Textiles by Mary Schoeser

I love a good textile design reference book and Textiles: The Art of Mankind by Mary Schoeser is a must have for any admirer of the wonderful world of decorative textiles.

Covering textile art and design from around the world and through the centuries, the book meanders through diverse subject matter such as Indian woven silk fabrics from the 15th Century, the sinuous and elegant line work of William Morris' block printed furnishing fabrics, densely stitched robes worn by Turkmen tribal women, through to the brightly coloured brocade weaves of 20th Century Guatemalan dress fabrics. These examples are just a tiny slither of the vast selection of beautifully documented textiles featured in this wonderful tome - and I call it a tome as it is one very heavy book, beware Ikea shelves! Over 1000 images reveal the beauty and variety of textiles in stunning detail.

The author Mary Schoeser writes: 'Over the past forty years, the first hand sight of hundreds and thousands of examples has convinced me that textiles are beautiful, inventive, expressive, and more. They reveal the human compulsion to engage with texture, colour and storytelling. They record our ever-changing feelings of play, joy, wonder and profound thoughtfulness. They preserve skills, encourage creativity and represent continuity'.

Themes covered in the book include Impact, Ingredients, Structure, Surface, Added Dimensions and Imagery. By juxtaposing historical and contemporary textiles from around the world, the author highlights an unbroken story of skill and invention stretching back thousands of years.

Textiles: The Art of Mankind by Mary Schoeser is published by Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2012.

Inspired by....Dufy

With Baz Lurhmann's adaptation of  The Great Gatsby about to hit our screens, I found myself delving into a favourite reference book - Art Deco Textiles - The French Designers by Alain-Rene Hardy. Dufy's wonderful floral and pictorial designs and skilful repeats always inspire.

The French artist Raoul Dufy (1877 - 1953) was encouraged to design fabrics by the great Art Deco era couturier Paul Poiret. In 1911 Poiret set up a small textile printing studio to produce Dufy's lively and dramatic patterns, which were incorporated to great effect into his clothing designs.

Coat, 1911
Paul Poiret 
Textile design by Raoul Dufy 
Ivory and navy block printed velvet with brown fur trim and gold metallic mesh-covered silk closures.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Such was the success of Dufy's collaboration with Poiret, less than a year later the artist was offered a contract with the Lyons silk firm Bianchini-Ferier. Between 1912 and 1928 Dufy designed over 2000 patterns for dress and furnishing silks, and linen and cotton furnishing textiles.

The Harvester, c.1920

Design for printed linen by Raoul Dufy

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Roses, c.1925

Design attr. to Raoul Dufy

Les Tuilleries, c.1920

Design for woven silk by Raoul Dufy

Fleurs, 1918

Design for block-printed cotton by Raoul Dufy

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Jungle, 1922

Design for woven silk / wool by Raoul Dufy

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Venice, c.1920,21

Design for woven silk by Raoul Dufy

V&A Museum

A few hours in Vienna

I finally made it to the National Gallery of Victoria's Vienna Art & Design exhibition, which is showing until the 9th of October 2011.

Gustav Klimt's art work held an immediate appeal to me after coming across it in my early high school years - his sumptuous use of decorative pattern and stylised ornamentation was such an inspiration for a young girl with a love of pattern and textiles.

Italian garden landscape 1913 by Gustav KLIMT

Austria 1862-1918

oil on canvas

Kunsthaus Zug, Stiftung Sammlung Kamm

Fritza Riedler 1906 by Gustav KLIMT

Austria 1862-1918

oil on canvas

Belvedere, Vienna

The star of the show (in my humble opinion) 

Emilie Flöge 1902 by Gustav KLIMT

Austria 1862-1918

oil on canvas

Wien Museum, Vienna

Also on display is a fantastic collection of Successionist poster designs, book designs, Wiener Werkstatte product designs, bentwood cafe furniture, architectural designs, (and most importantly!) textile designs by the likes of Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffman and Dagobert Peche.

Plate from Flachen Schmuck series, 1901

Koloman MOSER Austria 1868-1918

National Gallery of Australia Research Library

Plate from Flachen Schmuck series, 1901

Koloman MOSER Austria 1868-1918

National Gallery of Australia Research Library

I'm now heading to my couch with my catalogue in hand. Have a great weekend!

Spotlight on Little Bubble and Tree!

Kelly Parrish is the creator of the children's wear label Little Bubble and Tree.

I first met Kelly when she came to work in the Linen House design studio as a stylist for the Hiccups and Linen House bed linen range. A few years have passed since then, and now Kelly is the proud mother of two sons and a baby daughter (Marli was born just three months ago). 

Kelly's company Little Bubble and Tree is inspired by her love of printed and embroidered Indian textiles, and consists of a collection of playground wearable and harsh Australian summer sun friendly cotton clothing items and decorative accessories.

Kelly creates her necklace and decorative accessories collection when the kids have gone to bed!

In just a few years, the Little Bubble and Tree label has grown from a small collection of Kelly's signature children's kaftans, to a much larger offer that includes cotton dresses and pants, necklaces, and these gorgeous applique cushions which have been beautifully hand-crafted in India.

 

I love that hot pink peacock cushion!

Little Bubble and Tree products are now stocked widely in both brick and mortar stores around Australia, and in many online retailers around the world. 

Kelly is also a regular exhibitor at the burgeoning market scene in Australia - you can find her beautiful wares at the Magnolia Square markets which are regularly held in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

 A couple of months ago (with a newborn baby) Kelly manned a stand at the very gorgeous Life In Style exhibition at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. Take a look at her blog post here.

The photos in this post are a sneak peek of the new Little Bubble and Tree collection, beautifully photographed by Kelly's friend Pru from Little Bird Photography. I am sure you will agree that Kelly has a great eye for colour - those colourful cushions definitely put a smile on my face!

Little Bubble and Tree website

Little Bubble and Tree blog

Pru's post on the new Little Bubble and Tree photography session

A Parisian palette

The first destination on my overseas trip was Paris, and as always was an inspirational feast of beautiful design, colour and gorgeous linen textiles. The French have a knack for making beautiful colour palettes that are just so....well, French! My favourite typically French colour palette is one of soft muted greys and dirtied-off purple colours (my brain is still jet-lagged so please excuse my mumbling prose). I saw this combination featured often in the children's clothing collections at Playtime Paris, as well as in the oh-so-chic lifestyle boutiques Merci and Bonton , and the exquisite children's clothing ranges of Bon Point .

A favourite French artist of mine, Nathalie Lete, had a small exhibition of paintings, ceramics and dolls at the Playtime Paris fair, all based on a 'Little Red Riding Hood' theme.

Visit Nathalie's website here: http://www.nathalie-lete.com/

Japanese delicacies

I would love to see the Mina Perhonen range of products in real life - everything looks so textural and beautifully hand-crafted. Had better start saving my airfare to Tokyo.....

Mina Perhonen products are available online from the Japanese boutique Lili et Nene .

Dressing for spring

Layers and layers of gorgeous prints, ruffles and hand-finished shirring - there is a lovely attention to detail to be found on all of the clothing in the Spring Summer 09/10 collection from Australian brand Paperwings. 

Vintage pattern inspiration

Another Japanese book filled with retro pattern goodness - Vintage Dress Fabric from the States, published in 2009 by Pie Books.