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gowns

Hawthorne & Heaney visits the Night & Day Exhibition

November 29, 2018 by Intern

Hawthorne & Heaney visits the Night & Day Exhibition London Hand EmbroideryBeautiful sequined gown, early to mid-1930s. Sequins became popular in the 1920s, inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. (1922)

The 1930s followed the decade of the roaring 20’s, with the Wall Street crash in 1929, the years that followed saw a great deal of change for Britain and America. With the 1930s, came the beginning of WWII, the end of the Jazz Age and a dramatic change in fashion in accordance with the economic and political transformations of Western society.

Hawthorne & Heaney visits the Night & Day Exhibition London Hand EmbroideryEvening Gown and Capelet, early to mid 1930s, satin. Black and white was considered a very chic colour combination in the 1930s, promoted by designer Elsa Schiaparelli. (1890-1973)

This exquisite exhibition is based around a single collection (courtesy of Cleo and Mark Butterfield) consisting of 1930s daywear and eveningwear. The exhibition began with an array of classic dresses, would have been at the height of fashion in the 30s. The impact of the Art Deco movement (which took its name from the international Arts Décoratif et Industriels Modernes held in Paris in 1925) on fashion in the 30s was profound; it was characterised by highly stylised natural and geometric forms. Something that struck us as soon as we walked in was how much the fabrics used to construct the garments were angled towards the act of wearing; specific fabrics such as satin and crepe were used to glisten in the lights of a nightclub – the wonderful art of using materials for their glamorous properties!

Hawthorne & Heaney visits the Night & Day Exhibition London Hand EmbroideryEvening Gown, early 1930s, Satin. Wonderful ruffled open back gown with gathered bow motif.

Glamorous. Chic. Timeless. Three words that instantly spring to mind when a vision of floor length satin and crepe gowns appeared like a mirage through the walls of the fashion and textile museum. These liquid satin, bias cut gowns – pioneered by Madeleine Vionnet – ooze sophistication and sensual night-time glamour. On the dance floor of the 1930s, everyone was equal; all class, economic and racial differences were left on the side lines.

Hawthorne & Heaney visits the Night & Day Exhibition London Hand EmbroideryEvening gown, early to mid-1930s, satin. A salmon-pink bias cut gown with beaded swirl motif. The caplet sleeves emphesise the feminine fluidity of the gown.

Cinema became part of everyday life in the interwar years; Cinema buildings popped up all over the country; housewives would be able to view a matinee screening and still be home in time for the children! The silver screen was an immense factor in the glamorisation of evening wear fashion in the 1930s and the rise of ready to wear garments; cheaper fabrics such as lamé were favoured over traditional embroidery, which was not quite as decadent but almost as lustrous.Hawthorne & Heaney visits the Night & Day Exhibition London Hand EmbroideryEvening gown, early 1930s, satin. The glamorous style was reinforced by Hollywood during a decade of luxurious films that provided the much needed escapism from the realities of daily life.

In the room called ‘Whistle! While you work’ it was clear that the major shift in working class women becoming mass consumers was aided by media outlets such as magazines, it was explained how this shift has been an important factor in how we shop today. The popularisation of department stores and the philosophy of ‘make do and mend’ in the austerity of The Depression also led to a much more accessible ‘Ready To Wear’ trend rising. This revolution in ready to wear clothing could be seen of as a factor in our current fast-fashion crisis.

Hawthorne & Heaney visits the Night & Day Exhibition London Hand EmbroideryEvening gown and jacket, mid 1930s. Heavy embroidery of the previous decade were discarded and replaced with cheaper fabrics such as lamé.

The 1930s gave way to the act of shopping (usually in department stores) and window-shopping becoming part of popular culture. The advancement of technology and women in the workplace (pre marriage, of course, due to the ‘marriage bar’ forcing women to resign from their jobs when wed) meant that fabrics could now be produced on a much larger and therefore cheaper scale.

Hawthorne & Heaney visits the Night & Day Exhibition London Hand EmbroideryThe 1930s were a golden age for the art of the portrait photograph. On show was a vast selection of portraits from 3 leading studio photographers; Dorothy Wilding, Madame Yevonde and Paul Tanqueray.

The finale of the exhibition wowed us with a patriotic display of all things red, white and blue to commemorate the coronation of George VI. An interesting note which helped us imagine the atmosphere of the day was added in the exhibition guide: ‘Hotels were full to the seams and many people who wanted to catch a glimpse of the royal coach resorted to sleeping on pavements and in the parks, creating camps and latrines, which author Virginia Woolf likened to scenes of the Crimea.’

Hawthorne & Heaney visits the Night & Day Exhibition London Hand EmbroiderySome Day My Prince … Will Come! A section of the exhibition celebrating the coronation of King George VI on 12 May 1937; all things blue, red and white lined the streets of Britain.

The exhibition was a delightful insight in to all things 30s, from the glitzy gowns of the dancehall floors to the realities of women being barred from the workplace: a truly comprehensive experience!

Hawthorne & Heaney visits the Night & Day Exhibition London Hand EmbroideryDress, late 1930s, crepe. Blue was a popular colour of 1937 as it was considered patriotic. ‘Marlborough blue’, in partocular featured heavily in this year and was named after the royal palace.

By Jessica Strain. All photos by Jessica Strain.

Exhibition details:

Night & Day: 1930’s Fashion and Photographs

Fashion and Textile Museum

83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF

Open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11am–6pm

Thursdays until 8pm

Sundays, 11am–5pm

12 October 2018 – 20 January 2019

£9.90 adults / £8.80 concessions / £7 students

Children under 12 are free

 

Filed Under: Art, Embroidery, Fashion, Film, TV & Theatre, London Tagged With: dresses, embellishment, embroidery, eveningwear, exhibition, fashion and textile museum, glamour, gowns, London, Night and Day:1930's fashion and photographs, photography, sophistication

Hawthorne & Heaney Visits Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion

October 13, 2017 by Natasha Searls-Punter

When a major fashion exhibtion comes to London, we love to go and see what it is all about and the Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion Exhibition currently on at the Victoria and Albert Museum does not disappoint. Based in the fashion and textiles section of the museum, the exhibition goes through from the beginnings of Balenciaga as a brand, through to current designers that Balenciaga has influenced.

Starting downstairs, most of the historical garments and accessories are displayed with accompanying notes and toiles. There are a few pieces which have a video animation next to them of how the pattern goes together to make the garment function which are very informative and really demonstrate the complexity of the designs:

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#balenciaga @vamuseum #patterncutting

A post shared by Tasha Searls-Punter (@tashasearlspunter) on Oct 13, 2017 at 1:28am PDT

This accompanies the actual garment which it explains as well as a calico toile of the garment. A few pieces from the collection have been x-rayed as can be seen in the back of the next video which shows the many layers that go into a piece like this and the hidden support within some of the ‘simpler’ looking gowns.

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@vamuseum #balenciaga #fashion #london

A post shared by Tasha Searls-Punter (@tashasearlspunter) on Oct 13, 2017 at 1:32am PDT

Hawthorne & Heaney Visits Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion London Hand EmbroideryX-ray photograph of silk taffeta evening dress by Cristóbal Balenciaga, 1955, Paris, France. X-ray by Nick Veasey, 2016. © Nick Veasey

They have a section which is dedicated to the fabric choices and embroideries used in some of the historical Balenciaga pieces. These include a wonderfully rich example of silk shading on a gown with an impossibly tiny waist and a very decadent textured jacket. The base embroidery of the jacket is demonstrated by an embroiderer from Paris based embroiderers Lesage recreating the design. See below for a snippet of the tambour beading over long silk stitching.

Hawthorne & Heaney Visits Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion London Hand EmbroideryHawthorne & Heaney Visits Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion London Hand EmbroideryWild silk evening dress (detail), Cristóbal Balenciaga with embroidery by Lesage, 1960 – 2, Paris, France. Museum no. T.27-1974. © Victoria and Albert Museum, LondonHawthorne & Heaney Visits Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion London Hand Embroidery

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A little tambour beading demo from one of the videos at the #balenciaga exhibition on now at @vamuseum #embellishment #handembroidery #london

A post shared by London Embroidery School (@londonembschool) on Oct 13, 2017 at 1:35am PDT

Going through the exhibition, the different approaches to each of the pieces are explained as Cristobal Balenciaga applied both tailoring and dressmaking techniques to his pieces. He was know for his surgical precision, often pictured in a lab coat measuring and remeasuring sections. A selection of traditional tailoring tools are displyed including shears, pressing ham, chalk shaving box and tracing wheel.

Hawthorne & Heaney Visits Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion London Hand EmbroideryCristóbal Balenciaga at work, 1968, Paris, France. Photograph by Henri Cartier-Bresson. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum PhotosHawthorne & Heaney Visits Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion London Hand EmbroideryMoving upstairs, the exhibition focuses more on Balenciagas lasting legacy and those he has inspired. Against the dombed ceiling, three videos of current designers such as Mollie Goddard and Gareth Pugh who speak about how Balenciaga has influenced them and their design work. A series of parallels are drawn between contemporary designs and historical Balenciaga pieces such as the below by Hussein Chalayan and Oscar De La Renta which are likened to textured coat and silk work dress previous mentioned.

Hawthorne & Heaney Visits Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney Visits Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney Visits Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney Visits Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion London Hand EmbroideryThis exhibition is a well rounded insight into the Balenciaga brand with lots of lovely couture examples and the technical specification to go with them which is interesting for those with and without exisiting fashion knowledge.  Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion will be running at the Victoria and Albert Museum‘s Fashion and Textiles Gallery Space (Room 40) until Sunday 18th February 2018 so if you have the opportunity to see it, it is worth the visit. Tickets cost £12.00 and some concessions are available.

All images and videos courtsey of Natasha Searls-Punter (@tashasearlspunter) unless otherwise stated.

Filed Under: Embroidery, Fashion, London Tagged With: Balenciaga, beading, bespoke, couture, design, dresses, dressmaking, embellishment, embroidery, fashion, gowns, London, pattern, pattern cutting, Shaping Fashion, silk shading, silk work, Tailoring, tambour beading, toiling, tools, V & A Museum, VAM, victoria and albert museum

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