Tulle and jacquard: Historical origins of decorative fabrics

¶ … Garments and Their Historical Background

ANOUSHKA G. Short Tulle Prom Dress

ANOUSHKA G's Short Tulle Prom Dress provides buyers with a timeless piece of design that looks good on most people, regardless of their appearance. The dress puts across a series of ideas, ranging from the dress children would wear while part of a wedding to ballet tutus.

Tulle is a region in France that is recognized for its production of lace and silk in the 18th century. This term is also associated with a fine netting of silk and cotton that is likely to have originated in the French commune. Even with this, most sources point toward the fact that this form of fabric was first made in Nottingham, England, in 1768. "The first French tulle made in 1778 by one Caillon, was an unsuccessful as the English attempt." (Wilcox, 152)

Tulle was of a poor quality during the eighteenth century, but the masses seemed to be especially appreciative of the fabric. Soldiers were actually accustomed to making it in their barracks and then selling it on the streets. "Yards and yards of tulle were required for the headdress and huge mobcap and during the blockade caused by the American Revolution, our ladies suffered for want of gauze and pins." (Wilcox, 152)

While it can currently be used in order to describe a wide range of materials, tulle was initially a lace with little to no ornaments. Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France from 1774 to 1792, was particularly appreciative of Tulle dresses, thus contributing to the idea that they were often considered a type of clothing characteristic to the aristocracy. The French Revolution had a negative impact on tulle production, as people no longer felt the need to concentrate on elaborate dresses and were primarily concerned about maintaining their status in a society that had the tendency to persecute individuals. "Still, so great had been the demand for tulle a few years prior to the Revolution, that, according to the Tableau de Paris of that date, at least 100,000 work-women were engaged in France in its manufacture." (Lefebure, 316)

Tulle-making had actually played an important role in shaping the image of women in the eighteenth century (in France in particular). The fact that women were accustomed to creating tulle dresses in industrial amounts made it possible for the rest of society to acknowledge the feminine nature of this particular fabric.

Cos Stores JACQUARD KNIT DRESS

Cos Stores' Jacquard-knit dress is an impressive piece of clothing that brings elegance to any person wearing it. The dress is mainly made from cotton in order for individuals wearing it to feel as comfortable as possible.

Most people in the clothes industry are likely to be familiar with the name Jacquard, considering the numerous complex fabrics that the French inventor Joseph Marie Jacquard is known for. The inventor was so famous that a series biographies and accounts regarding him have been written over the years. Jacquard was inspired by other weaving patterns that came to be popular during the early eighteenth century and got actively involved in adopting these respective patterns and even in improving them (Fava-Verde, 1).

Many silk manufacturers living contemporary to Jacquard acknowledge the significance of his patterns and were unhesitant about collaborating with him in order to create works that would impress the world. The weaving pattern was so controversial that the English apparently stole it in the early nineteenth century and introduced it in the UK. Individuals wearing Jacquard kitting dresses were seen as being part of the elite, especially considering the struggle that their creators had gone through in order to be able to produce them (Fava-Verde, 4).

Napoleon himself was impressed with Jacquard's invention and was one of the inventor's principal supporters. "During Napoleon's reign as Emperor from December 1804 to April 1814, he insisted that his ceremonial clothes be woven by the silk-weavers of Lyons. From 1805 onwards, this meant the Emperor's clothes were invariably woven on a Jacquard loom." (Essinger) With individuals such as Napoleon acknowledging the importance of this invention, more and more individuals in France and outside of the country started to show their appreciation of the weaving pattern and of a series of clothes that came to be associated with it.

L.K. Bennett Axella Jersey Top, Navy

This Jersey Top is meant for girls and it is made from a soft cotton designed to provide individuals wearing it with the feeling that they are extremely comfortable.

Jerseys are often recognized as sweaters and one of the typical aspects about them is the fact that they do not open in the front. "Close fitting, knitted sweaters or shirts are known as jerseys, and the fabric often used in such garments is jersey cloth." (Strehlow & Wright, 341) The garment takes its name from the Isle of Jersey, the largest island in the British Channel, as a consequence of the fact that jersey cloth was first woven at this location.

Although the term Jersey has been associated with clothing articles ever since the Middle Ages as a consequence of knitting trade occurring in Jersey, the Channel Islands, it has gradually come to be perceived as a particular type of clothing. The name itself is believed to have originated from the Island of Jersey in the sixteenth century. By the late nineteenth century the clothing item came to have a more specific definition and it started to be associated with fine fabrics that were elastic and knitted in a simple way. "Such fabrics, jersey, Milanese, and tricot, were originally of wool or worsted but later were made from cotton, rayon, or silk." (Cumming, Cunnington & Cunnington, 252)

Jerseys came to be associated with sports in the early twentieth century as cyclists and a number of other individuals in sports started to wear this piece of clothing. Golfers also expressed interest in it, as it was adapted for golfing through the introducing of a polo collar. The Jersey came to receive more appreciation over the years and they eventually came to be perceived as a particularly important piece of clothing, with more and more people starting to own one (Cumming, Cunnington & Cunnington, 200).

Soho Neon Roll Neck Sweater

This Polo-neck top is made from an organic cotton jersey fabric and is designed to bring both comfort and exclusiveness to the individual wearing it.

Although it is reportedly a very common piece of clothing for hundreds of years, the turtleneck did not come into public attention until the late nineteenth century. The British often refer to turtlenecks by using the expression polo neck. This is likely owed to the fact that turtlenecks were commonly used by English Polo Players during the 1960s. The clothing article had a functional role as well as a role related to fashion, considering the exclusivity that it brought along.

As previously mentioned, turtlenecks have been around for centuries, but society as a whole did not start to appreciate them until they started to be widely worn by individuals in a series of domains. These clothing items provided protection from harsh weather and they thus came to be appreciated by people working in difficult weather conditions. "Our modern turtlenecks have actually been around since the 19th century and were first known to be worn by sailors, naval officers (including the Royal Navy), athletes and laborers in Europe, providing extra coverage and warmth when working outside or at sea." (Vintage: Transition With A Turtleneck) The fact that many of these polo necks were made out of wool further contributed to people considering them the best option for harsh weather conditions -- wool is specially designed to keep moisture away and it can keep individuals cool during the summer and warm during cold winter times (Vintage: Transition With A Turtleneck).

Polo necks became very common in the twentieth century, with people from a wide variety of domains starting to use them as a consequence of the fact that they were associated with intellectuals. Black polo necks were worn by a series of early twentieth-century thinkers, this playing an important role in shaping the way the masses perceived this item of clothing. "Since the middle of the 20th century black polo necks have been identified as the uniform of radical academics, philosophers, artists and intellectuals." (Ritchie) These people were also rejecting the popular cultures through refusing to wear a shirt and a tie and chose to wear something that clearly distinguished them from the masses.

3301 CONTOUR HIGH SKINNY

The Skinny Fit Jeans provides a classic take to the traditional denim jeans, with the additional element being the skinny style, a type that came to be very popular during recent years.

There is much controversy with regard to the actual birthplace of denim, as people are certain about the fact that it was produced both in France and in England by the end of the seventeenth century, but it is more likely that it emerged in the former as a consequence of the term's connection with a town in France called Nimes (the fabric was presumably called de Nimes). The difference between jean and denim was the fact that jean was made with two threads having the same color while denim was made with two threads of different colors.

Denim came to be more popular on the American continent in the eighteenth century. "The first printed reference to "denim" appeared well over 200 years ago, in a Rhode Island newspaper dated 1769." (Chauncey, 5) Denim and related fabrics gained a lot of popularity in America, with the facts that it was comfortable, it lasted for long, and it could be washed easily influencing individuals to express interest in it. This type of clothing was typically associated with people who performed manual labor. The fabric was also considered to be formal by some, as people were using finer fabrics of denim to make tailored trousers.

The first written report regarding denim in the U.S. occurred in a Rhode Island newspaper dating from 1769. The fabric seemed to be particularly appealing to the American public and people would emphasize their interest in it through starting to promote a series of ideas related to the material. Some of today's most famous denim producers have their roots in the nineteenth century.

When Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis got involved in the denim industry they revolutionized a large part of the American community. More and more people discovered the benefits coming along with wearing denim and the fabric thus came to be an essential part of American culture. The confusion regarding the difference between denim and jean came to be ignored by the masses, as individuals started to use the terms interchangeably. "It was not until World War II that they were actually referred to as "jeans" -- and it seems as though the name was just what Americans chose to call them." (Chauncey, 5)

GAP vs. H&M

While H&M has experienced significant progress in recent years and has expanded in a series of countries from around the world, it still has to take on some of the biggest names in the industry in order to establish its significance. Most consumers buying things from H&M are likely to relate to the price when having to describe what they consider appealing when regarding the company. H&M managed to provide quality clothes at relatively cheap prices and this played an important role in helping it progress. In contrast, GAP has been reported to present customers with higher prices, this being likely to be owed to the fact that the company's name allows it to keep its customer base and even add to it.

People are typically satisfied with the products they come across in H&M because most products are affordable. A customer's feedback reads "As much as I hate coming in here, and trust me I do, it's hard to deny the awesome feeling of spending little more than $6 on a cute tank top. I stopped by yesterday, spent $55, and left with a scarf, a blouse, a sweater, nail polish, and the aforementioned $6 tank top. This would never happen at Bloomingdales." (Gap vs. H&M: Side-by-side Comparison)

Another aspect where GAP seems to lose ground is the marketing department -- H&M has recently cooperated with a series of celebrities such as David Beckham and with designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Roberto Cavalli. This made it possible for the international public to familiarize itself with the company and to start to associate it with a trendier type of clothes. The fact that GAP often has the tendency to keep its products casual means that it does not use a lot of innovations. The company's products are likely to be considered by some as boring. When considering children in particular, clothes from GAP can seem much more uninteresting when compared to clothes from H&M.

All things considered, both companies are currently concentrating on having their products appeal to the general public. Even with this, the fact that GAP is still inclined to concentrate on its present consumer base in particular means that it is unlikely to attract the same number of new customers as H&M.

Works cited:

Atwood, T. "HOW DID PLAID BECOME POPULAR? A BRIEF AND GRUNGY FASHION HISTORY." Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://www.bustle.com/articles/20343-how-did-plaid-become-popular-a-brief-and-grungy-fashion-history

Chauncey, B. "Quick Sew Denim with No Sew Options." (Krause Publications, 15 Jan 2011)

Cumming, V., Cunnington, C.W., & Cunnington, P.E. "The Dictionary of Fashion History." (Berg, 15 Nov 2010)

Essinger, J. "Jacquard's Web: How a hand-loom led to the birth of the information age." (Oxford University Press, 28 Oct 2004)

Fava-Verde, J. "Silk and Innovation: The Jacquard Loom in the Age of the Industrial Revolution." Jean-Francois Fava-Verde.

Lefebure, E. "Embroidery and lace"?

Ritchie, R. "NOW & THEN: THE HISTORY OF TURTLENECKS." Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://ecosalon.com/now-then-the-history-behind-the-turtleneck/

Strehlow, R.A. "Standardizing Terminology for Better Communication: Practice, Applied Theory, and Results, Issue 1166." (ASTM International, 1993)

Wilcox, R.T. "The Mode in Hats and Headdress: A Historical Survey with 198 Plates." (Courier Dover Publications, 26 Sep 2013)

"Gap vs. H&M: Side-by-side Comparison," Retrieved November 30, 2014, from https://gap.knoji.com/compare-vs./hm/

"Vintage: Transition With A Turtleneck," Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://www.secondcitystyle.com/2014/08/25/vintage-transition-with-a-turtleneck/