This morning, as an experiment, I decided to select some of my most prized colorful silks and velvets and throw them in the waste basket just to see how it felt to be nonchalant and indifferent. What prompted this exercise was an article I read yesterday afternoon in a publication that is delivered to my husband each month. I seldom look at the magazine, but for some reason decided to flip through it. I discovered an article on a designer and perused it. What I came across was quite disconcerting.
I will not disclose the name of the designer, but in so many words she decided she was not happy with her spring 2010 line. She felt that all the bright colors were not working, so she threw out a quarter million dollars worth of fabric and started over. She said that once she got rid of the color that everything started to work. Not only do I find this appalling, I find it to be a silly, self-absorbed solution. Maybe designers have always been so wasteful. Then I suggest they no longer market any efforts to be sustainable.
I am almost finished with my wool wrap skirt and will post it soon. My next project will be more spring-minded. I want to work with some linen and antique laces on perhaps a vest collaged with large and small pieces of lace. I look forward to this because primarily it will mostly be sewn by hand.
I have been inspired lately to look at paintings for clothing ideas by this. What a wonderful idea to be inspired in this way. There is so much that can be gleaned from such a beautiful vision. This painting above has so much to stir one’s spirit. I love the lace insertion on her dress sleeves and the way the fabric drapes, suggesting it might me a beautiful cotton voile, the older ones being the most exquisite to feel and see. She is draped in the most beautiful textile. Is is getting wet?
I just love the simplicity of this dress. It is so classic it could be easily worn today, and the purple sash tied at the hips is pure magic. The way the sleeves gather and fold, could there be anything more elegant and romantic? The leftovers were surely put into a quilt of some merit, I would like to imagine. No waste.
I will often save photos from magazines before I discard them. I have had this for some time now. I could step right inside this world and be perfectly content with the clothing, scenery, and ambiance.
Now I must go retrieve my textiles from the wastebasket and put them back on the shelf for a future project.
What a shame the designer couldn’t give the textiles to a college or a charity who could have up-cycled or re-cycled them. I hope someone rescued them before them reached a land-fill site.
I suspect that both fashion and manufacturers must have a lot of wasted resources at the end of the day. I think all we can do is be thoughtful about our own resources and rescue/re-home anything we are able to.
I’ve just received a bag of what could be considered scraps and smallpieces of leftovers from a very talented re-assembler of garments. Many of them will be perfect for my college jewelery and accessories project.
What I can’t use I will take to college to share around with fellow students. Notifying one’s friends and contacts that I am interested in all thing textile means that I am given things to use or pass on to college on nearly a weekly basis.
This means my stash gets bigger and I have to work out how best to categorize and store it.
It sounds like you are definitely one to care for or pass on your textiles in a way that is conscientious and caring. I think we need to spread the word, so there are more people like you who have this awareness.
Airy laces for spring sounds wonderful. I’ve always loved Waterhouse and all the other artists/poets from the Pre Raphaelite period. The clothing depicted wqs always so romantic and flowing. ( Have you seenFlaming June? ) I know there are other paintings in the Lady of Shallot series, the one of her sitting in her tower weaving is beautiful but this is my favorite. Just last weekend I made a CQ block with this being the center motif. How serindipitous to find it here being inspiration for you.
I used to have Flaming June hanging in my bedroom for awhile in poster form after I was divorced. I love this era, most likely because of the romance of the clothing and the settings. These pictures that I posted came from a calendar that I had at one time with a whole series of Waterhouse. I never tire of looking at them. I will have to visit your blog to see if you posted the block there.
you have a romantic soul….
And I might add, incurable.
The pictures are so lovely and the dresses are beautiful.
I am reminded of the wedding dress in the movie Braveheart.
It was simple but, beautiful.
I can not imagine who the designer was that tossed out the
fabric but, I hope it was tossed to a useful purpose.
You would think they would have samples before they purchase a lot of fabric to create garments.
The vest will be beautiful and romantic.
Look forward to seeing your new skirt.
I am not sure what was done with $250,000 worth of fabric. Let’s hope she was careful enough to at least donate it or sell it to mill end stores. I did not see the movie Braveheart, but I did love the clothes in Out of Africa too.
I looooved those clothes in Out Of Africa and The Razors Edge with Bill Murray!
I am not familiar with The Razor’s Edge, but if there are great clothes in there I will definitely have to rent it. Thanks for the tip!
Funny this is. I have started purging fabrics too, for real, for different reasons though.
As for the designer….gads. Put the stuff away….give it away…don’t throw it away!!!!!
I think this must come with age, this purging thing!
What lovely photos and I too agree that to discard so much lovely fabric when it can be used for some beneficial use seems so wasteful. I’m sure since she was a famous designer they were fabrics we would die for. I love the colors and textures for your new project.
I am baffled why anyone would choose black over color, especially for spring. I start getting so hungry for color toward the end of winter.
I somehow missed your laces and vest. Too unhappy with the wasteful designer news, I guess.
I love the idea. One of my college projects last year was to take a great Vixctorian bodice shaped cotton/linen cream jacket and virtually cover it with crochet and lace. Because it is all in natural fabrics I will be able to dye it should I become bored with it.
I’m working on some textile jewelery which will have a basis of lace. I look forward to your vest developments.
I would have loved to have seen the jacket that you covered with crochet and lace. I’ll bet it was really spectacular!
The Pre-Raphaelites were so fond of their voluptuous fabrics and romantic women! And they painted both beautifully-one of my favourites is Mariana by Millais, in her sumptuous blue velvet gown.
I was disturbed too by the story of the designer throwing out so much fabric for such banal reasons. I have to hope by “throwing out” it just meant “recycled” rather than destroyed. Otherwise it is too sad.
The painting that you mentioned Mariana by Millais does not immediately come to mind, but I will have to research it. I imagine when I see it, it will be one I probably have loved at one time too. I hope the designer did do some recycling of the textiles!
Such a beautiful dress, i would love to wear it.
XXXm
Love that inspiration too. I have a collection of cards with painting such as these from when I was a teenager.
I often stack things together, toss them together and find combos I like. The designer… I can only hope it went to some use. It would be criminal otherwise.
I sometimes feel that paintings provide the best inspiration of all. I also love the paintings of Vuillard who painted so many beautiful domestic scenes.
I thought at first you were really going to let those rainbow colors out of you life. What a relief! Color is what makes the world move and gyrate.
The paintings were wonderful. I have always admired the spirit that that first woman shows. She knows were she is going and she engulfs herself in the surrounds. I definitely envy that spirit. No hesitation, no questions. Of course, the clothes fit perfectly with the painting.
P.S. I did enjoy the harmonics of the whites and off whites!
Some of the worst cases of discarding things have occurred during the recent landslide of home foreclosures. I have seen videos of brand new TVs, blenders, lamps, furniture, clothes, toys, all being thrown into dumpsters and carted away to landfills. Reporters were asking the removers why weren’t charities picking up these things, and the removers said there “wasn’t time.” It is such a sad commentary on the terrible way in which a certain kind of thinking tries to solve problems. I have loved finding so many people here in the blogging world who are trying to rescue and recycle everything. This is such an important post!
And I love J.W. Waterhouse, too, and I especially love your embryonic antique-lace vest, just waiting to be born. xo Kari
This is so disturbing! What an awful waste. What a crazy world we live in.
I have been sorting through my lace pieces today, and it has been very calming.
I was reminded od one of my favourite quotes when reading about this esigher “Arrogance & stupidity all in the same package, how efficient…” Silly woman…
Lace! Your collage idea is so inspiring, co-incidentally, my daughter Morgaine scrounged a lot of vintage lace scraps & collars from me last week, she wants to edge the sleeves, necks and waists of some little pale spring sweaters with lace. i shall look forward to seeing both of your results! I may have to join in and have a go at something similar myself, perhaps a patchwork lace skirt similar to the blue lace, velvet & silk one everybody liked on my first vintages clothes post.
Waterhouse, and THAT painting! He is my favourite pre-raph painter by far, and the Lady of Shallot my favourite painting… Stunning, inspirational, and incurably romantic with a deeply sad & poignant side too. xxx
Arrogance and stupidity do seem a matched set.
I would love to see what Morgaine does with her pretty sweaters for spring. I can see her mother’s talent rubbed off on her. What a great idea to embellish a sweater in this way. Perhaps you will have to join in the fun and share what you create too.
Romantic paintings always do have a poignant and longing side to them, I agree. Well, maybe this is why I am drawn to them too.
She THREW it away. OMGosh. Unbelievable. Impossible to imagine. 250,000 dollars. Shameful.
You will LOVE the Razor’s Edge. Do rent it.
Lovely post. Inspirational. And fun.