I’ve made my obsession with the MFA Boston pretty clear (here, here, and here) so it’s no surprise that my next nonfiction adventure is one of their publications. The museum puts out a highlight series that shows an overview of a style of art featuring the works in their collection. This is great because then you can go see the pieces in person after reading about the concepts they embody. I chose the highlights book Textile and Fashion Arts because it combines my love of fashion and my love of art.
As you guys know, I’m a huge nerd. So I devoured this textbook-style history of fashion and textiles. It was fascinating to read about the processes of dyeing, designing, and creating works from shearing the sheep to stitching the garment. The MFA was one of the first museums to establish a department for this kind of artwork, and in fact one of the first institutions to qualify as art what had previously been known merely as domestic necessity. 
I recommend this text for those who are interested in art and craft more than fashion. Trends and styles are mentioned but the emphasis is on the craft and cultural significance of the items. It is a nice compact history, only 224 pages, making it perfect for those looking to dip their toes into the history of textile arts.
Photos by Jamie Ditaranto.
[…] covered quite a few nonfiction books on Trends & Tolstoy (The Romanov Sisters, Textile and Fashion Arts, Black Mass, etc.) but this one is a very different breed. Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah […]