Mainbocher - A Couturier's Contribution to Material Culture

Among the various organizations for the pro-duction of wearing apparel within a techno-logically developed nation, the house of couture, in the Parisian sense, is unique. Mainbocher, the only American who owned a Parisian couture house, is the subject of a study of clothing and its relationships to the society in which the designer produced. A couturier or dressmaker/ tailor is an individual whose most recent designs are presented in several collections per year and then produced mostly on an individual basis for specific clients. Mainbocher's design philosophy and procedures of production obviously met a particular need for his clients. This paper investigates this phenomenon from a material culture perspective by studying not only the artifact and its characteristics, but also the symbolic nature of that artifact and what it communicates to society- through its produc-tion and use by the upper-upper class clients of Mainbocher (though Mainbocher had clients from the theatre for personal and stage cos-tume). Actual garments from two university costume collections were utilized for the study. Résumé La maison de couture, au sens parisien du terme, est unique en son genre parmi les organisations productrices de vêtements des pays développés. Mainbocher, le seul Américain à avoir possédé une maison de couture à Paris, fait l'objet d'une étude sur le vêtement et ses rapports avec la société pour laquelle il a été créé. Le couturier est la personne qui présente chaque année plusieurs collections de ses plus récentes créations et dont la production est surtout destinée à des clients particuliers. De toute évidence, Mainbocher avait une conception de la mode et des procédés de fabrication qui répondaient aux besoins spécifiques de sa clientèle. Dans le présent document, les auteurs étudient ce phénomène du point de vue de la culture matérielle en examinant non seulement l'arte-fact dans toutes ses caractéristiques, mais aussi ce qu'il symbolise et le message qu'il transmet à la société, à travers les étapes de sa production et l'utilisation qu'en faisait la clientèle de la haute société (bien que Mainbocher ait eu aussi des clients dans le monde du théâtre, qui faisaient appel à ses services pour leurs besoins personnels et pour la confection de costumes). Aux fins de l'étude, les auteurs se sont servis de vêtements provenant des collections de costumes de deux universités

Investigation of the Extraction Processes and Performance Properties of Kudzu Fibers

Kudzu plants have become increasingly invasive in the US, yet are not highly utilized. Intending to produce eco-friendly fibers, this research used fresh kudzu vines to produce fibers by four different processes: boiling, retting, enzymatic and mild chemical processes. Two types of fibers resulted from each process – soft and woody. Unlike more popularly used natural bast fibers such as linen, there is no standard description of the surface structure of kudzu fibers established, this report provides a broad microscopic analysis and images for kudzu fibers. Resultant kudzu fibers, with an average length of 20–300 cm, exhibited a breaking load of 4–20 kg/tex and a breaking elongation of 22.67–37.94%. Results suggest that soft kudzu fibers are promising for apparel and use in fiber-reinforced composites while woody fiber as basketry or paper

Promotion of classic Hollywood film costume in 1930s American fashion magazines

The world of twenty-first-century fashion evolves into new forms at a more rapid pace when compared with clothing developments of the past. Elements of previous fashion trends are constantly recycled into new clothing to appease the public's cravings. But, to whom does the public look for fashion inspiration? According to the "trickle-down" theory proposed by Simmel (1904) and Sproles (1985), the lower classes turn to the upper classes to find out what styles are in vogue at the moment. Although emulation of upper-class fashions appears to have been happening for some time, it seems fashion inspiration was "kicked into high gear" with the glamorous effects and global outreach of American Hollywood cinema, beginning in the 1930s. When the American film industry boomed in the first half of the twentieth century, actors became the inspiration for fashion as well. The glamour exuding from the Hollywood films produced during the 1930s inspired and influenced the clothing choices of the American public. Well-known costume designers such as Gilbert Adrian, Edith Head, Travis Banton, Howard Greer, Walter Plunkett, and Orry-Kelly designed costumes and personal clothing for many Hollywood leading ladies. Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Bette Davis, Claudette Colbert, Carole Lombard, Katharine Hepburn, Jean Harlow, and Kay Francis were some of the Hollywood stars whose costumes and personal wardrobes inspired the fashion trends of the 1930s. This research, using content analysis of photo layouts and advertisements in 1930s issues of Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Harper's Bazaar, documents examples of two costume designers—Travis Banton and Orry-Kelly—and four Hollywood stars (Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, Kay Francis, and Carole Lombard) who influenced American women's dress during the 1930s decade. Thirty-seven advertisements and editorials featuring the costume designer, the actress, or the actress with her costume designer were analyzed for the timing of promotion, the type of promotion, and the garment or accessory pictured. The results of this research show that although Banton and Orry-Kelly were two-thirds of the great triumvirate of Hollywood costume designers, the promotion of their designs did not occur very frequently in the selected fashion magazines. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries