Inspired by Lace

​
This beautiful little trim, that can be subtle or bold, is an essential part of the Keturah Brown design process. I thought it was worth talking about as there is more than meets the eye in these intricate little weaves.
My first exposure, shall we say, to working with lace, was during the early ’70s. I was designing evening wear for Bernard Freres and lace trims were all the rage at that time, thanks to Laura Ashley.
Lace is not just lace either, there are many types.

​English Bobbinet Lace: Named from the Bobbinet machine invented and patented by John Heathcoat in 1808. Involves embroidering onto a mesh.

Leavers Lace: Named from the inventor of the machine that produced it, John Lever, in Nottingham in 1813. It was an adapted version of the Bobbinet machine. The name of the machine was the Leavers machine (the 'a' was added to aid pronunciation in France).
Calais Lace: In the early 19th century, a group of British ‘tulle’ manufacturers from the Nottingham area emigrated to the continent to escape a period of economic unrest, taking their distinctive techniques with them. Many settled in Calais and there resulted in a boom in the Lace industry.
There is also Corded Lace and Eyelash lace which is self-explanatory when you look at their design.

When I began designing my first collection in 1975, lace and in particular colour matching silk was a big part of the process. I would make test batches, dying at home, or gather samples of ribbon in the colour I wanted. I would then take it to The English and French Dyeing company, which opened up after WW1, based in Acton. The two guys running the place, who were in their 80s, were very busy fulfilling orders for the Royal Opera at the time.  I was reluctant to try gifting them with lingerie to get to the top of their queue, but it was the way to go and my five rolls of natural silks became Palest Pink Peach, Milky Coffee, Ivory ( not dyed but whetted and stretched) Hot Coral, and Eu de Nil.

​Lace is my starting inspiration when I am designing, as it becomes the main feature for most of the Keturah Brown pieces. How it sits on the body, the tones and then onto the shade of silk. I have a large stock of lace, which is now considered ‘Vintage’ and continue to use it in new designs. Pictured below is a piece, created recently, which features a Bobinette lace that was exclusively designed for Keturah Brown by Roger Watson, a lace manufacturer (also based in Nottingham)

Lace can create ‘drama’ or it can give ‘subtle elegance’ to a design. I recall that my first collection in Harrods featured the Hot Coral lace, which one could see from across the floor in the lingerie department. This was a great selling advantage, even if the resulting sale was for one of my more subtle ‘Ivory’ pieces next to it. We nicknamed it ‘across the floor Coral'.