Tweed

(Paperback)

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Description

The story of tweed is tied to a series of social, economic and cultural shifts that have molded its development. This book considers the historical factors that helped to shape the design characteristics and social meanings of the group of fabrics that we call tweed, from their emergence in the 1820s to the present day. Including significant new research on tweeds, from Harris Tweed to the type used by Chanel, this book follows the history of these fabrics from the raw fiber to the finished garment in mens and womens fashion. Exploring rural and urban contexts, this book reveals the important physical and conceptual relationships of tweed with landscape. Anderson shows that, contrary to their strong popular associations with tradition, tweeds emerged in the Romantic era as a response to the dramatic changes associated with industrialization and urbanization. Progressive changes in gender relations are also explored as a major factor in tweed's evolution, from associations with particular ideals of masculinity into what is now a truly adaptable fashion textile worn by both sexes. This is the first book of its kind to recognize the importance of tweed to fashion innovation today.

Reviews

For textile history enthusiasts, or weavers of tweed yardage pondering the background to the iconic cloth ... this book will be if great interest ... By the final chapters you will have gained a fascinating insight into this industry. * The Journal for Weavers, Spinners & Dyers *
Andersons excellent book Tweed offers a detailed examination of the history of tweed as both fabric and garment. In so doing she unpacks some of the wideranging social and cultural themes that are hinted at in the exchange between Lord Peter Wimsey and his manservant Bunter ... an excellent overview of a complex subject, demonstrating the value of placing one fabric at the centre of a rich multi-disciplinary enquiry. * Journal of Design History *
This book provides a model of how to write a biography of a fabric, which through developing so many unexpected links and thought-provoking digressions leaves the reader with an entirely new perspective on the subject. * Costume *
Tweed delivers coherent and precise conclusions that are testament to the thorough research that it contains ... an excellent and muchneeded introduction to the topic that lays a strong foundation for other channels of research and interrogation of this fascinating textile. * Journal of Dress History *
The scope and quality of the research within Tweed is excellent. The author provides a nuanced account of this universally recognized but often misunderstood and under-researched textile, and firmly situates it within the context of broader economic, social and cultural histories. -- Mairi MacKenzie, Research Fellow, Fashion and Textiles, School of Design, The Glasgow School of Art, UK
Expansive and detailed, Fiona Anderson's Tweed offers a rigorous history of this important textile. Drawing on new research, it challenges the myths and sets its subject within its technical, cultural, and aesthetic contexts, pulling together questions of production, consumption and reception in a complex and satisfying weave of ideas. -- Professor Christopher Breward, Principal of Edinburgh College of Art, UK.
From its beginnings in coarse woolen shepherd's checks to its global success in luxury markets, Fiona Anderson digs deep into the life of tweed its history, myths, meanings, design, technical characteristics, and consumption. The study considers tweed from a broad perspective of innovation and fashion change, aided largely by a material culture approach. The relationship of tweed to class, gender, national identities and traditions, is part of the story. Readers will want to know more about these timeless fabrics that have romantic (and other) meanings long before they are fashioned into clothes. -- Patricia A. Cunningham, The Ohio State University, USA
Readers interested in the history of textiles will be intrigued to learn about the relationship of tweed to the artistic Romantic movementwhich butted against industrialism and urbanismand how this rural fabric became associated with idealized imperialism, travel, and foreign exoticism. -- B. B. Chico * Regis University *

Author Bio

Fiona Anderson lectures at Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, UK, and works as an Independent Curator. She was formerly Senior Curator of Fashion and Textiles at National Museums Scotland, UK.