Where to see Passementerie in July
When visiting the 'Crown to Couture' exhibition at Kensington Palace, I was struck by how much passementerie there was on display throughout both the exhibition & the palace rooms. The most elaborate, classical fringes, tassels, gimps, Crete and braids adorned almost every curtain!
The 'Crown to Couture' exhibition also showcases plentiful passementerie of a different kind - embroidered, finely woven from silk and hand made from real silver and gold. Mostly from the 1600s & 1700s, this passementerie is a delicate spectacle to behold.
Passementerie hunting is one of my favourite things to do (and is also something of an occupational hazard). Whilst there is a lot of passementerie on display, I really had to seek it out on the garments and accessories on show as the trimmings used were so fine and delicate, and had been a little tarnished by time.
The exhibition charts the many similarities between the Georgian Royal court and the contemporary red carpet, with a heavy focus on the most extraordinary and richly embellished garments ever made. The Georgian garments and accessories immediately caught my eye due to their exquisite hand craftsmanship and use of often flamboyant and luxurious silk textiles, a lot of which would have been woven in Spitalfields in London (or woven in France and smuggled across the English Channel!)
Social climbing wealthy gentlemen and ladies of the 18th century would have spent a small fortune on their clothing and accessories as a way of demonstrating their wealth, style, power and political allegiances. The use of hand made silk trimmings and fabrics were a demonstration of wealth and acted as a powerful status symbol. The more passementerie a woman’s dress and accessories featured, the more money she (or her husband) possessed.
Up until the late 18th century, no formal invitations were circulated for court events. To gain entry to court, you had to look the part - if your clothes were not up to scratch you would be turned away at the door - quite the embarrassment!
Two types of Passementerie featured heavily at this time - fly fringe and lace, both of which would have been made by a ‘lace man/woman’ or a silkman/silkwoman’. Red, yellow, silver and gold passementerie were the most expensive and luxurious trims to be seen in, and would have made a powerful impression at the Georgian court.
Crown to Couture at Kensington Palace, London is on until the 29th October 2023.
Embroidered tassels on the sleeve of Watkins Williams-Wynn wedding suit, late 1700s.
A close-up of Lady Rockingham’s court mantua. Delicate strips of handmade silver lace cover the entire dress. The silver lace would have shimmered beautifully in candle light.
Classical yet flamboyant hand made passementerie adorning silk curtains at Kensington Palace.