New local vintage magazine available online

A group of New Zealand vintage enthusiasts have just launched a new online lifestyle magazine celebrating all things vintage.

The first edition of Glory Days is dedicated to summer holidays.

Enjoy.

Book Review: Dreaming in Colour by Kaffe Fassett

By Ann Packer

 Is there anything Kaffe Fassett hasn’t done? He first blasted onto the textile scene some 45 years ago in Vogue Knitting, with fair isle jerseys and coats the like of which we’d never seen. Then it was needlepoint, inspired by the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collections, followed by quilts, for which he not only designed wildly inspired patterned fabrics but also commissioned stripes woven on Indian village looms. He’s a dab hand at mosaic too – which, though not soft stuff, is another colour-rich assemblage following his “more is better” mantra.

The personable textile guru has visited New Zealand three times now, the first as a knitting lecturer some 20 years ago. He was here most recently in Upper Hutt in January 2011, with partner Brandon Mably, teaching quilters the art of colour mixing in his inimitable way. 

Kaffe (rhymes with “safe”) Fassett has authored a long string of books but the most eagerly-awaited is his autobiography Dreaming in Colour. Lavishly illustrated with everything from black-and-white family photos and his own sketches and paintings to spreads of book shoots with collaborators such as the extraordinary Steve Lovi – who died as the book was being finished – it’s a roll call of the rich, famous and wildly creative: all the big names in film, fashion, craft and design. Yet it’s also a great read – having finished it quite quickly I can’t wait to start over.

Born in 1937 to hippy parents at Big Sur on the California coast – the Fassett restaurant, Nepenthe, is still in the family – Kaffe grew up in a house that Orson Welles built for Rita Hayworth, and went to Krishnamurti’s school in Happy Valley. His parents threw parties for stars like Olivia De Havilland, and Steve McQueen, Ted Turner and Jane Fonda were regular diners. Born Frank, he took the name Kaffe from a children’s book because the Egyptian boy hero – a pharoah’s son, as it happened – looked exactly like him.

While these chapters will reward mainstream biography readers, it’s the chronicling of his years as a blossoming designer that textile lovers will especially relish.

 Dreaming in Colour is a technicolour “life and times” like no other, peopled with extraordinary characters and infused with the free spirit of the boy from the wild California coast who, as he writes in his intro, “strode into England and the world of design and made a place for himself. I never felt daunted by difficulties or blocked alleys. Somehow I knew the path I was on was right…”

 Dreaming in Colour, Kaffe Fassett (Stewart, Tabori & Chang).

Available from Minerva, 237 Cuba St Wellington, minerva.co.nz, and most bookshops.

Lecture and textile sale: John Gillow on Islamic textiles

Minverva, Wellington’s haven for lovers of textiles and books, is hosting a lecture by textile authority and dealer John Gillow on Saturday 24 November 2012 at 2.15pm at the Quality Hotel, Cuba Street.

John will be talking about textiles of the Islamic World, the subject of his 2012 book for Thames & Hudson. He will also have textiles from Asia and India for sale.

Tickets are $15 and are available from Minerva, 237 Cuba St, Wellington, (04) 939 0395).

Exhibition: Black in Fashion

The Fashion Musuem’s exhibition Black in Fashion has opened in Wellington in a ’pop up’ venue in the Tower Building at 1 Brandon St [just around the corner from Customhouse Quay]. It will be open daily from noon to 6 pm from 24th February until the 18th March, and entry is by koha.

Associated public programmes

“Do we wear too much black?” Black vs Colour debate – moderated by Dr Prudence Stone , 1 March, 5.30 pm start with debate 6-7pm. Venue: 1 Brandon St

Book launch and panel discussion 12 March 4.30 – 6 pm.  Panel includes Doris de Pont, Dr Prudence Stone, Claire Regnault and Stephanie Gibson. Venue: Museum of Wellington.

Black the book is a gorgeously illustrated celebration and exploration of New Zealand’s obsession with clothing ourselves in black. It features10 richly illustrated essays which cover wide-ranging diverse topics on everything from music to high fashion and spans Victorian to modern day New Zealand (several essays are written by CTANZ members). Recommended retail price: $59.99.

New Book: Whatu Kākahu: Māori Cloaks

The Costume & Textile Association would like to offer congratulations to fellow members Margery Blackman, Dr Maureen Lander  and Dr Patricia Te Arapo Wallace. All three have contributed to Whatu Kākahu: Māori Cloaks, a lavishly illustrated book edited by Awhina Tamarapa and published by Te Papa Press.

Whatu Kakahu

This sumptuous book opens Te Papa’s storeroom doors to reveal its magnificent collection of kakahu (cloaks), and the art and traditions of weaving. With contributions from five expert authors, the book shows how weaving is steeped in the fundamental spiritual values of Māori. The first Māori settlers adapted their established weaving traditions to incorporate materials they encountered in their new home. Alongside practical items, they wove exceptional cloaks that bestowed great mana on wearer and weaver. The book focuses on forty precious and seldom-seen cloaks from Te Papa, and is packed with all-new photographs, diagrams, and insights from master weavers.

Price: $ 84.99

Context – call for articles

Dear Members

By now you should have received the latest issue of Context in your mail boxes (if not, its probably because your membership has expired – please visit our website to rejoin.)  A big thank you to all of our contributors.  To our readers, we hope you enjoy.

We are currently putting together our December 2011 issue, and are calling for submissions. We are looking for the following:

• articles or 2011 conference papers 1500-3000 words
• book reviews
• exhibition reviews 
• exhibition listings for the period December 2011 to June 2012

If you would like to make a submission please email Claire Regnault on claire.regnault@tepapa.govt.nz within the next two weeks. The final deadline for text and images will be  30 September, 2011.

NOM*d: The Art of Fashion – exhibition and publication

Photo: Kevin Robertston

This winter the Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore is hosting the exhibition NOM*d: The Art of Fashion from 28 July – 2 September. If you can’t make it to Gore too see the exhibition,  you can try and get your hands on the accompanying catalogue which features an essay by Natalie Smith and Hilary Radner: “NOM*d: Conceptual Couture in Dunedin”, and meditations on NOM*d by Simone Drichel, Peter Leech, Robyn Notman, Peter Shand and Peter Stupples.

The publication is being sponsored by the Centre for Research on National Identity (CRNI) and the Department of History and Art History, University of Otago.

With only 500 copies printed, the catalogue will be in high demand, so order yours today via CRNI:

Website: http://www.otago.ac.nz/crni/      Email: crni@otago.ac.nz

The Dress Circle is a finalist in the NZ Book Awards

Douglas, Lucy and Claire are thrilled to announce that The Dress Circle is a finalist in this year’s NZ Post Book Awards in the category of Illustrated Non-Fiction.

If you have enjoyed The Dress Circle, you might like to vote for it in the People’s Choice Awards. As well as showing your support for The Dress Circle,  you will be in to win $1000 worth of book tokens to enhance your personal library.

Call for papers: Research Journal of Textile and Apparel

Special Issue on Sustainable Fashion in Action

Sustainability has increasingly become an important aspect of fashion and textiles and has been approached from many diverse perspectives. Recent research in design practice has seen the creative reuse of vintage or abandoned textiles/garments to produce new garments. Another area of research has investigated the balance between fashion design versus reduced consumption. This relationship between fashion and consumption has had a great impact on the exploration of modern sustainability in the fashion and textiles fields. These various concepts or ideas of sustainable fashion, ranging from design practice, manufacturing, production, and/or consumption…etc., have led toa range of different conclusions, however, many focus on a common goal, to generate a more eco-friendly environment that finds a balance between consumption and production.

The RJTA in this special issue thereby aims to provide a unique platform that focuses specifically on design and consumption oriented areas in sustainable fashion. Submissions that are considered as theoretical or have practical applications are encouraged to join this special forum. Related areas of research, but not entirely limited to, are listed as follows: Design practice, Waste reduction, Consumerism, Education, New Visions.

Submission of original papers: May/June 2011

Reviewer’s feedback and evaluation: June/November 2011

Notification of acceptance: December 2011

Tentative publication time: February 2012

Submission Instructions:

Electronic Material: Papers should be submitted to the Research Journal of Textile and Apparel through the RJTA paper submission system at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rjta.

(In the “Author Preferred Editors”, please select <Chen, Jocelyn>.)

Call for articles: Research Journal of Textile and Apparel

Prof. Jin-lian HU, Editor in Chief (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong) would like to invite you to submit your research articles to Research Journal of Textile and Apparel (RJTA) which is published by The Hong Kong Institution of Textile and Apparel . 

 In particular, the journal aims to have a strong representation of the current developments of scientific research results that introduce new concepts, innovative technologies, and improved understanding of materials and processing, management, design and retailing related to fiber, yarn, fabric, dyeing and finishing, apparel for different applications.  Papers on broad areas of topics pertinent to the soft materials and goods will be published in the Journal, including:

- Polymeric and fibrous materials

- Fiber, yarn, textile, and clothing technologies

- Management, marketing and retailing of the textile and clothing

- Design of textile and Fashion

For more information and instructions for authors, please visit the website.  Manuscripts can be submitted through our web service.

RJTA is indexed in Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) and Textile Technology Index (EBSCO) and is now recommending for Engineering Index (EI) and Science Citation Index (SCI) coverage.

Special Issue

We welcome ideas from you, to be a Guest Editor, to formulate Special Issue in RJTA.  Please submit a brief proposal which will then be considered by our Publications Committee.  Some accepted proposals:

 - Revival of natural dyes and its influence on synthetic textiles using modern techniques

- Integration of Fashion and Textile Design with Materials and Technology

Research Journal of Textile and Apparel (www.rjta..org)

c/o Institute of Textiles and Clothing

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel:   (852) 2766-6437

Fax:   (852) 2773-1432

Email: tchujl@inet.polyu.edu.hk