Brocade for Fall

I apologize for my absence. I have been busy with work, writing projects, a brief vacation, and never-ending back-to-school forms. I am back, and brocades keep catching my eye. Dior, Dolce and Gabbana, and Tory Burch showed brocades for fall 2014, and the beautiful fabrics can be used to cover chairs, tables and windows, as well . . . 

"At Dior, Marie Antoinette-worthy corsets and crinolined brocade gowns displayed a deft interplay between the past and the future." 

Photo credit: Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times.

"The Past as Road to Tomorrow" by Vanessa Friedman.

The New York Times (July 9, 2014).

"Dior’s sumptuous parade of white floral brocade dresses presented against a backdrop of endless white orchids with pink centers."
Photo: Dominique Charriau/WireImage.
"Daily AD: Floral Fabrics Parade Down Paris Runways"
Architectural Digest (July 23, 2014).

"A seamstress hems a brocade dress."

Dolce and Gabbana's fall Alta Moda collection - shown in Capri.

"Fashion Al Fresco"

Wall Street Journal (June 17, 2014).

"A model wears a hand-painted and embroidered brocade top and skirt."

Dolce and Gabbana's fall Alta Moda collection - shown in Capri.

"Fashion Al Fresco"

Wall Street Journal (June 17, 2014).

"Marble columns topped with gilt-bronze cherub candelabra stand guard over a French desk and thronelike bergère, known as a confessional, from the 1880s. 'It was used in houses, but I suppose people felt they were in the confessional sitting there,' Beaujard says of the silk-brocade-covered piece. 'It’s nice because you feel very protected in it.' ”
Paris duplex of antiques dealer and interior designer Jean-Paul Beaujard.
Photography by Marina Faust.
"Jean-Paul Beaujard" by Peter Haldeman.
Architectural Digest (September 2006).

"Marie Antoinette’s bedroom at Versailles."
Photo: Brian Jannsen/Alamy.
Text by Alison Levasseur.
"Daily AD: Floral Fabrics Parade Down Paris Runways"
Architectural Digest (July 23, 2014).

"Gloriously woven brocade drapes at Versailles decorated with ferns and roses and marked by gilt leaves."
Photo/Text: Alison Levasseur.
"Daily AD: Floral Fabrics Parade Down Paris Runways"
Architectural Digest (July 23, 2014).

"In the drawing room of fashion designer Andrew Gn’s Paris apartment, silk-covered Louis XV gilt armchairs surround a Régence table, and a pair of Louis XV armchairs upholstered in a silk brocade flanks a marble mantel from a château in Brittany; the Chinese porcelains are from the Transitional and Khang Hy periods, and the chandelier is 18th-century Swedish."

Photography by Simon Upton.

"Andrew Gn's Paris Apartment" by Nancy Hass.

Elle Decor (October 2011). 

The mirror and console in the drawing room are Louis XV, and the porcelains are a mix of “Famille Rose” and 17th-century delft; the draperies are of a Lelièvre silk brocade.

Photography by Simon Upton.

"Andrew Gn's Paris Apartment" by Nancy Hass.

Elle Decor (October 2011). 

"A 19th-century mother-of-pearl-inlaid wardrobe occupies a corner in the guest room of an Istanbul residence; the display table is covered with a 17th-century Ottoman silk brocade, and the rug is an antique star Oushak."
Istanbul home of Serdar Gülgün.
Interior design by Serdar Gülgün.
Photography by Reto Guntli.
"Grand Revision"
Architectural Digest (August 2010).

I found the following brocade swatch by chance while browsing the Scalamandre website. It caught my attention because it was woven for the dining room upholstery and drapery treatments in the White House of The Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia:

"Davis" Brocatelle by Scalamandre. 
75% Silk, 25% Linen
Color: Green & Gold (Documentary Color)
Historic Representation Circa: Mid 19th Century
Woven For The Dining Room Upholstery And Drapery Treatments, White House of The Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia.
Photo via Scalamandre website.

If you look carefully, you can see the dining room upholstery and drapery treatments in this YouTube video featuring the White House of the Confederacy, which was the Richmond, Virginia, home of Jefferson Davis and his family.

"Get a loom - Go for brocade… and jacquard and all types of tapestry details seen on oversized sweaters, printed dresses and boxy bags."
Designs by Tory Burch.
Photo and text via The Tory Blog: Fall 2014 Trend Report (February 12, 2014).

"The living room's chairs, covered in a brocade by Pollack, and sofa are custom made, the vintage brass cocktail table and table lamps are by Willy Dara and the linen-and-metal rugs are by Holland and Sherry." Bronze chair by Claude Lalanne.

Architectural renovation by Leroy Street Studio.

Photography by Douglas Friedman.

Text by Ingrid Abramovitch.

"Scaling New Heights" produced by Cynthia Frank.

Elle Decor (June 2014). 

"Case Study: The jewels could be wrapped in satin, the brocade evening coat could be hung with care, but the tulle crinoline posed an almost insurmountable challenge.
Marchesa brocade evening coat and slip dress with crinoline." 
Photography by Tom Schierlitz.
Styled by Jade Hobson
"And Away She Goes"
Town and Country (June/July 2012).

"Antiqued mirror sheathes the fireplace wall in the main living room; the painting is by Émile Gaudissard. The brocade curtain fabric and the sofa upholstery are both by Rubelli. The tufted armchairs are clad in a velvet from Zimmer + Rohde, and the Louis XVI–style bergère is 19th-century French."
Manhattan triplex of Linda and Peter Bren.
Interior design by Stephen Sills.
Photography by Francois Halard.
Text by Mayer Rus.
"A New Classic" produced by Robert Rufino.
Architectural Digest (January 2012).

"Her Downton Abbey co-star Maggie Smith won the [2013] Golden Globe (for Best Supporting Actress) but nominee Michelle Dockery gets our award for best-dressed thanks to her Alexandre Vauthier cream and brocade gown accessorized with gorgeous green jewelery."
Photography: Rex Features.  
"Golden Globes 2013"
House and Garden.

"You may not have as high ceilings or as decorative period details but this striking tarnished gold effect wallpaper, brocade curtains and rich royal blue accents will add a touch of regal glamour to the humblest of properties."
"Hallway Ideas to Steal"
House and Garden.

"Who: Keira Knightley
Where: The after party for the New York premiere of her new film Begin Again.
When: Wednesday, June 25th
What: A brocade Erdem dress from Fall 2014.
Why: Knightley pulls off romantic wood nymph chic like no one else."

Photo by Marion Curtis from Starpix.

"Best Dressed: Keira Knightley Does It Again" by Vanessa Lawrence
W Magazine (June 26, 2014).

Marisa Berenson in brocade.
Photograph courtesy of Austrian Archives/ Corbis via Town and Country.
Abbreviated Sentences
"What Happens When the Season's Evening Shorts Walk Into a Formal Dining Room" by Stellene Volandes.
Town and Country (January 2013).

"An extraordinary set from the famous Mr. Blackwell Custom, his higher end line, consisting of a short sleeved dress and matching sleeveless coat. Made of silk brocade in beautiful shades of turquoise, coral, peach and gold lurex (the color combination is stunning), the fabric pattern highlighted with hand sewn glass beading in strings and star patterns, sequins and prong set rhinestones in gold, silver and clear. The dress is fitted with a gently flaring skirt, a stand up collar and short sleeves all trimmed in 1 1/2" of the elaborate 3D mixture of the beading and rhinestones. The peach circles and crescent shapes on the coat are outlined and detailed with the sequins, beading and rhinestones plus the turquoise shapes are highlighted with large gold prong set rhinestones giving the outfit an extra special dazzle and richness. Both pieces are lined in a beautiful bright coral silk, the coat has side seam pockets. The dress closes with a back matching coral zipper, the coat has hook and loop closings. 
Excellent condition."
1960s Mr. Blackwell Intricately Beaded Silk Brocade Dress and Coat offered by Vintage Schieck via 1stDibs. 

"Solange Knowles sat front and center at the Wes Gordon fall/winter 2014 collection in a green-lapis filigree brocade Wes Gordon flared pants, styling it with an embellished white button-down, statement earrings, and an Edie Parker clutch."
Photo: Andrew Toth/Getty Images.
"Look of the Day"
InStyle (February 12, 2014).

"In the master bedroom, the bed of a Tuareg nomad is topped with a silk ikat coverlet from Uzbekistan and a Moroccan brocade pillow; the Tuareg door tassels are from Mauritania, and the mirrors are Syrian."
Moroccan home of fashion designer Liza Bruce.
Photography by Simon Upton.
"House Tour: A Fashion Designer Living Colorfully in Morocco" by Ingrid Abramovitch.
Elle Decor (February/March 2011).