds.gov.uk/ageofglamour Age of Glamour – fashions from the Fifties On until 31st December 2015 Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds, LS2 8BH www.leeds.gov.uk/tailored

Tailored – A Very British Fashion On until 3rd January 2016 Study day - British Tailoring and the Leeds Tailoring Industry Leeds City Museum Tuesday 20 October 2015 The day will explore aspects of the history of British tailoring and the Leeds tailoring industry through a series of talks and a chance to get up close to items from our collection. £30 including refreshments and lunch. Booking essential – call 0113 2243726 or email city.museum@leeds.gov.uk

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Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight Village, Wirral, CH62 5EQ. www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ladylever Telephone 0151 478 4136 Putting on the Glitz: 1930s Eveningwear 16 October 2015 – 28 February 2016 A display of 20 costumes, plus shoes, hats and other accessories, from the collections of National Museums Liverpool. The show reveals how the glitz and glamour of Hollywood was reflected in the fashions of the period. Also on display will be a set of striking fashion illustrations by Wirral-born illustrator Winifred Aileen Brown (1907-1993), which she produced in the 1930s for Liverpool department store George Henry Lee & Co., now part of the John Lewis group. Free entry Open daily 10am-5pm

Walker Art Gallery, William Brown Street, Liverpool, L3 8EL www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker. Telephone 0151 478 4199 Transformation: One Man’s Cross-Dressing Wardrobe 24 October 2015 – February 2017 A display of 16 outfits on loan to National Museums Liverpool from the collection of local costume enthusiast and cross-dresser Peter Farrer. Peter was born in 1926 and has been cross-dressing since he was 14. Peter’s interest in women’s period costume has led him to collect extensively and he now has a huge number of garments, mainly taffeta evening dresses made between the 1930s and the 1980s. He has had a wardrobe of taffeta dresses created for him to wear by the Brighton-based dressmaker Sandi Steyning, owner of the Kentucky Woman Clothing Company. This ground-breaking display, the first of its kind in a British museum, will feature garments from Peter’s historic and modern collection of cross-dressing clothes. Free entry Open daily 10am-5pm

Gallery of Costume, Platt Hall, Rusholme, Manchester M14 5LL Manchester City Galleries www.manchestergalleries.org Elsa Schiaparelli and Thirties Fashion. 8 October 15 – April 16 – preview 8 October This show forms an exploration of the most important Surrealist fashion designer of all, and the most significant female couturier of the 1930s. The Gallery has acquired several important outfits designed by Elsa Schiaparelli over the last few years, and following conservation, they form the centre-piece of this overview of cutting edge female fashion during the 1930s. There will be 25 mannequins showing some of the most striking fashion of the pre-war decade, pieces either by Schiaparelli or showing her influence.

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1936, Paris label

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1937

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1936, London label

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1937, Persian tunic, London label

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The Quilt Museum and Gallery, Peasholme Green, York. The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles. Tel: 01904 613242 Quilt Art: Dialogues until 31st October To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Quilt Art is mounting a touring exhibition of new work entitled ‘Dialogues’. The artists have been working closely with Dr. Susan Marks, quilt historian, and her dialogues with them will form the basis of an accompanying book. Back in Time: Patchwork and Quilting until 31st October An exhibition exploring the changes in development and approach to patchwork and quilting in Britain over the last three centuries. Includes works from The Quilters’ Guild Collection not previously exhibited and some new acquisitions.

Scotland

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8AG www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums A Century of Style: Costume and Colour 1800–1899 25 September 2015–14 February 2016

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This beautiful exhibition of 19th-century clothing comes from Glasgow Museums’ collection of European costume. Showcasing some rarely seen examples of womenswear, menswear and children’s clothing, it considers how such clothes were made and where they were sold, as well as revealing the stories of some of the people who wore them. The displays features dresses and outfits made with delicate embroidered cottons and elaborate woven silks, as well as beautiful wedding dresses and opulent evening gowns. Leading Glaswegian department stores and dressmakers are represented in the exhibition, alongside an exquisite beaded couture dress from Paris. There is also a wide range of accessories on show, including delicate jewellery, bonnets, colourful shawls, purses and even a metamorphic parasol. Glasgow Museums’ 19th-century costume collection reflects an important period in the history of Glasgow and the West of Scotland. During the 1800s the Strathclyde area was a leading textile manufacturing region and Glasgow was a major retail centre. As there are currently no long term displays of this part of the costume collection in any of our museums, meaning this exhibition offers a fantastic opportunity to see some fabulous and rarely shown gowns, accessories and jewellery. Further information can be found online at http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/kelvingrove/exhibitions/Pages/Next-exhibition.aspx. We will also be releasing our e-labels as an app for tablets and publishing a new souvenir guide showing some of the highlights of our European costume collection.

Books

Fashion in Focus, 1600 – 2009, Treasures from the Olive Matthews Collection by Grace Evans. A beautifully illustrated 152 page book featuring in-depth information about the very best pieces from the Olive Matthews Collection of dress at Chertsey Museum. Price - £11.99. Call 01932 565764 for details of how to order. www.chertseymuseum.org