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Fashionable English men and women displayed their taste in the fine fabrics they chose for their clothes. Until the later 17th century most silks were imported. But a silk-weaving industry developed in England, centred around Spitalfields in East London, which grew increasingly successful between 1700 and 1760. Huguenot refugee families, contributing technical and business skills, played an integral part in its development.

Spitalfields weavers produced plain and patterned fabrics. Designs changed frequently, sometimes season by season, influenced by French fashions but developing a distinctive English style. The ribbon woven into the pattern of this silk is carefully shaded to create a trompe l’oeil effect, creating the illusion of seeing reality. The popular fashion for designs like this in dress fabrics lasted for several years. Ribbons with bows, lace and even fur and feather trimmings were included in the designs, in meandering patterns, scattered with bunches of flowers. The fashion came to England from France, but English silks of the period still retained a delicacy in their design.

Details

  • Title: Dress fabrics
  • Creator: Unknown
  • Date Created: 1755/1760
  • Location: Spitalfields
  • Physical Dimensions: Length: 42 cm pattern repeat, Height: 41 in, Width: 20 in including selvages
  • Provenance: Given by Mrs Margaret Smith
  • Medium: Brocaded silk

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