Here's a video of Alexandra Palmer's lecture at Rimini University. This is a 5-minute preview of a longer video, so you will have to install Veoh Video Compass to watch the full video in your browser or download it to your PC.
In her lecture Palmer presents the new Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles and Costumes at the Royal Ontario Museum analysing first the space where the collection is showcased and then the collection itself.
The most interesting parts of the lecture are the ones in which Palmer talks about the conservation of some pieces (16:00) and how they had to decide how to exhibit the clothes as often a garment like the green toga dress from Vivienne Westwood’s S/S 1982 “Savage” collection she mentions may look very different when it is worn on the body and when it is laid down on a table (17:09). People who are into the technicalities of museum exhibitions will find of some interest the part in which Palmer explains how the dummies are sculpted and restructured so that they will be perfect for the size of the costumes (20:00).
My favourite part is the one in which Palmer shows how paintings are juxtaposed in the gallery to costumes, to illustrate how some pieces were worn (from 25:00). Check out the painting compared to the lace handkerchief (29:00) and the painting compared to the decorative linen pillow cover (30:00).
The quality of the video may not be great, but I hope some of the slides in the background will be inspiring: have a look at the yellow dress (25:44), the intricate needlework (27:30), the painted chintz overdress (36:30) and the section dedicated to the printing techniques (from 36:00 – muffled by some furious bells in the background, but with some slides showing prints by Thor Hansen).
Men's tailoring from the 17th century is also analysed (40:00) with a quick study of the shape, silhouette and cut of a pair of trousers (42:00) and of a boy's silk brocade coat with silver filé (44:00). The lecture closes with a look at haute couture tailoring (from 46:06) and in particular at pieces by Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy and Azzedine Alaïa and at the intricate structure of a Comme des Garçons jacket (47:00).
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