October 7, 2011

New York: Part I

I was delighted to accept an invitation from the venerable fabric house, Scalamandré to come up and see their showrooms and meet some of their staff. Each and every person I met could not have been more warm and welcoming and I truly appreciated their willingness to share their knowledge and expertise with me.contents_r1_c1I spent several hours in the company of the charming Ed Goodman, chief of the passementerie division of Scalamandré. He was filled with funny stories, fascinating historical vignettes and loads of incredible talent. nyc 063The passementerie ranged from seemingly simple fringes to the most elaborate swagged trims. Tassel, fringes, cordings, pompons, rosettes and gimps are all part of the vocabulary of this department. The finest silks, in every sense of the word fine, was used to create these extraordinary pieces. nyc 006

What made me gasp was the sheer beauty of each piece, as well as the recognition of how much hand-work and craftsmanship it took to assemble not just the few inches that I saw, but the yards and yards needed for even the simplest job.

Here are some of my favourite pieces of passementerie.

nyc 001 This boullion fringe hung from the Metropolitan Opera’s curtain. nyc 011 This is the detail of one piece of fringe.nyc 028 I loved this silvery-grey piece with bobbles!nyc 029 But when you see the piece in detail, you realize how many colours make up the whole.nyc 032 This piece, filled with incredible detail, sells for about $4500/yard.nyc 033And when you see the incredible work that goes into each inch, let alone yard, you can see why!nyc 049  I really loved some of the more geometric pieces where you can trace the path of the braid.nyc 053 Hand-formed, hand made. This isn’t something a machine can do.nyc 034 These almost have the look of a Fabergé egg.nyc 062 I was intrigued to see how many colours made up each strand of the knot,nyc 054and how some of the knots were reminiscent of stone carvings I saw in Celtic churches in Wales and Scotland. nyc 037  I adored this amazing piece, with more than 500 tassels per yard!nyc 024 It was easy to anthropomorphize these pieces and see little figures in them.nyc 022 The mix and range of colours never ceased to amaze me.nyc 066 Just incredible!

Stay tuned for more from Scalamandré, including spectacular fabrics.

Special thanks to Mr. Ed Goodman for taking the time to educate me on this incredible trade and for the patience in answering my myriad questions!

15 comments:

  1. Who knew! They are truly works of fine art. You great photography shows the extent of detailing. Wonderful Meg - THANKS :-)
    Di
    x

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  2. Gorgeous! I don't know what it is about colour and texture that grabs me so, but I'm obviously not alone. This makes me think of a cross between embroidery (the threads) and macrame (the knots). Can't imagine how long it takes to make a yard of any one of these... Looking forward to more!

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  3. I have wanted to make a side table that could take that enormous fringe from the Metropolitan Opera curtain!

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  4. A few years back (when I was oh so young!) I didn't care for passementerie. Now I love it. Hope your post initiates a renewed interest. Your pictures are beautiful.

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  5. I have always loved passementerie---I'm a bit jealous of your visit... please more photos and details. Mary

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  6. Wonderful stuff. I'd never want to leave. How could a person choose a favorite?

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  7. my, my, my, those are utterly gorgeous.
    You got great photos - this is some serious eye candy.

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  8. I love each of your photos - their passementerie is outstanding and so beautiful.

    I featured your blog at stylesson today.

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  9. Gorgeous, gorgeous photos! Years... many years...ago I did some textile designs for them. (seems like another life!) They are truly a class act...

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  10. Goodness! Every swoon-worth inch leaves you wanting MORE!!!

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  11. Have always loved their trims, which though in past have not be well stocked are some of the best. I love their historic fabrics too. What a great trip, glad to see them retrenching and keeping their line fresh. One of their fabrics was ordered for a job years ago and we waited for it over a year-but it was well worth it pgt

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  12. Fringe just isn't used enough these days.

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  13. Thank you for sharing your visit to Scalamandre. My idea of luxury. It is all artwork but that
    fringe is so spectacular. You must
    have been almost ga ga. Thanks for sharing, I keep going back to your blog spot to look. Hope Connor weathered your absence well.

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