Last night I attended the PM and the TM event Mod Madness This lovely evening was brought to you by the Textile Museum and the Pinkline Project celebrating the museum’s current exhibition Art By The Yard: Women Design Mid-Century Britain.
I spent the first part of the evening volunteering at the screen printing table. That’s right, the novelty activity for the evening was screen printing your own t-shirt or tote bag with either a textile museum image or the mod squad. I, of course, chose to screen print a tote bag with the mod squad as it was Mod Madness night. The clothes that night were out of this world. I thought I was looking pretty 50’s but I was absolutely shown up by some of the ladies that walked through that door, complete with hats and gloves. In summation I was in absolute heaven with all the clothing.
While I collected cash there were a few choice individuals who were walking around the party handing out best dressed stickers for a ‘best dressed contest’ that would commence later that evening. I missed the contest as I was off on the “tour” with We Are Science. A local performance art group led two tours that evening through the exhibition accompanied by curator Lee Talbot. It was an interesting way to take you through the exhibition. Each person was instructed to hold on to a rope and to not let go of the rope at any point ( it was for our own safety 🙂 It was much like a preschool class being walked around the local neighborhood. It was fun though and Lee filled us in on a lot of the history of fashion and textile in post war england.
The Exhibition itself focuses on designer Lucienne Day. One of the top designers coming out of the WWII era. Her fabrics incorporated many bright colors, and nature motifs. As We Are Science and Lee explained she loved flowers and included flowerlike imagery in most of her prints.
the exhibition also included fabrics from Day’s contemporaries Jaqueline Groag and Marian Mahler. Each have a very unique design. Groag’s pieces being very geometric, yet also including some nature motifs such as a pebble like pattern. Mahler was fond of dolls and included imagery similar in her patters. The exhibition is bright and fun, and is the epitome of 50s fashion.
The evening was most enjoyable. If you get a chance to head over to the Textile Museum be sure to check it out. Art By The Yard runs until September 12, 2010.
So I guess this post killed two birds with one stone. We got a museum thursday (name to change shortly as posting every thursday has become difficult) and a Material Monday post as well (perhaps a few days late)
Dreaming Eyes of Wonder 