GOODMAN, Lizzy (2010). Lady Gaga: Extreme Style, London: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780007379019; soft back, 144 pp, 120+ colour photographs, bibliography, index. Price: GBP 15.99.
Anyone who wears a red Victorian-era latex dress for a performance for Queen Elizabeth II has a certain style. Or who struts on to a stage with two foot-high needlepoint frames, dripping with lace, on her head. Add to this a singer whose first five singles all reached number one in the USA charts and you have the phenomenon that is Lady Gaga. This book is not for academics, though questions about identity and fashion are raised. Nor will die-hard fans of the pop singer learn much that is new about her life, though the basics are covered: Lady Gaga was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in 1986, was playing piano at age four and worked as an aspiring performance artist in New York burlesque clubs, etc.
This lavishly illustrated book is for anyone with an interest in how far the boundaries of fashion can be pushed. The photographs of the singer and her clothes may provoke laughter, puzzlement or disgust. Lady Gaga has worn dresses made almost entirely of yellow flowers and another of raw meat. Jean Paul Gaultier has designed a padded body suit for her; Thierry Mugler a crystal dress; Philip Treacy a jewel encrusted lobster headdress; Dolce & Gabbana a metal corset. Gaga has worked with Damien Hirst, Alexander McQueen, Viktor & Rolf, and Frank Gehry, who all appreciate her daring. “I want people to walk around delusional about how great they can be, and then fight so hard for it every day that the lie becomes the truth,” she is quoted as saying. A list of couture and lingerie shops that can supply Lady Gaga-like clothing is included in the book.
Recommendation: a surprisingly intriguing book that throws light on how an internationally recognised figure can deliberately use clothing to enhance her image. It is not a book for the general public, but worth browsing through if you get the chance.
Shelley Anderson
***
CUMMING, Valerie, Cecil W. CUNNINGTON and Phillis E. CUNNINGTON (2010, revised version of a book first published in 1960), The Dictionary of Fashion History, Oxford: Berg, ISBN: 978-1-84788-533-3. Softback, pp. 286, glossary, bibliography.
A basic reference book in the form of a dictionary of accessories, clothing, fashion as well as textile terms, based on North European and North American terminology and usage. The book was originally published in 1960 by Cecil Cunnington, his wife Phillis Cunnington and Charles Beard. It has been brought up-to-date by Valerie Cumming, former Deputy Director of the Museum of London, who included more entries relating to terms from 1900 to the beginning of the 21st century. The range of entries include many aspects of clothing, including men and women’s clothing, footwear, headwear, and accessories such as fans. In addition, there are special glossaries for textiles and for lace. At the beginning of the dictionary there is a short guide to using the dictionary; here is the comment that the dictionary is simple to use, which is true. In addition, it is stated that the cross-referencing is deliberately kept to a minimal, as too many would make the dictionary unworkable.
It is a pity that the individual entries do not have bibliographical sources for the information. The extended bibliography helps in finding many terms and themes, but not with some of the more obscure entries, etc. Another negative element, as with many Berg fashion books, is the fact that there are very few illustrations in the text and all of them are in black/white.
Recommendation: a very useful reference book that is an essential item in any costume and/or dress library, but bearing in mind that it is a dictionary not an encyclopeadia.
Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood
***
JANDU, Sandeep (2012). Stitching Pictures: Combing Print and Mixed Media with Stitches, London: A&C Black, ISNB: 9781408131343. Soft cover, pp. 127, numerous colour illustrations, stockist list, index.
A how-to book presenting a series of ‘modern’ multi-media projects that include stencils, paper, paints, applied materials of various types, as well as hand and machine stitching. The author states that the book is intended “to shift the emphasis away from precise craft techniques and on to imaginative ways to combine materials and techniques, often using practices that are centuries old. For example, I use delicate needlework, machine stitch and chunky hand stitch to create illustrations, rather than the traditional lines drawn with pen and ink" (p. 11). Later she notes that "The projects ….. also break some of the boundaries surrounding contemporary approaches to these conventional methods [embroidery] of ‘drawing’ and new ways to apply lines to create artwork and dramatic visual effects (p. 12)." The author is of Indian origin and credits this cultural heritage as having influenced her work. She has worked for various fashion houses (directly and indirectly).
Recommendation: The author uses stitching and other techniques to create collages of various forms. Many of the end products are not ‘new’ and there is a tendency in the text sections for the author to be a little patronising. The book is suitable for people who are looking for ‘art’ inspiration that includes some decorative stitching, rather than for people who are primarily embroiderers looking for technical and artistic inspiration.
Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood
***
LABELLE, Marie-Louise (2005). Beads of Life: Eastern and Southern African Beadwork from Canadian Collections, Quebec: Mercury Series, Canadian Museum of Civilization, ISBN 0-660-19402-3, pp. 195, colour and b/w images, bibliography. Price: US$45.
Until comparatively recently traditional studies in African art have focussed on sculptures in various materials, notably bronze, ivory and wood. The textile and related crafts, including beadwork, were often ignored or mentioned in passing. In contrast Labelle’s book is based on fieldwork among the Maasai and Samburu (Kenya) in the 1980s. The book is based on an exhibition with the same name that was held at Canadian Museum of Civilization (April 2005–February 2006). The book is divided into six chapters that look at various aspects of beads and beadwork in Eastern and Southern African, and, as the name suggests, from Canadian collections. The chapters include details about colour uses, aesthetic principles, the use of beads on clothing and other ornaments, as well as how beads are used during different ‘life’ rituals within various ethnic groups living in Eastern and Southern Africa. The author emphasises how internal and external influences can radically change the appearance and use of beads (such as the availability of European glass beads from the 18th century onwards).
Recommendation: This book will be of importance to anyone interested and/or working in the field of beads and how beads can and do permeate many aspects of a group's cultural life. The perfusion of illustrations, especially of the objects themselves, means that this study will be of great use to anyone working with African collections, either privately or in institutions, as well as to people looking for inspiration in how they can use beads in ‘new’ manners.
Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood
***
LOVEDAY, Helen (2014), The Baur Collection Geneva: Japanese Buddhist Textiles; Milan: 5 Continents Editions, ISBN 2-88031-022-9. In English and French. Hard back, pp. 332, full colour, numerous colour images (both distance and close-up forms), chronology, bibliography. Price: €173 (Swiss francs: 180).
A beautiful book to hold and to delve into. The volume is divided into four main sections. The first is concerned with background information and includes chapters concerning the Baur Collection of Japanese altar cloths (uchishiki) itself, which date to the Edo period (1603-1868), what is a uchishiki (a small, square cloth for covering a table), and how this form was and is used. The second section looks at Japanese weaving techniques and the general history of silk weaving in this country. The third section is concerned with the patterns and designs associated with uchishiki. The fourth and last section is a catalogue of the 121 examples of uchishiki in the Baur Collection. Each textile is described in detail with data about the techniques used, designs, related items in other collections and bibliographic information. The only ‘problem’ with this book is that fact that it is in English and French, which means that what appears to be a long description and discussion is in fact only half the length.
Recommendation: the colour images make this book worth while having for anyone interested in silk textiles, Asian textiles, and in particular Japanese forms. Well worth having for any serious textile library, especially those focussing on Asian textiles.
Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood
***
LEEFLANG Micha and Kees van SCHOOTEN (2015). Middeleeuwse Borduurkunst uit de Nederlanden (exhibition catalogue), Zwolle: WBooks and the Museum Catharijneconvent, ISBN 978-94-625-8080-0; soft back, pp. 271, numerous colour and black/white illustrations, glossary, bibliography, index. Price: €34,95.
Catalogue from a medieval (Roman Catholic) religious embroidery exhibition held at the Catharijneconvent Museum, Utrecht (the Netherlands) between 10th April – 16th August 2015. The book is divided into three main sections, firstly a series of articles by specialists in various fields and a catalogue of the objects on display in the exhibition. This section is divided into three: art historical research, techniques and restoration, and collection forming. The two articles by Ulrike Müllners (embroidery techniques) and Micha Leeflang (the drawings used to create the embroidery) are of particular interest for the study of the techniques of European medieval embroidery. The articles of the first section are followed by the catalogue of the 84 items on display. Each item is described in detail with a short description of the origins of the item, a (very short) technical description of how it was made and/or decorated and an art historical discussion. The last section contains a bibliography, index etc.
Recommendation: the format of this book is of a traditional, art historical catalogue. It is full of interesting details and information, while the range of (colour) images takes the book up to a high standard. It is likely that this study will become a classic study of the subject that will be used for the dating and provenancing of relevant items in collections, paintings and so forth. It will provide information and inspiration for anyone interested in embroidery and medieval embroidery in particular, and especially Catholic religious vestments.
Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood
***
NEDERVEEN MEERKERK, Elise van (2007), De Draad in Eigen Handen: Vrouwen en loonarbeid in de Nederlandse textielnijverheid, 1581-1810, Amsterdam: Aksant, ISBN 978-90-5260-252-3, hardback, pp. 368, numerous tables, black/white illustrations, appendices, bibliography, index. Price: €6.90.
An economic history looking at women and work in the Dutch textile industry between 1581-1810. Particular attention is being paid to spinning and weaving in the regions of Leiden, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Tilburg and Zwolle. The book is based on the author's PhD thesis from Utrecht University (2006). The book looks at various aspects of textile production in the Netherlands including raw materials (flax and wool), the role of the textile industry in the 16th century and developments in the four cities named above. The book also looks at the differing apprenticeship systems, roles, wages, and so forth of male and female spinners and weavers. There is also a chapter on how unmarried women/married women/widows, coped with spinning, weaving and the workplace (either at home and/or in a workshop).
Recommendation: this is a very specialist book that will only appeal to a relatively small market. It remains, however, an essential and intriguing study for anyone interested in the history of the Dutch textile industry and the role of women within a given period in Dutch economic and social history.
Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood
***
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN EMBROIDERERS’ GUILD (2003), Lagartera Embroidery and Stitches from Spain, Bowral: Sally Milner Publishing Pty Ltd., ISBN: 1-86351-308-6. Softback, pp. 87, numerous colour images, b/w line drawings and charts, bibliography.
A how-to book that includes a series of small projects based on Lagartera embroidery from Spain. This type of embroidery dates to the medieval period and may have come from the Eastern Mediterranean. Basically Lagartera embroidery is a form of double running stitch (Holbein stitch) with satin stitch filling. This style of embroidery was used in medieval Egypt and Lebanon, 16th and 17th Northern Europe (Tudor period blackwork), as well as for modern Assisi work from Italy, Fes embroidery from Morocco, and embroidery in various parts of Romania. The various projects in this book are deliberately simple and are intended for embroiderers who have minimal experience with this type of work. Some projects are based on ‘classic’ geometric designs and mirror image patterns. Other projects are deliberately ‘modern’ and include stylised balloons, ice creams, teddy bears, trains, even elephants.
Recommendation: a good, beginners introduction to the technique of double running stitch (Holbein stitch).
Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood
***
BENNETT, James and Russell Kelly (2015). Treasure Ships: Art in the Age of Spices, Adelaide: Art Gallery of South Australia. ISBN: 978-921668-22-7. Hardback, pp. 352. Numerous illustrations most in full colour, endnotes, bibliography. Price: c. €35.
A large, heavy and lavish catalogue published for an Australian exhibition of the same name which opened in the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide in the summer of 2015. The catalogue covers many aspects of the trade between Europe (especially Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal) and Southeast Asia (mainly India) and Asia (China, Japan, Indonesia). The range of subjects covered is wide and includes map making, Christianity in Asia, Islam and the West, treasure ships, medicine, Chinoiserie, as well as information about individual forms of art work, boats, boxes, furniture, pottery, spices, weapons, and of course, textiles and carpets.
There are several chapters that include images and details of many textiles, notably the study by James Bennett, “Indian textiles for Southeast Asia and other markets,” (pp. 225-238). In addition there is a special section in the catalogue which is about textiles and costume (pp. 313-319). It is noticeable that the textiles illustrated are printed or woven forms; embroideries are missing, which raises various questions around why are they missing. Is this omission deliberate? Many of the textiles and garments illustrated come from Australian collections and include many Indian and Indonesian examples that may not be familiar to some of the readers. One particular, intriguing item is an Australian convict shirt from the early 19th century, which was made from Indian textiles (p. 237).
Recommendation: this is one of those enjoyable books, both visually and with respect to the information presented. Anyone interested in Asian/European trade links, relevant objects, and most of all Asian printed and woven textiles, should see this book.
Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood
