Quite a few museums all over the world had to close down again because of Coronavirus, among them there's also the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands (closed at least until 18th November).
In the meantime, quite a few institutions are extending their current events or working on next year's calendar and among the upcoming events at the Fries Museum, there is a major exhibition dedicated to embroidery.
Entitled "Haute Bordure" it is scheduled to open on 14th February 2021 (and let's hope it doesn't get postponed) and it will feature both historical and contemporary designs.
The museum, well-known for its textile exhibitions, hopes to put into perspective embroidery and rediscover various techniques over four centuries, comparing them to contemporary designs by modern fashion houses.
To this end the exhibition attempts a dialogue between historical garments (on loan or from the in-house collection and in some cases restored for this event with support from the Wassenbergh-Clarijs Fontein Foundation) and modern creations.
The floral embroideries on two men's waistcoats are for example compared to a catsuits with a matching cape by Jan Taminiau (2013), evoking in its decorative embellishments and fabric configurations botanic shapes.
The gold embroideries on men's jackets from the 1800s find echoes in Viktor & Rolf's evening dresses incorporating tinkling bells or needlepoint hoops.
A quilted housecoat in a bright royal blue shade with elaborate white floral embroideries by Queen Máxima or silk quilted tunics for babies characterised by patterns representing leaves, spirals and geometrical designs reminiscent of Welsh quilts, are juxtaposed to modern quilted creations by young Moroccan painter, illustrator and fashion designer Karim Adduchi (born in Imzouren, Morocco in 1988, but based in The Netherlands where he also studied). There is more to discover for what regards historical accessories with a section that will include shoes from 1620 and hats and scarves from the 18th century.
If you're an enthusiastic collector or if you have a rare family piece, you may even be able to give a hand to the museum: the institution is indeed looking for a hand-embroidered wedding dress for the "Haute Bordure" exhibition.
There will indeed be a special room dedicated to white embroidery marking important life moments - birth, baptism and marriage.
The museum is still missing a (historical) white, hand-embroidered wedding dress, so if you still have in that trunk in the attic your (great) grandmother embroidered wedding dress (made by herself or embroidered by someone else), this may be the time to rediscover it and get in touch with the museum with detailed information about the gown and pictures as well.
While the curators hope "Haute Bordure" will help visitors putting in perspective the constant revival of this craft at major fashion houses, rediscovering traditional embroidery styles and techniques and making comparisons with rare historical garments, such an exhibition may also remind us about therapeutic effects of manual crafts (especially in the very challenging times we are living in) and the possibility of using embroidery in other contexts, such as art and fashion projects, to bring vital messages across and even exorcise traumatic memories.
Image credits for this post
1 and 2. Robe, c. 1880, Fries Museum Collection. Photo: Erik & Petra Hesmerg.
3. Karim Adduchi, Mosaic dress, 2019. Photo: Petrovsky & Ramone.
4. Knighthood of the province of Friesland coat, 1826-1849, Fries Museum Collection. Photo: Erik & Petra Hesmerg.
5 and 6. Men's vests, 1780-1800, Fries Museum Collection. Photo: Erik & Petra Hesmerg.
7. Jan Taminiau, Catsuit and cape ("L'Image Tranquille" collection), 2013, Centraal Museum Collection, Utrecht (purchased with support from the Mondriaan Fund and the BankGiro Loterij). Photo: Centraal Museum Utrecht / Ernst Moritz.
8. Baby tunics, 18th century, Fries Museum Collection. Photo: Erik & Petra Hesmerg.
9. Shawls, 18th and 19th century, Fries Museum Collection. Photo: Erik & Petra Hesmerg.
10. Viktor & Rolf, Bells, 1997-1998, Groninger Museum Collection. Photo: Heinz Aebi.
11. Shoes, c. 1620, Fries Museum Collection. Photo: Erik & Petra Hesmerg.
12. Men's house hats, 18th century, Fries Museum Collection. Photo: Erik & Petra Hesmerg.
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