"Know Thyself" said that maxim inscribed in the pronaos of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, but in fashion we should really change it into "Know Your Fabric". It is indeed only through an in-depth knowledge of materials that the best results can be achieved in a collection.
"Fabric In Fashion", an exhibition currently on at New York's FIT Museum (until 11th May), is centred on the importance of materials and on how textiles changed as centuries passed.
The event invites visitors to ponder about the knowledge we used to have about fabrics in the past: women knew how to recognise different fibers and could identify their origins, quality and cost, and spot the difference between wool fabrics appropriate for menswear and women's wear.
In the past people could afford fewer clothes than we can nowadays, yet in our modern times we avidly consume fashion without really knowing what we wear. The exhibit is therefore a way to reconnect with fabrics and learn more about history and cultures.
The exhibition is divided into four sections - silk, cotton, wool and synthetics - and starts with a focus on the history of silk.
China began exporting silk towards the West during the Han Dynasty via the route known as the Silk Road. By the 1200s, European traders regularly imported expensive fabrics such as handwoven satins, velvets, damasks, and brocades from the Far and Middle East. By the 18th century France, England and Italy started producing silk textiles enriching them with Western motifs.
Garments in this section include a striking salmon pink dyed silk taffeta morning robe from 1870 integrating kimono fabric panels, and a silk brocaded taffeta robe a l'anglaise dating from around 1760 characterised by a colourful floral brocade fabric and juxtaposed to a Norman Norell evening gown from 1955 with a classic Western silhouette and made with a multi-coloured sari-inspired silk brocade.
The wool section is also a journey through civilisations as it reminds us wool was a major industry in Mesopotamia by 2500 BCE, but also thrived in ancient Persia, Greece, and Rome.
Wool became particularly popular in Britain until the 1600s as proved also by the paisley gown and shawl included in this section, that also features an iconic blue coat and dress ensemble by Mila Schön with a spongy texture and an A-line silhouette, and a sculpted but softly shaped red wool trench coat by Azzedine Alaïa from the 1980s.
The British colonisation introduced a new fiber onto the market - cotton - that became extremely popular between the 18th and 19th centuries, but the exhibition does not hide the darkest aspects behind this material.
There may be exquisite designs in light muslin with delicate silver wire embroideries hand-woven in India in this part of the exhibition, but the notes accompanying the garments on display here remind visitors about the human cost behind cotton and the enslavement of African cotton workers in the Americas.
The 19th century brought new innovations in fabric design, with synthetic textiles such as rayon, the first man-made fiber, produced from chemically-processed cellulose.
American chemical company DuPont began developing synthetic fibers made entirely from petroleum and chemicals in 1926 and European and American companies dominated the research and development of synthetic fibers during the 1930s.
Petroleum-based fibers introduced a completely new aestehtic, more futuristic and dynamic, offering increased performance and containing costs. Haute Couture also embraced synthetic fibers that had a boom throughout the 1960s and 1970s. At the same time, being non-biodegradable, such fibers proved toxic for the environment.
The exhibition invites visitors to consider the power of synthetic fibers via a metallic cape matched with a camisole and pants by Issey Miyake (1982) and a green coat of rayon/cotton velveteen by Romeo Gigli (1991).
The former features heat-set folds that are melted into place; the latter moves from historic designs made with smocking velvet, but the texture of the coat is actually made with faux smocked velvet by Nigel Atkinson made with a heat-reactive polyurethane ink applied to the back of the fabric.
"Fabric in Fashion " then also looks at the way different fabrics can be manipulated in dedicated thematic sections - couture, weave, knitted and feminized.
The textiles in these parts of the show go from diaphanous cottons and wools to sturdy taffetas, from complex multiple textures made with multi-coloured yarns to dense and dramatic folds.
Highlights include Isabel Toledo's "Hermaphrodite" evening dress from 1998 made with taffeta, a thin and pliable yet solid material that allowed the designer to come up with an ingenious silhouette; a Schiaparelli faille draped gown with folds falling around the body and a 1962 cape by Cristóbal Balenciaga made with silk gazar, a material he developed with Swiss textile firm Abraham, that allowed the Spanish architect of style to create his sculpturally light forms.
There are also historical garments in these sections that reserve some surprises, among them a knitted silk empire-waist evening dress form 1810 with an extremely modern motif, a grid-like pattern of openwork.
It is a shame they didn't include more innovative "fabrics" such as 3D printed textures in this event, but "Fabric in Fashion" remains a good summary for students and for fashion fans who don't have much time in New York and still want to get a quick and essential guide to the history of textiles in fashion.
Indeed, as the exhibition brochure states, fabrics are "the very stuff of fashion" and it is therefore worth to learn more about them, rather than just look at ephemeral fashion trends.
Image credits for this post
Silk brocaded taffeta robe a l'anglaise, circa 1760, England.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Traina-Norell, silk brocade evening dress. circa 1955, USA, gift of Mildred Morton.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Silk taffeta morning robe with silk crepe kimono panels, circa 1870, USA, gift of Florence Anderson and Mary A. Seymour.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Mila Schön, double-faced wool dress and coat, 1968, Italy, gift of Mrs. Donald Elliman.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Azzedine Alaïa, wool broadcloth trench coat ensemble with wool jersey hood, winter 1985, France, gift of Azzedine Alaïa In Memory of Arthur Englander.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Issey Miyake, ensemble with synthetic metallic ruffled cape, 1982, Japan, gift of Jun Kanai.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Isabel Toledo, shot silk taffeta "Hermaphrodite" evening dress, spring 1998, USA.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Balenciaga, silk gazar evening cape, circa 1962, France, gift of Mildred S. Hilson.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Schiaparelli, Red silk faille and pink silk evening gown, circa 1955, France, Gift of Mr. Rodman A. Heeren.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Romeo Gigli, ensemble with rayon and cotton velveteen coat heat-embossed with polyurethane, fall 1991, Italy, museum purchase.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Two-piece dress of silk ottoman with fringe and novelty velvet, circa 1859, USA, museum purchase.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Organdy dress with silk satin trim, circa 1830, England, museum purchase.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Silk organza overdress, circa 1825, USA (possibly), gift of Titi Halle.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Cotton "silver muslin" round gown with silk taffeta sleeves, 1795–1800, USA (probably), textile from India, museum purchase.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Knitted silk empire-waist evening dress, circa 1810, England, museum purchase.
Fabric In Fashion
Photograph by Eileen Costa
The Museum at FIT
Comments