Natania Barron Profile picture
Apr 27, 2021 12 tweets 7 min read Read on X
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 A gold and red caftan with stripes at the edges and down the
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. ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London - Evening dress of moir
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. ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London - The dress is inspired
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) A handsome man from the Regency with a high jacket, tousled
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. Silk blue and white vertical striped jacket with white sailo
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. Dress worn by Mrs. Dutee (Abby) Green; made of taffeta strip
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. A silk gown from 1872 with violet background and horizontal
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.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Natania Barron

Natania Barron Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @NataniaBarron

Oct 18, 2021
1 - Dim the lights, grab the popcorn: #threadtalk is going to the (creepy) movies. 🎃🍿🥤

This special edition features a broad list of films that haunt, terrify & sometimes titillate--but always with style. Horror, musicals, cartoons (& odd Disney choices) we've got 'em all. 🔪 The original release poster of the 1975 cult film, "The
2 - NOTE: Inclusion in this list does not mean my personal approval of their director(s), creator(s), actors, producers, etc. Hollywood is nasty on a good day, & some of these films have not aged well.

These are pulled from *my* personal experience in horror films. So, YMMV. Photo by Raúl Nájera on Unsplash  - a sign on a background
3 - I'm beginning with ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968). Starring Mia Farrow as the mother of a the spawn of Satan himself, I definitely saw this movie way too young (thanks, Mom!).

The poster it fantastic, but it's Farrow's innocent pastel wardrobe that makes the fashion statement. This is a poster for Rosemary's Baby. The poster art copyrigMia Farrow in ROSEMARY'S BABY in a striped cotton dress, emp
Read 29 tweets
Oct 4, 2021
1 - 🎃 Welcome to #ThreadTalk! It's the spookiest month & we're jumping right in with a look at ghostly garb👻!

Thrills, chills & blood-curdling horrors await as we take a trip through history & ask the question: "Okay, but what would that ghost *actually* be wearing?" 🎃 October 3, 2021 - @nataniabarron - #ThreadTalk - Ghostly Gar
2 - We're starting in Japan. Because Japan has the best ghosts & my favorite art. Yūrei (幽霊) are closer to a Western concept of ghosts, but spirits of all kinds are common through Japanese folklore.

This one is from the incredible Bakemono no e, dating from around 1700.
3 - The Yūrei are often depicted as women with long, black hair. By the date of this print, I'd say a kosode (a kimono precursor) would be a good match.

The colors are natural, pale, haunting. You see in the embroidered closeup, too, all the sea grass & shellwork. Just wow. This sumptuous robe is among the earliest extant kosode (gar
Read 12 tweets
Oct 4, 2021
It's astounding how often spicy scenes get trashed in fantasy, but I find I spend way more time working them out--especially because they have to serve a lot of purposes.

For me, it's always an emotional/character moment. The reader is going to be REALLY paying attention now.
This is especially true in a romance, where the characters are coming together for the FIRST TIME.

It's got to have that emotional punch, and a lot of complexity. Otherwise it's like a bad fight scene. Lots of equipment/weapons, and bad choreography.
Personally, for me, *how* a character initiates intimacy, with whom, and in what way, is a big glimpse into who they are.

I love writing it.
Read 5 tweets
Sep 13, 2021
1 - It's time for #threadtalk! Today's topic, the Grand Dame of Damask: Anna Maria Garthwaite.

This silk icon has quite a tale, but so does her stomping ground of Spitalfields, London.

And beyond the frippery? The horrors of 18thC England: persecution, riots & taxes🕍🔪💷
2 - Anna Maria was born in 1688 in Lincolnshire, to Rev. Ephraim Garthwaite & Rejoyce (rad name). The family was well to do & Anna Maria would have had a basic education. She showed early artistic prowess, like in this 1707 cut-paper work of a village w/remarkable detail. This cut-paper work picture shows a country house of around
3 - I mean, look at the incredible detail on this. Each and every tree has a different shape & leaf pattern, far beyond basic representation. The little horse and rider, the delicate horns on the deer. Painstaking work here that foreshadows the skill of an artist, to be certain.
Read 35 tweets
Sep 6, 2021
1 - Welcome to #ThreadTalk, #LaborDay edition. Our topic? Mills, Strikes & Textile Labor.

Buckle up, though. There is a distinct lack of dazzle today.

We're meeting the makers & laborers of apparel history--& how they lived & died for their craft. @nataniabarron - September ...
2 - In Asia, & China specifically, silk became one of the first real fabric blockbusters for trade during the Han Dynasty, beginning the Silk Road.
Traditionally, weaving was left to women while men farmed & sold, and this continued as trade grew. Women working silk together...
3 - Francesca Bray puts it simply in "Textile Production & Gender Roles":“The growth of the textile industry involved new forms of organization of production that made men the skilled workers and marginalized women.”

This is by no means unique to China. It's the story of fabric. ImageFigure 1: Women presenting ...
Read 31 tweets
Aug 3, 2021
1 - Hey folks! It's a surprise #threadtalk on the medieval theme of the moment: #TheGreenKnight! I just had to come out of hibernation to talk about what I saw in the theater.

Velvet! Crêpe! CROWNS! Pentagrams! I've got you covered. Well, at least *partially*. 📗🪓 Dev Patel as Sir Gawain in The Green Knight fro A24 Films. A
2 - Yes, we're starting with that cloak & color choice. Keeping things spoiler-free here, Gawain is seen wearing a golden velvet cloak very early on.

It's quilted, so nice & warm. It's golden, but also a bit ochre--yellow can mean golden, but also... well, cowardice, y'know? Dev Patel as Sir Gawain in The Green Knight by A24 Films in
3 - Velvet is a perfect choice for the nephew of Arthur. It's HELLA expensive (as we've covered; links later). This is SILK velvet. Not polyester crap from the 70s. And it takes skilled labor beyond reasoning to make.

But it also *absorbs light*. I feel like this is essential. Dev Patel as Sir Gawain in the Green Knight from A24 films.
Read 23 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(