Leicestershire Fashion in Detail

Click; Connect; Curate; Create commissioned dress historian Clare Bowyer to curate a series of images from Leicestershire County Council's Fashion Collection. These images are close up photographs of objects ranging from menswear to accessories, womenswear to shoes dating from the late 18th Century to the present day. You can view these items, by appointment, by booking a visit to the Collections Resource Centre. Email [email protected] or call 0116 3053720

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Ladies jacket white cashmere, lined silk trimmed black and gold braid and edge fringe, c1870.

The lines of this cording provide a wonderful contrast to the plain body of this coat. The pattern follows the different pieces of the garment emphasising the openings which will allow the coat to move as the wearer moves. Subtlety of colour is added due to the cord being bi-coloured which softens the outlines.  Cording decoration became very popular on white women's dresses of the 1860s, often in black but examples of brown and blue cording can also be found.

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Acetate satin travel souvenir scarf, with machined turnings. Green ground with 'VENEZIA' and scenes of Veneziain red, black, yellow, tan and blue. Attached label ' 100% Acetate Madeni Italy. White edge. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard

This scarf has exactly the same traditional views of Venice as the black and white and blue versions. The strong colouring keeps the drama but it is not as unusual as the black and white version.

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Dress with chinoiserie beading on silk chiffon, 1920s.

Although sadly lacking a large number of the beads that make up this charming pattern of pagoda and willow trees its impact can still be seen. The black fabric is in stark contrast to the opaque white beads and the more translucent colours which catch the light.

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Polyester twill travel souvenir scarf, with machined turnings. White ground with 'LONDON' and scenes in picture format in blue, grey and red. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard.

This scarf is a one way up design, depicting key buildings in London. As the most modern building shown is the Post Office Tower, which opened in 1965 and was London's tallest building until 1980, it is likely to date from this period.

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Detail of lace from a corset produced in 1885, made from a fawn coloured twill, which has been interlined with hessian. It is supported by heavy string cording and has a spoon busk at the front. Part of the Symington corset collection.

This corset is made of sturdy herringbone weave fabric with lace decoration. The lace is crudely made with the loops all different sizes and large decorative stitches. It has been further enhanced with ribbon, although the top band of ribbon is now missing.

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Acetate satin travel souvenir scarf, with machined turnings. White ground with 'VOYAGES AUTOUR DE PARIS' and pictures of Paris with Eiffel Tower. Red border. Attached label '100% Acetate Made in Italy'. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard

Tiny little people and colourful blossom enliven these historic pictures of Paris. The writing, like the very elegant handwriting of the French, also makes it feel personal and gives a relatively static design, lightness, and movement.

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Acetate twill travel souvenir scarf, with machined turnings. White edge with 'RIVIERA ADRIATICA' and local scenes with a formalised floral border. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard.

The popular tourist spots of Riviera Adriatica are traditionally placed around a central image. Less traditionally, on this scarf, is a picture of an embracing couple. They are Paulo and Francesca who were married lovers immortalised by the writer Dante in the fourteenth century.

On display at the Fashion and Textile Museum as part of ‘RIVIERA STYLE Resort & Swimwear since 1900′, opens Friday 22nd May

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Polyester twill Jacqmar scarf with machine rolled edges. White ground with a linear check motif in pink and blue. Signed 'Jacqmar' in navy blue. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard.

Jacqmar, a well-known brand, is best known for its propaganda scarves in the Second World War designed by Arnold Lever, who also designed for Liberty of London. Immediately after the war floral patterns were popular with graphic designs like this one produced sometime later. This pattern is a simple grid system in pastel pink and blue which can be worn in any direction, so versatile if not one of the most striking of designs. It is signed Jacqmar but does not have the designer's name. It is of silk and has a hand rolled edge which is indicative of the high quality of the brand. http:--blog.museumoflondon.org.uk-jacqmar-france-libre-and-peckham-

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Gold boucle Chanel style suit label 'G.B. Rue Saint-Honoré', 1960s.

The shimmer and sparkle in this detail is low key. The gilt buttons pick up the texture of the loose weave fabric with their tiny metal loops. The sparkle is gentle, absorbed by the lighter colour of the weave.

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Acetate satin travel souvenir scarf, with machined turned edges. Cream ground with 'AUSTRALIAN WILDFLOWERS' red, yellow, green and blue. Signed 'Designed by Citer Australia'. Attached label ' 100% Acetate Satin Designed by Citer Australia Made in Japan'. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard

Although this design is not created in the round, and has a proper way up, if it is folded along the diagonal the pattern lends itself to being worn around the neck, or over the head.

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Black Bag Large Floral Embroidery with Fringe, c1917

Fringing was originally a decorative way of knotting unfinished lengths of fabric so they didn't fray. In this case the fringing is purely decorative, as it has been sewn onto the silk shawl. It will also add weight so it hangs nicely and when worn will ripple when the wearer moves.

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Polyester twill travel souvenir scarf, with machined turnings. Green ground with 'THE BAHAMA ISLANDS - BAHAMA Coat of Arms' with maps and scenes in blue, yellow, red and black. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard.

The designer of this scarf has included two members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force next to its coat-of-arms. This may be to reassure visitors that the pirates; Black Beard, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny and Mary Read have long gone and it is now a safe place to stay.

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Acetate twill travel souvenir scarf, with machined turnings. Blue ground with 'VENEZIA' and scenes of Veneziain red, black, tan and blue. White edge. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard

A blue version to match the green, and black and white versions. The reuse of a successful pattern in different colour-ways means that there is more choice for the consumer who can opt for the colour that best suits their complexion.

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Black and rose print shirt ladies waisted summer dress with pink sleeve binding, covered buttons and belt, c1950s.

Stripes were popular in the 1950s as they emphasised the width of the wide skirts. This pattern nicely combines stripes and flowers in a bold combination of pink and black. The black is such a solid colour that the flowers look like decoupage This colour combination was also popular on Edwardian china and this may have been the inspiration for the designer, cotton printers Horrockes produced similar patterns to this one, examples of which can be found in adverts of the period.

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Acetate twill travel souvenir scarf, with machined turnings. White edge and a red border with 'OTTAWA CANADA' and scenes of Ottawa, with map in a circular motif, in blue, yellow, brown, green and black. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard.

In contrast to many scarf designs, where pictures float on a plain background, this scarf has almost no plain background at all. Pictures are crammed together, overlapping haphazardly with a maple leaf and coat-of-arms in the centre. This is a modern rather than traditional design.

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Acetate twill travel souvenir scarf, with machined turnings. White ground and a red edge with scenes of Switzerland. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard.

The use of red on a limited palette of blue, grey and green is very effective. The printing is slightly off-key but this does not detract from the overall impression and would be much less noticeable when tied around the neck.

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Dark Blue Chiffon Tunic with Fawn Chainwork Embroidery, 1930s

This delicate buckle is made of an early plastic in a tortoise shell colour with lighter cut-outs stuck on. It does not have to be too sturdy as the belt would not have been pulled too tight.