Indigo Shibori in 19th Century Japanese Fashion
Sample Fabrics ( Muslin and Cotton )
Kimono Inspired Garments
Garments on the Body:
SEMINAR RESEARCH OUTLINE: Japan_Outline_AnnotatedBibliography
SEMINAR RESEARCH PAPER: JapanPaperFinal
Understanding Adrian’s Aesthetics
Board 1:
Board 2:
Board Citations: AdrianBoardCitations
New York Vintage Visit
http://www.newyorkvintage.com
After looking at books of Adrian’s bias cut gowns and tailored suits, it was incredibly fun and interesting to see items from the 1930’s and 1940’s up close and personal that were constructed the same way. With the tailored suit outfits for women I noted how there was padding in the shoulders and how the seams were sewn on the tailored jacket to accentuate the bust and make the waist smaller. With the Bias cut dresses, I payed close attention to wear the fabric was cut and the seams were sewn, especially where the skirt of the dress connects with the bodice of the dress. I only wish I could have seen these garments on an actual model.
Red Velvet Two Piece. 1940
Black Silk Crepe Gown but on the bias with hand embroidered beading. 1930
Printed Lamé and Mocha Velvet Biad-cut evening gown. 1930
Black Jacquard Taffeta Evening Gown with Silk Trim, Bias cut. 1930.
This is a photo of the costume and fashion designer Adrian. He is also known as Gilbert Adrian, although he was born as Adrian Adolph Greenberg. The photo comes form the Fashion and Model Directory. The page discusses how Adrian was vital in creating Hollywood as a center for glamour in the 1930’s, designing costumes for 250 films including The Wizard of Oz. He created iconic looks for actresses like Joan Crawford with her broad-shouldered suits and dresses.
(“Gilbert Adrian Greenberg – Fashion Designer | Designers | The FMD.” The FMD. Accessed April 23, 2015. http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/designers/gilbert-adrian-greenberg/.)
PDF: AdrianPart1
Adrian designed countless costumes for MGM in the 1930’s. He is known for designing gorgeous gowns and costumes and for making Hollywood the center for glamour. In a time when Hollywood and cinema became a form of escapism for people, Adrian’s designs gave women something to admire and a fantasy they could play into. He dressed many famous actresses including Katherine Hepburn, Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo, and Joan Crawford. One of the most iconic styles that he designed is the broad shouldered look for Joan Crawford (pictured above). This style and puffed sleeves he designed for Crawford for the movie Letty Lynton became a major style for women of the time and still inspire designers today. Another major project that Adrian is known for is designing the costumes for The Wizard of Oz, including Dorothy’s ruby slippers.
(“Gilbert Adrian : Fashion, History.” Gilbert Adrian : Fashion, History. Accessed April 24, 2015. http://theredlist.com/wiki-2-23-1249-1254-view-1930s-profile-gilbert-adrian-3.html.)
(“Joan Crawford – the Forgotten Queen of Style.” All Aboard For Skinkers Swamp. July 16, 2012. Accessed April 24, 2015. https://allaboardforskinkersswamp.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/joan-crawford-the-forgotten-queen-of-style/.)
PDF: AdriansWork
Adrian’s New Project:
“The Philadelphia Story” (1940) is being remade current day. The Story will follow the basic plotline of a high society woman (Tracy) who is preparing for her second marriage to wealthy man after she ended her first marriage in divorce. Her ex-husband, a writer for a newspaper wants revenge and takes a fellow journalist with him as we gets involved in the wedding. Tracy, finds herself confused, conflicted and learns a lot about herself in the process. Adrian designed all of the costumes for this movie. For the remake, the garments will stay true to some of Adrian’s signature elements.
This piece was one of my favorites in the exhibit. It appealed to my visually the most out of all the pieces in the exhibit. The moment I saw this, I thought of a modern, woman samurai. The unconventional material used for the garment appears to be bells of different sizes and looking at the garment as a whole, it looks like a very protective piece – from the high collar like wall and the density and hardness that comes from the look of the metal bells. I love how her long, feminine hair is used as a mask. This also reminded me of samurai ponytails and buns. This adds to the strong and warrior like look but it is contrasted by the fact that its her own hair, something personal and vulnerable in a way. This idea was very appealing to me. This relates to my research project on Japan. Although I am not focusing on samurai in my report and studio project, I have done some reading on them and their influence in the shift to the Meiji period which is a big part of my report on Japan. This also matches my studio project, where I am making modern styled/inspired kimono garments. This dress is like a modern samurai look.
Researching Japan in the 19th century for my final project/paper in Studio and Seminar, I have read about the kimono and its significance in geisha’s attire. I have also read about how the kimono was adopted by the West and how it was a garment that wealthy men would wear as a night robe. I have decided to make a few kimono inspired garments that I will dye with indigo and experiment with shibori techniques on. Indigo was commonly used as a dye in Japan for garments. After having read this, I noticed how blue is found in many prints from the 19th century depicting women in kimonos. Shibori is a set of Japanese techniques that were used to create patterns on kimonos and other garments when they were being dyed. For the in class make-a-thon, I made a prototype of one of the garments I plan on making to dye.
1.)Take notes, and names of people that are of interest to you for future research.
People: Blondie, The Ramones, Ed Koch, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, 44 Caliber Killer, Bambaataa
2.) Name the neighborhood and venue names where these different groups were forming.
Hip-hop: The Fever and in parks in The Bronx, block parties.
Punk rock: CBGB in the Lower East Side
Disco: Studio 54, Times Square area, Paradise Garage
Gay culture: The Loft
3.) Which scene do you think you would’ve been involved in, in 1977? What job would you have liked to have at the time?
I think certain elements of the Punk Rock scene would have been really fun to experience, especially the music scene. I think it would have been really cool to hang out at CBGB a few nights. I also think that going to some of the DJ battles and parks in The Bronx would have been like a party to witness.
Stephen Burrows was born in Newark, NJ in 1943. He went to an arts high school and then Philadelphia Museum College of Art. Later he graduated from Fashion Institute of Technology in 1966. He initially became interested in fashion because he loved to mambo dance and wanted to design dresses for the girls to wear while dancing. In 1973 he was invited to as one of the first American designers to show in Paris. He has received multiple awards from CFDA and Coty American Fashion Critics Awards. Burrow’s clothing is often bright and disco styled. His clothing also captures the hippie-esque freedom of the 60’s by incorporating fringe and free flowing silhouettes.
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1. Pat Cleveland, 1969
2. Stephen Burrow’s “Commune” in his first collection for Stephen Burrow’s World for Henri Bendel, 1970
3. Deanna Lambert, 1969
(Pictures from “Stephen Burrows: When Fashion Danced”)
19th Century Japan
Object 1
This is Sleeping Cat (Numeri Neko) that was made in the 1890’s (The Meiji Period). It is satsuma-ware (porcelain) and it was an incredibly popular motif found in Japanese culture. Many of these sleeping cat statues, like this one found at The Japan Society, were made for export to western countries. Many foreigners that visited Japan in the 19th century took these statues with them as souvenirs as well. They became so popular for export that that is why they were made out of satsuma-ware, which is a material that the Japanese made specifically for export items.
This informs my research on Japan in the 19th Century because my research surround Japan’s opening up of their market to the rest of the world during that period of time. I am interested in Japan’s influence in western fashion due to this and the fact that the Japanese were creating items, in any art form, specifically for export to western market helps me to ask more questions about why Japan opened up to the rest of the world and the extent of it’s influence.
Object 2
This is a Japanese inspired vase made by Tiffany and Co. in the 19th Century. Edward C. Moore worked for Tiffany and Co. at the time and was an avid Japanese art collector. He was the head designer and supervisor of the silver plant of Tiffany and Co. for the whole second half to the 19th century. The content and form of this design is specifically inspired by Japanese design. This is an example of the influence of Japan on American decorative arts.
Once again, this informs me in my research about Japan’s influence on the West during its opening to the rest of the world in the 19th century. This shows the major extent of the influence on American products and what was considered in trend and fashion of the time. This vase can be found at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Asian arts collection even though it is an American piece of art. I think this exemplifies Japan’s influence if an American piece can be included in the Asian arts collection at The Met.
