I have been keeping my eye out for one of the three scarves that Vera Neumann made as an homage to her friend Alexander Calder (see past post: https://wp.me/p7fVUy-xL ). Last weekend I unexpectedly found this amazing scarf by Calder himself which was released by The Calder Foundation in 2001. It is based on his design […]
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Tommi Parzinger was a German designer who moved to New York City in the mid 1930’s. Well known for his furniture designs, Parzinger is considered an early proponent of the Hollywood Regency style. His furniture was elegant and sophisticated, marrying his traditional European design background with the modern tastes of the New York decorators and […]
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I have always associated Danish designer Arne Jacobsen with his iconic chair designs such as the Egg and Swan chair from the late 1950’s. Considered a leader of modern Danish design, Jacobsen was an architect and product designer known for praticing functional modernism. I had not known that he also was a prolific designer […]
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As a textile designer and collector I particularly admire the work of Zandra Rhodes. She is a true original – creating her own artwork for fashion, home furnishings, jewelry, rugs, and more – she is an inspiration and a pioneer. Since the beginning of her career Rhodes has made her own rules and created […]
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I recently saw images from the Valentino Spring/Summer 2017 fashion show and was intrigued by the unusual designs of palm trees and cacti. Turns out these prints and embroideries were created by Zandra Rhodes for Valentino. Valentino’s designer Pierpaolo Piccioli commissioned Rhodes to design prints based on Hieronymus Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights.” […]
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I scored this vintage Gucci scarf a couple of months ago – love it! I think it is from the 1970’s. Featuring a grid layout of different butterflies, it is a riot of colors and patterns. It got me to thinking about other great patterns of butterflies on fabrics, wallpapers and in fashion. […]
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Vera (Neumann) had a prolific career as an artist and designer. Her hand painted designs have appeared on everything from scarves to dinnerware, bedding, fashion, and towels. Her first foray into licensing her name and artwork was with the fabric house F. Schumacher in 1947. It was a pairing of two textile powerhouses. The first […]
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“Hera” is one of the most iconic fabric designs of all time but also in the history of Liberty of London. The pattern was designed in 1887 by Arthur Silver. The name “Hera” is derived from the Greek goddess whose favorite animal was the peacock. Liberty acquired the design from Arthur Silver’s studio and has […]
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This Marimekko scarf features a section of the “Ruusupuu” design created in 1957 by Maija Isola. The name translates to “Rosetree” and it is one of the fabric company’s most iconic designs. The legendary Maija Isola was the first full time designer hired by Marimekko in 1949. Isola was first and foremost […]
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Although I am a serious fan of modernism and geometric patterns, I’ve always been drawn to big, retro-looking florals. Some may call them “chintz” but that’s actually a bit of a misnomer as chintz is defined as a glazed cotton fabric. However the word chintz does vividly conjure up the image of ripe bouquets […]
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