Haute Bordure

This book presents embroidery in fashion. It includes clothes and accessories that were made or worn in the Netherlands from the late 16th century until today, and range from 18th-century men’s waistcoats to Roaring Twenties dresses and the latest creations by Gucci and Balmain. Readers will discover the splendour associated with embroidery, with luxurious materials such as gold thread, pearls, velvet and silk, but also the craft itself. Sophisticated techniques and delicate silk thread testify to the thousands of hours it sometimes took to make just a single garment. Embroidery in fashion expresses identity and status: people wore it to signal membership of a social group or to stand out from the crowd. It is also the ‘white’ thread that runs through important moments in life such as birth, baptism and marriage. But above all, embroidery is an indispensable part of the latest fashion trends, which ladies and gentlemen have been proud to show off for centuries.

Published to accompany an exhibition at the Fries Museum in the Dutch city of Leeuwarden, from 13 February-16 July 2021.

Text in Dutch with an introduction in English.