A Stitch in
Time
REVIEW
by Jane
Rackham
It’s hard
to tear your eyes away from fashion historian Amber Butchart because she has
such a mesmerising wardrobe of unusual outfits and a distinctive look. But
perhaps that’s apt as she’s exploring how fashion has reflected and influenced
society, starting with the restoration king – Charles II. He is credited with
creating the three-piece suit, a look he championed to teach the nobility
thrift.
Butchart
fills in the historical background but what’s fascinating is seeing Ninya
Mikhaila and her team of tailors re-create the clothes, using only traditional
methods. One of Charles’s outfits looks relatively simple but involves an
extraordinary amount of fiddly hand stitching – his jacket boasted more than
100 buttonholes, complicated pleating and yards of decoratively looped silk
ribbons. But it really comes to life when Butchart tries it on.
SUMMARY
Fusing
biography, art and the history of fashion, Amber Butchart explores the lives of
historical figures through the clothes they wore, starting with Charles II.
CAST &
CREW
Presenter
Amber Butchart
Executive
Producer Caroline Wright
Series
Producer Lucy Kenwright
( …) A
different sort of sisterhood got to work on A Stitch In Time (BBC4), as a group
of female historians set about recreating a costume styled by King Charles II —
noting gleefully that tailoring was once an exclusively male occupation.
They were
quizzed by the fabulously named Amber Butchart, who with her beret and copper
bob looks like a David Bowie mannequin from his Scary Monsters period. This
half-hour documentary packed far more information on the history and art of
making clothes than you’ll find in an entire series of the Great British Sewing
Bee.
We learned
that the flamboyant king invented the forerunner of the three-piece suit, in a
conscious effort to create a style that was quintessentially English. How
ironic that suits are now what men wear when we want to be conformist, even
invisible.
The French
hated Charlie’s suits, of course. King Louis dressed his footmen in the
‘English vest’, as a deliberate snub. What do the French know about fashion
anyhow?
By
Christopher Stevens Reviews Last Night's Tv
PUBLISHED:
01:22 GMT, 4 January 2018 | UPDATED: 01:30 GMT, 4 January 2018
Amber Jane
Butchart is a British fashion historian and writer. She presents the BBC Four
Documentary series A Stitch in Time. She is an associate lecturer at the London
College of Fashion,and was formerly head buyer for vintage clothing company
Beyond Retro.
She has an
MA in History and Culture of Fashion from the London College of Fashion, now
part of the University of the Arts London.
Butchart is
a regular guest on BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour. In January 2017 she appeared on
Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity where her hypothetical donation to this
imaginary museum was "the colour mauve". She has also produced a
two-part documentary for Radio 4 about the history of the vintage fashion
industry entitled From Rags to Riches.
She is half
of DJ duo Broken Hearts along with Nisha Stevens.
Amber Jane
Butchart: My style can be described as art teacher meets Pat Butcher Bel Jacobs
for
MetroWednesday
1 May 2013 6:00 am
Fashion
historian Amber Jane Butchart reveals her style secrets (Picture: Phillip
Waterman)
Amber Jane
Butchart, 32, is a fashion historian, DJ, writer, broadcaster and an associate
lecturer at London College of Fashion. What are you wearing? A Vlisco wax print
dress (supposed to be a top) from Beyond Retro, from when I was their head
buyer; a green Nan’s Knitwear turban knitted by my friend’s grandma; a pear
brooch from my mum; Terry de Havilland ‘Amber’ shoes, which are named after me.
Describe your style. Art teacher in Ghostworld meets Pat Butcher. How has it
evolved? I’m interested in colour and print and, through my work, I’m often
researching different eras and cultures that hugely influence the way I dress.
Biggest style mistakes? I don’t believe in style mistakes. Style rules are
there to be broken. What inspires your style? I’m lucky my work involves
constant research, from our radio show [Peppermint Candy on Jazz FM] to fashion
history lectures at London College of Fashion. I’m always inspired by things I
find. We’ve recently been focusing on ‘forgotten women of the Jazz Age’ for the
radio show – Gladys Bentley was a cross-dressing blues singer in Harlem who had
the most incredible suits. Who is your biggest inspiration? My mum, as you can
tell from how many of her clothes feature in my answers. She’s taught me many
things (and missed a few out – cleanse, tone, moisturise spring to mind) but
mainly she’s taught me the power of green and the defining importance of
painted nails. Where and how do you shop? I get the majority of my clothes from
charity shops and the high street and from the market in Bethnal Green Road. I
don’t tend to go into vintage shops any more as they can be overpriced. I’m
pretty old school in that I love to rummage. I’m less interested in shopping
from a ‘curated’ selection someone else has picked out. Favourite piece of
clothing? A green floor-length Biba dress that belonged to my mum. I’ve been
obsessed with Biba since I was tiny, mainly due to this dress. It’s fascinating
the role clothing plays in emotional memory. Is there anything you’d like to
own but can’t afford? The entire last few Dolce & Gabbana collections – and
a house. If you had a skill, what would it be? I would love to be able to tap
dance. When I was little you could only learn tap if you also learned ballet. I
was not a fan of ballet so gave up on both. www.theatreoffashion.co.uk www.thebrokenhearts.co.uk
BBC 4: A
Stitch In Time
Amber
Butchart: Fashion Historian / NEWS
HAPPY NEW
YEAR!
I hope you
had a joyous start to 2018! I have some very exciting news, as my BBC Four
series, A Stitch in Time starts airing tomorrow, Wednesday January 3rd at
8.30pm.
Fusing
biography, art and the history of fashion, throughout A Stitch in Time I get to
explore the lives of historical figures through the clothes they wore, while
key garments are recreated using the original techniques by historical tailor
Ninya Mikhaila and her team. Tomorrow we begin with a look at the Restoration
king, Charles II, and how he used fashion as propaganda with an outfit that
foreshadowed the three piece suit.
Over the
coming 6 weeks I’ll be investigating the the costume clues held within Van
Eyck’s mysterious Arnolfini portrait, the role of hand-me-downs among 18th
century workers, the impact of cotton on British life, a flamboyant armorial
piece which sits at odds with the allegedly brutal nature of its wearer and the
impact a scandalously informal gown would have on an already unpopular queen.
I’m
delighted to say it’s been selected as Pick of the Day in the Guardian,
featured in the Critics’ Choice section of the Sunday Times, one of the
Highlights in the TV Times, and one of the Radio Times’ Choices.
There are already some clips online for
episode one, click on the image below to see me examine the wedding suit of
James II from 1673, with Susan North from the V&A.
Here’s a
taster of what you can expect over the next 6 weeks!
IN OTHER
NEWS… My latest book, Fashion Illustration in Britain: Society and the Seasons
for the British Library was released in October! It was fantastic spending some
serious time in the British Library archives, going through previously
unpublished periodicals and magazines from the 18th century to the 1930s. The
book charts the history of fashion and the social calendar in Britain through
the fashion plates of some of the most important publications, offering a
record of fashion illustration in Britain that spans across three centuries.
For a peek inside, head over to my Instagram.
BL book
Get hold of
a copy at all good bookshops, including Foyles (above), online, and of course
at the British Library shop.
Also, a
reminder that my Radio 4 documentary, From Rags to Riches, is still available
to listen online through BBC iPlayer, and to download through the Seriously
podcast. Episode 1 looks at the transition of old clothes from second-hand to
‘vintage’, and how our attitude to used clothing has changed over a century and
more. It features a wealth of contributors from Vogue’s thrifting connoisseur
Bay Garnett to fashion auction pioneer Kerry Taylor and even my mum. Episode 2
looks at the global ramifications of our cast-off clothes. It took me from charity
shops to sorting warehouses in Leeds and the markets and tailors of Dakar,
Senegal.
Rags to
Riches
For more
regular updates you can keep up with me on Instagram and Twitter, and if you’re
interested in learning more about fashion history, I’m teaching my short course
again at London College of Fashion. Fashion History: The Evolution of Style
covers the key moments in fashion history and theory over 200 years, from the
French Revolution through to the 1990s, and it’s running in February and
August.
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