Unforgettable Fabric

I have a mind like a steel trap. Or, the memory of an elephant, depending on how you'd like to say it. It's something that has vexed various boyfriends through the years. Because let me tell you, if they said something that didn't sit well with me, I never forgot it. And I never let them forget it either. Not that I endlessly nagged them about their lapses in decorum or chivalry. No, I filed it away in my mind and then brought it up when and only when it seemed appropriate...like in the heat of battle.

Well, the steel trap has come in handy again, though this time not in a romantic entanglement. This time, it helped me piece together photos of a really chic use of corduroy. I was flipping through Architectural Digest International Interiors yesterday and read the chapter on a London townhouse decorated by Billy McCarty, an American designer residing in England who, the book noted, had once worked for David Hicks. There was an accompanying photo of the home's entrance hall in which the walls were lined in beige wide-wale corduroy (fabulous.) The chapter's text also mentioned that McCarty used the same corduroy for matching draperies that boasted 14 inch wool fringe. My first thought was "Where is the photo of the curtains? I want to see the curtains! Why do articles and books mention something intriguing in a room, and then they don't include a photo of it!" But then it came to me. Hadn't I seen a photo of wide-wale corduroy draperies in one of David Hicks' books? I consulted David Hicks on Decoration--With Fabrics, and voilá, there they were. Too bad the photos aren't in color, but you still get the idea. And that 14-inch bullion trim? While I'm not so crazy about it, I know that I'll never forget it.

Some Serious Curtains

See that photo above? A little grand, don't you think? And perhaps not the way we decorate today. But what amazes me is the skill and artistry that went into that bed's draperies. Those swags...stunning. The tassels and trim...terrific. Check out the printed lining of the bed curtain, the swags around the bottom of the bed, even the red table to the left that is upholstered in a red damask with a small tassel trim. Oh, and what about the bolsters on either end of the bed? All of the above took an amazing amount of skill and talent. Never mind the fact that you probably won't be decorating your bedroom with those swags and fringe trim. I understand that, and my home certainly doesn't have any of it either. But let's give credit where credit is due, and in this case it goes to Renzo Mongiardino. Only a deeply talented decorator could execute curtains like that, and I think most of us agree that Mongiardino was one of the best. In lesser hands, this room could have been ended up looking like Belle Watling's salon. Or perhaps that should be saloon.

What I find a little sad is that because the room above really isn't our aesthetic anymore, many designers never learn how to make Curtains- that's curtains with a capital "C". I'm not a designer, but I'm guilty of it as well. It's plain panels in my home. But just think of those wonderful creations by John Fowler. Now Fowler got curtains, but how many designers know how to design and fabricate curtains like his? I'm willing to bet not many.

This post certainly isn't an indictment of today's style of decorating nor today's designers. All I'm saying is that it's kind of a shame that curtain-making like what you see above is becoming a lost art. Perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to say no to the swag!


Blue taffeta and passementerie in the home of Princess Chavchavadze



At Waddesdon Manor, David Mlinaric used a Louis XVI engraving as inspiration for the silk taffeta draperies.




John Fowler was the genius behind these curtains in the drawing room at Cornbury Park. Look at the workmanship in the detail shot.



Keith Irvine...he knows curtains.

(Mongiardino photo from The Best in European Decoration; image #2 from Les Reussites De La Decoration Francaise 1950 1960: L'Interpretation Moderne Des Styles Traditionnels; #3 from Mlinaric on Decorating; Fowler photos from John Fowler: Prince of Decorators; Irvine photo from Keith Irvine: A Life in Decoration)

Sheers- Cheers or Jeers?

Go ahead and laugh if you must, but I've been obsessing over these curtains at top for a while now. Yes, the shape of them is a tad frilly (in fact, the 1929 book from which this photo came refers to them as "bouffant curtains"), but I do find the scalloped edge refreshingly sweet. What has really captured my attention, though, is the material. It appears to be a little stiff and crinkly and more importantly, it looks shiny- and we know how much I love shiny things. The caption to the photo mentions the fabric as being glazed tarletan.

So, just what is tarletan? A little research on the web yielded this information- it's an open-weave cotton fabric that was often used for stiffening garments. Now, let's take this definition with a grain of salt because internet research is not always accurate. Still, just by looking at the photo, I can tell that I like this fabric. It's glazed so it has a sheen to it- a plus in my book. It's sheer- and we don't see sheer fabric used for curtains as often as we used to. And finally, it's stiff. These were not the tepid, limp sheer curtains which I'm afraid have poisoned many of us against even considering sheer drapery for our windows. I think the point to my roundabout post is that sheer fabric needs to be crisp. What do you think?



That ruffled edging to these curtains is a bit prissy, but the organdy material is a clean, crisp addition to the various patterns in the room. I would definitely consider using an organdy for sheer curtains. (Designer Ross Stewart for W. and J. Sloane, 1936)




I'm not at all advocating these curtains as I find them too Petticoat Junction. This was a 1936 ad for Macy's which touted an amazing fabric that required very little pressing. It was "chifonese ninon" fabric.




There's actually a lot that I like about this 1936 Armstrong Linoleum ad, but let's start with the windows. I'm not so crazy about that swag held up by the red bows, but once again the fabric appears to be shiny and stiff. That really fantastic plaid linoleum floor was a "Fashion Thrift" pattern, while the walls were also covered in linoleum: Armstrong Linowall. By the way, doesn't that light fixture remind you of one now sold by Circa Lighting?




This room, once again decorated by Ross Stewart of Sloane's, features peach taffeta and natural colored silk gauze curtains. It almost sounds like a description of a ballgown.

(Image at top from House and Garden's Book of Color Schemes; other photos from various 1936 issues of House & Garden)