Threads of the world
French knots, blackwork and smock patterns — from delicate to bold — embroidery is chain-stitching its way across outfits, accessories and furnishings, find Purva Grover and Rachel Dawson
THE WORLD OF fashion spun to a tizzy when Anna Wintour clad herself in a Stella-McCartney dress (approx. Dhs4990) with splatters of stitched flowers at Paris Fashion Week16-17. A trendsetter since time immemorial, Wintour’s choice gave brands and celebrities a green signal. First, Gigi Hadid sported a pair of jeans with gold knit alphabets spelling ‘Zayn’. At another location, Guggenheim Gala to be precise, Anne Hathaway’s dress with sparkly threads was the highlight of the event. Since then, there’s been no stop. Embroidery is in style and isn’t going anywhere – but we aren’t complaining.
While it’s true that intricacies add life to fabrics, it’s easy to pass motifs as just beauty aesthetics. This is far from the truth — symbols in embroidery hold meaning in different cultures. Even the threads carry specific meaning. For instance, in Ukraine, poppy flowers signify protection, and the periwinkle blossom exemplifies youth. In Miao Hmong (Chinese) needlepoint, vibrant shades of green and red yarn illustrate goodwill. The darker blue threads suggest maturity and elegance.
This resurgence of embroidery can be seen all around us. Be it Prada’s bags and shoes collection with brocade roses or Gucci’s denim bombers, which features bees, birds and lions. Stationary stores are plagued by the embroidery fad too. There’s been a spike in demand for threads, needles and embroidery kits. While it’s too early to say whether tailors will benefit from this new trend, we know that the sewing machine is making a loud comeback. Does this imply it’s time to call up your grandma and figure out how to work those threads? You bet it is.
Embroidery is to a fashion designer what paint is to a painter – it takes just a few strokes or a few stitches to create an image, and conceive a story.” Zaid Farouki, designer