noir et blanc

Mark Bridges is the costume designer for Michel Hazanavicius's, The Artist, a black and white, near silent film set in the halcyon 1920s of Hollywood.

Bridges came on board eight weeks prior to shooting and one of his challenges was finding the correct

colours for the costumes that would read on black and white film - that would be rich and texturous and brilliant and bold.  Peppy Miller's clothes were constructed from mainly silk crepe de chine, in black and white as well as navy blue and aqua, a fairly monochromatic palette. The lead actress, the wonderful Berenice Bejo, loved her costumes so much, she has been wearing them on the red carpet.

Bridges garnered his inspiration from old silent movies, studying how the clothes were worn, hemline lengths and accessories.  He also

observed the subtle changes from year to year in fashion.

Some of the dresses used were actual 1920's dresses.  However, most

of the dresses displayed some sign of age rendering them unsuitable

for the lead actress.  In this case, they were copied in new silks.

Bridges only deviated from original lines to ensure a better fit and to

be more sympathetic to the modern eye.

While being unaware at the time of preproduction and production of the current trend towards 1920's fashion, this film along with Baz

Lurhmann's remake of "The Great Gatsby" will help to propel 1920's

fashion into the mainstream.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros

Tactile Texturous Textiles

In November I attended an event at PCC held by the Wearable Art Connection of Southern California which showcased beautiful textiles from the far corners of the world in addition to garments made from these exotic textiles.

 

The highlight of the day was the guest speaker, Sarah H Jackson with her speaking about "My Journey as a Textile Artist".  With a lifelong passion for art and textiles, Sarah attended the University of Kansas where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a emphasis on textile design.  Her forte is colour and texture and as a production weaver, she has been commissioned to produce work for interior designers and furniture stores in addition to selling through retail venues.  Her interests also span silk dyeing, quilting and reconstructed clothing.

 

A lifelong interest in art and textiles led Sarah to the University of Kansas where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts, textile design emphasis.   A production weaver, she has worked on commission through interior designers and furniture stores as well as selling through retail venues.  Passionate about color and texture, Sarah's interests also include silk dyeing, quilting, and reconstructed clothing.  Her work has been published in Handwoven, Altered Couture, and Haute Handbags magazines.

 

I was really taken with her reconstructed pieces.  They brilliantly displayed her understanding of colour and her use of analagous colours to create harmony from disparate pieces of old garments.

Photos courtesy of stephanie flack