Silk

by Mary Schoeser, Bruno Marcandalli (Contributor), Julien Macdonald (Foreword)

This gorgeously illustrated volume not only offers a tour through the fascinating history of silk but also a glimpse into the future, when imaginative designers and textile producers will be changing the boundaries of what is possible with this extraordinary material. Textile expert Mary Schoeser presents an authoritative account of the development of silk, its properties and practical uses, and its role in some of the greatest achievements in the history of fashion design.
Silk is magical. Made by worms, it is able to absorb up to thirty times its weight in water, it is warmer than wool, and it is unsurpassed for beauty and touch. Schoeser focuses keen attention on silk’s evolution as a symbol of status and substance, then traces its central function in 19th- and 20th-century glamour, expressed through the work of designers from Christian Dior to Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga to Emmanuel Ungaro. Schoeser also examines the innovative use of silk by today’s cutting-edge designers, among them Alexander McQueen, Issey Miyake, and John Galliano of Dior. She concludes with a detailed investigation of new silk technologies and how they continue to extend both the physical properties of silk and the possibilities for creative design.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published May 28, 2007

Reviews

[Deborah Pickstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

The GR write up says it is gorgeously illustrated and it is! I have played with silk all my adult life; I used to spend hours just looking at the stuff in Liberty in London.....colour, texture....to me it's like a gourmet meal and I don't know where to start! I began to paint on silk, ambitious huge wall hangings that sometimes almost pleased me a little.....and often less so. I collected (still do) different pieces of silk made up into very different types of fabric and now have evolved to using a sort of mixed media approach to much more abstract textile pieces that sometimes please me a little....

So I suddenly thought - I need a book with silk in the title, it's about time I read a history of my favourite textile.....and Bingo! Here it is! Most interesting, especially the look at future conceptions. I also realise now that Ms Schoeser is as obsessed with textiles as I am, so I will probably take a look at some of her other books covering other forms.

Worth a read even if you aren't a fabric nut!

[Adri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silk by Mary Schoeser is basically a big book about… silk. Due to the small text and large pictures, it’s not overly long, but it definitely was more in-depth than I thought it would be. From the historical aspects, to the process of weaving silk into fabric from start to finish, Silk pretty much covers it all. As mentioned above, there were a lot of large but gorgeous and high quality photos peppered throughout the book. I found that this only added to my enjoyment. And to boot, the last section without pictures, entitled The Science of Silk, talks about the scientific properties of silk as a fiber –right down to the microscopic portions and cellular structures. I personally found this part interesting and cool. To be honest, I haven’t read many fabric oriented books that break it down that much.

What can I say? It talked about history, manufacturing, fashion uses, and scientific properties. I thoroughly enjoyed Silk. If you want to learn more about the fine details of silk, I suggest you pick this one up.

This book was library borrowed.
This review is also posted on my blog Toile Think Go

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything Silk

I am intrigued by books that show the history of commodities such as "Green Cargoes" or "A Perfect Red". This book on Silk is more geared towards the artistry of Celtic, yet it contains sufficient information on the history of silk and what part it played in the world of commerce and even the arts.

The book is geared more toward women's wear down through history and even gives a little bit of the future speculation on what will be done with the silk and silk patterns. In the process of describing the uniqueness and beauty of silk, we are impressed by the many pictures in this oversized book. My favorite of these pictures is the painting of "Laus Veneris" by Edward Burne-Jones in the section on "Silk in Use".

This book does make a good coffee-table book. However, I must stress that it also is a good book on the history of the commodity and may be placed in your library next to other books on the history of organic products.

[Wifey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Lord. This is an impressive volume!

[Alan Culler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, I love silk.