Arts And Entertainment
| Silks And Satins, Buttons And Bows |
| By : Ajit Hari Sahu | Previous | Next |
| Posted on : 20 Dec, 2005 | Total Views : 286 |
From the farmer that breeds the animals to be shorn, grows the cotton to be picked or grows the worms to be un-spun, to the foundry fine metal buttons there are a myriad of industrious enterprises providing materials for the designer, the cutter, the seamstress and tailor. The clothes on your back support families of untold number whose daily endeavor is at the mercy of our whim.
Now the sheep are shorn the llamas bald, and cotton is picked. When all are at some remote exchange the bevy of fibers are carried away to be treated, washed and bleached. Then off to the shed for teasing and spinning to produce the thread for the loom. But first it must be washed again and dyed. There looms the loom it’ll be fabric soon and start a new journey to the cutting room.
Meanwhile the fashion designers have had their way, snooping and scheming for the look of the day. For vogue isn’t vague it is contrived and plied throughout the rag trade. These fashion designers, ladies and camp men are competing to beautify you in their quest for adoration and your yen. And so off to the cutting room, go pattern paper and pins, to meet up with that what was spun and woven to their whim. For ‘tis they that demand an ‘in’ vogue color each year.
Cutters cut and tailors pin for the sewing and seaming that will soon begin. Pleating and darting in intricate ways ensure the garment will not reflect yesterdays taste. They know that ‘look’ alone is not enough because you the discerning wearer is made of sterner stuff. You’ll check the finish and sense the feel because you know that comfort does not always go with eye appeal.
The finishers eagerly awaits to add ribbon, buttons, hooks and eyes for they will be the first to see how the finished garment will look to your hungry eyes. Behind the finishers lie the chandlers, artisans and rag trade entrepreneurs that trade in silks, and satins, buttons and bows. Sequins of every iridescent color, buckles, Velcro, facing and padding are all in demand to finish beautiful garment that will sate demand.
Some clothes need to be really special and call on the lace maker and her bobbin to provide that Christmas look or party flounce. In terms of fashion history the lace maker pre-empts all with a legacy that dates back to the Elizabethans and their Grand Balls’. There in Antwerp they quietly spun, endless designs before modern vogue had begun.
Written By : Ajit Hari Sahu
