Natania Barron Profile picture
Fantasy author, fashion historian, medievalist 🏳️‍🌈 | 👑 QUEEN OF NONE & NETHERFORD HALL OUT NOW from @solarisbooks 👑 | rep: @staceyigraham

Apr 27, 2021, 12 tweets

23 - I could do a whole thread on caftans, and maybe I should?

This caftan is from Turkey and dates from the 19th century, and y'all know I love gold and red. The stripes contain the floral pattern, and draw the eye up and around.

10/10 would wear right now. d

24 - So much happening here, and normally would avoid this period -- but I am such a sucker for green velvet accents that I had to share this one. It's also a lovely closeup. 1861-1863, England. And it's moiré silk. So um. Just gaze.

25 - By the 1870s things get real wild. New advances in dressmaking mean shapes get out of the box. Multiple textures going on here, multiple stripes, and a serious nod to the sailor suits we talked about earlier. ALSO POCKETS EVERYWHERE. Just darling.

26 - Occasionally I stumble across someone who was clearly my boyfriend, like this man.

I mean. Hello, Nurse!

::gestures:: BLUE SILK. HIGH SCARF. THAT HAIR. Artist: Jean Baptiste Isabey (French, 1767–1855)

27 - Imagine wearing this one to the beach. I mean, super gorgeous. But like, lots of places to get sand. I'm itchy just thinking about it. This one is from about 1915, in America.

I do, however, adore the black accented blue stripes.

28 - This 1840 gown squeaks in on account that it's got some really neat tailoring going on (totally not perfect, but I kind of like that--you can tell it was hand made), and it's purple taffeta. I swear I can smell grapes just looking at it. Also JEWEL TONES.

29 - And finally, a masterclass. I mean, does it look a little like a circus outfit? Maybe. Could it also work on the cover of a Beatles album? Yup. From the satin trimmings to the orange on the violet & the delicate stripes... I love it.

32 - And that concludes my brief history of the stripe. There's plenty more, of course, if you read between the lines (ha ha ha ha I kill me).

Stripes: They're iconic, daring & delightful. And possibly devilish. What's not to love? Thanks for coming to #ThreadTalk! Good night!

THAT SAID. I was surprised how little non-Western info there is on stripes. The Pastoureau book has a corner on the market & it's eh scholarship. I struggled to find stuff outside of his work.

SO if you have any sources, do tell! I can always do a second thread. (Seems fitting)

I forgot to share this one last night -- French, 1880.

The pleating here plays so artfully with the striped fabric. It's extra, but so am I. ALL ABOUT the dotted SATIN.

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