site information in Japanese
home
AuctionEye
articles
directory of links

contact
privacy
about us

 

Brocade!

by Glynis Ward

Brocade garments, historically, are "after five" wear. Elaborate designs were spun into beautifully lavish creations. Both men's jackets and women's cocktail or evening dresses and suits are the most commonly found vintage brocade today.

Brocade Dresses
Price trends for brocade dresses auctioned on eBayTM from July 1999 to end of April 2000 (440 items). Spikes in graph indicate a 1870s brocade bustle dress sold for $586.66 on Oct. 16, 1999, and a Victorian blue brocade & velvet bamboo dress sold for $318.79 on Jan. 5, 2000.

Brocode is a fabric that is made of a single color of silk thread was woven with two tensions to create a reversible design. Brocade is thought to have originated in the Shang Dynasty of China. Designing and making brocade fabrics for clothing became an art in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. Various colors of silk threads were woven into elaborate patterns, often highlighted with metallic gold threads. A brocade jacket or dress was incredibly heavy, with yards and yards of fabric for the garments popular with the wealthy (who could afford brocade) and difficult to clean.

brocade1.jpg
Pierre Cardin dress, Vogue, 1967

brocade2.jpg
Samuel Winston dress, Vogue, 1967

The machine age obviated the need for hand-woven brocade. Rayon began to replace silk brocade during the 20th century. Using rayon, manufacturers were able to make machine-woven brocade, which is often single-sided in pattern -- a sign of lesser quality, but still beautiful. It was much more affordable than silk brocade, and became popularly used in evening wear. Common machine-woven motifs include florals and leaf patterns, medallions and scroll work. During the 50s and 60s, abstract patterns became very stylish.



The graphs and other information presented herein are provided for entertainment purposes only. CoolOldStuff.com and Relicorp, Inc. (hereafter known as the Companies) are in no way affiliated or associated with eBay TM. Further, eBay TM has not endorsed or authorized the use of the data presented in the graphs.

All materials contained in this Web site are protected by copyright laws, and may not be reproduced, republished, distributed, transmitted, displayed, broadcast or otherwise exploited in any manner without express prior written permission.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the officers, agents, employees and other representatives of the Companies further disclaim all warranties, expressed or implied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The Companies further disclaim any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed on the server. The Companies do not represent that the use of any such document, information, apparatus, product or process will not infringe privately owned rights. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall the Companies be liable for any consequential, incidental, direct, indirect, special, punitive, or other damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or other pecuniary loss) arising out of this agreement.

 
home | AuctionEye | articles | directory of links
contact | privacy | about us
site information in Japanese

© Copyright CoolOldStuff