Slow boat to China

 

I had to share this article about the Top 10 weirdest dresses that arrived in my inbox yesterday in the Threads magazine newsletter. (I’m sure most of you are waaaay ahead of me and have probably already seen it!) The list includes a dress made entirely out of phone books, and one made out of tax forms (which seems a pretty good use for tax forms to me…).

My personal favourite from the list has to be the Memory of Beijing Suitdress by Li Xiaofeng, which is the image at the top of this post. The dress is made entirely from blue and white porcelain from the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China, and the pieces are sewn together using silver thread. (Qing Dynasty dates are 1644 to 1912, Ming Dynasty is 1368 to 1644.) I have a particular weakness for blue and white china. There’s just something about the way the blue and white designs play off each other which is so fresh and, well, uplifting. Dinnertime is never dull with a blue and white plate :) In fact, I always have half an eye open for the perfect blue and white china print fabric for a dress, preferably a silk, and not a quilting cotton or home dec fabric. (I know, I know, picky, picky, picky…) But if anyone runs across any- please drop me a line! Actually, I’d love to wear a dress like the one in the photo. But not, perhaps, made of plates…

Check out more of Li Xiaofeng’s amazing china dresses here: http://www.hongart.net/?option=art&collectionid=6&single=true