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Enriching Fashion: an eye for detail

Cape
Cape, 1920s - 1930s. Maker unknown. Acquired 1985. Te Papa

Distinctive, exquisite details in fashion bring clothes and accessories to life. Te Papa’s textile collections reveal both the complexity and the simplicity of details in dress – bold prints, intricate beading, meticulous embroidery, extravagant ruffles, feathers, furs – delighting and surprising us.

Browse the themes below to see garments and accessories enriched with these details which are also displayed in Enriching Fashion: an eye for detail in the Eyelights Gallery on level 4 from 17 September 2010 until August 2011.

 

 

The Power of Print

The Power of Print

To print or not to print - that is the question. Whether complex or simple, the choice of print on textiles is essential to the design of a garment. more>

Stitching Time

Stitching Time

A French knot here, a chain stitch there; running stitch, back stitch, ladder and satin stitch - not a tongue twister or the lyrics to a nursery rhyme, but the language of the embroiderer. more>

Shimmer & Shine

Shimmer & Shine

Sparkling things delight us - humans have embellished their clothes with shiny bits and pieces for centuries. more>

The Swish of Ruffles

The Swish of Ruffles

Oh, the romance and splendour of ruffles and frills! From Elizabethan neck ruffles to Lady Diana Spencer's majestic wedding gown, the popularity of ruffles in fashion waxes and wanes over time. more>

Metalica

Metalica

All that glitters is not gold - although how often we wish it could be! more>

Fashion Fatale

Fashion Fatale

From cavemen to Paris Hilton, animal hide and feathers have been in our wardrobes for thousands of years. The objects shown here reveal the dramatic difference details like claws, paws, fur, or feathers bring to a garment. more>

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