Petrify 1. to convert (organic material) into a fossilized form by impregnation with dissolved minerals so that the original appearance is preserved.

Petrified this was the word that came to mind during Ma Ke’s (see Selvedge issue 21) show last Friday, 16 May. Like bodies unearthed from an ash covered villa in Pompeii the living statues* dressed in designs by Shanghai-based designer Ma Ke loomed out of the surrounding darkness in all their eerie beauty.

This Fashion in Motion event at the V&A Museum in London was in fact motionless on the part of the models while the audience ebbed and flowed around the illuminated plinths studying the fascinating silhouettes and detailed construction of the Wuyong collection. The clothes appeared ageless and genderless. Elderly couples stood together, a family group included a boy of around nine and another that was strikingly reminiscent of Degas ‘Little Dancer Aged Fourteen’, c.1922, www.tate.org.uk all wore Ma Ke garments that blended of fashion and art.
According to the V&A* Ma Ke takes “discarded items such as an old paint covered sheet …and transforms it into a dress, the cracked paint creating a beautiful pattern on the garment, and an old tarpaulin is constructed into a coat of magnificent volume.” In a fashion climate where few companies or designers can resist a token gesture towards sustainability Ma Ke is unusual. Her decision to use what she calls “useless’ discarded materials appears to be primarily an asethetic one and as a result the materials she chooses are an integral part of the clothes rather than an afterthought. The beautiful tableau vivant lasted just twenty minutes – barely enough time to absorb the densely layered textures and intricate workmanship….
Ma Ke’s next show will be in Paris on 3rd July www.mixmind.com

*Ma Ke is one of the most prolific fashion designers working in China today, she graduated from the Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology in 1992 and four years later set up her own label Exception de Mixmind.
Ma Ke’s interest in the crossover between contemporary art and fashion led her to establish the artistic collection Wuyong (Useless) in 2006. Wuyong is an examination of the concept of ‘uselessness’ and how this interpretation varies when seen from different points of view. In February 2007, Wuyong was presented at Paris Fashion Week for the first time and the innovative concept attracted much attention within both art and fashion circles. www.vam.ac.uk

What do a Scottish man’s underwear, a frowning child and Queen Victoria have in common? There may be more than one right answer to such a question but we mustn’t engage in idle speculation…in this case all three were part of Noreen Marshall’s entertaining talk at last Saturday’s Play Date event (we enjoyed two lectures and afternoon tea at V&A Museum of Childhood www.vam.ac.uk). Noreen is Curator of Dress, Dolls and Child Care there. She has been with the museum “forever, almost” starting in the Circulation department of the V&A in 1974 and transferring to the MOC in 1978.

Not surprisingly her knowledge is vast but she carries it lightly, telling tales of visits to strange doll filled bungalows and Queen Victoria’s penchant for dolls far beyond her childhood years. Among the dolls she brought out for our guests to handle were ‘Sandy’ a Scottish doll under whose kilt she found a full set of boy’s long underwear and a blond Lenci doll in a rosebud strewn blue gown whose fairy tale looks were firmly at odds with her petulant scowl, perhaps she is a tomboy under all that tulle!

All this was complimented by a chance to see Lynne and Michael Roche’s beautiful dolls and hear about the dolls and people from the past that provide the inspiration for them. Oohs and aah’s were the order of the day! www.roche-dolls.co.uk

We can’t speak for our guests but we had great time and have a sneaking suspicion that this first Selvedge event will be followed by more…

Welcome to the Selvedge blog, no, don’t sigh and become weary at the thought of yet another addition to an already overpopulated world wide web. We really do have something worthwhile to share. Our monthly newsletter proved so popular that we realised an online journal would be even better. The Selvedge blog will be an easily accessible scrapbook of textile inspiration. A dedicated place where readers can bookmark and archive all the fabulous material we can’t quite squeeze into our paper issues.

It’s all about choice…. some people like their newspaper delivered to their door, they want information fast and without frills – to these people we will continue to email a regular list of highlights, events, sales and special offers. Others prefer to stroll down to the local store to pick up their copy, to pass the time of day with the shop keeper and, perhaps, if they live a suitably gentrified area, stop for a coffee and a fresh almond croissant. That’s how we see the Selvedge blog; a warm, welcoming and rather civilised way to idle away time.

We plan to update the journal regularly and you can expect fresh features and new links at least twice a week. We hope that in the posts to follow we can give you an idea of how the magazine is put together, our likes and dislikes, our short lived enthusiasms and enduring loves.

Finally as all joyful events in the Selvedge office are marked with baked goods*, and as, sadly, you cannot physically share in the delight that is Clare’s lemon drizzle cake we have the following culinary themed textile treats for you…enjoy and come back for seconds in a day or two…

* solemn events, corporate events and the National Holidays of all 42 countries where Selvedge is distributed are also marked in this way.

How about afternoon tea with London based company All the Fun of the Fair? These knitted cakes are even fair trade, to see their full collection you can visit their shop in Kingly Court, just off Carnaby Street or peruse online www.allthefunofthefair.biz

For very important guests Pierre Hermé‘s couture confectionary would set the right tone. His latest batch of delicious macarons have delicate packaging designed by fashion label Mina Perhonen www.pierreherme.com

And if you really prepared to commit to your home baking India Flint can guide you in the art of edible plant dyes. There are no Delia inspired shortcuts here; the actual cooking is preceded by planting, nurturing and gathering ingredients such as rose leaves and pansy petals – so cooking time - 12 minutes, preparation? Oh, about four months… But the end result is stunning and according to her book there are even some health benefits… although we could have told her biscuits always make you feel better. Eco Colour, India Flint, £25 ISBN 978-1741960792, www.indiaflint.com