The Book of Silk

Luxury, beauty, refinement, sensuality, elegance - silk is synonymous with all of these. No fibre - natural or manmade rivals its versatility. Silk is light but strong, smooth and soft, supremely adaptable. It can be made wonderfully warm or deliciously cool. It can be dyed with infinite subtlety or boldness. When worn or draped, its fluidity is spellbinding. This book follows the story of this remarkable material through the ages, reproducing hundreds of fabrics, furnishings and garments from all parts of the world. From ancient China, where the secret of reeling silkworm cocoons was first discovered, the narrative leads by the legendary Silk Routes to Byzantium and the Islamic world, to Ottoman Turkey and India - and on to the Renaissance, baroque and rococo silks of western Christendom. In modern times the fashion industry yields a wonderful array of silk designs, from Fortuny and Balenciaga, Poiret and Schiaparelli. At every stage, silk's status as the most prized fabric of all ensured that it commanded the most creative talents of each period, from anonymous Chinese masters to the celebrated dressmakers of France and Italy. A selection of illustrations, many drawn from private collections, reveals silk's omnipresence in couture and decoration, carpets, embroidery and even painting. As traveller, writer, exhibitions organizer and collector, Philippa Scott has been fascinated by silk all her life. She studied textiles at Leicester Art College and is contributing editor of "Hali".

Arts & Photography

Scott, Philippa

Graphic Design

Thames&Hudson

Luxury, beauty, refinement, sensuality, elegance - silk is synonymous with all of these. No fiber - natural or man-made - rivals its versatility. Silk is light but strong, smooth and soft, supremely adaptable. It can be made wonderfully warm or deliciously cool, and dyed with infinite subtlety or boldness of color. When worn or draped, its fluidity is spellbinding.
The Book of Silk follows the story of this remarkable material through 5,000 years, reproducing hundreds of fabrics, furnishings, and garments from all parts of the world. From ancient China, where the secret of reeling silkworm cocoons was first discovered, the narrative leads by the legendary Silk Routes to Byzantium and the Islamic world, to Ottoman Turkey and India - and on to the Renaissance, baroque, and rococo silks of Western Christendom. In modern times the fashion industry yields a wonderful array of designs from Fortuny, Balenciaga, Poiret, and Schiaparelli, among others.
A dazzling selection of illustrations, many drawn from private collections, reveals silk's omnipresence in couture and decoration, carpets, embroidery, and even painting. Complete with a detailed reference section that includes terms and technical processes, collecting and care, galleries and museums, and a bibliography, The Book of Silk will appeal to anyone interested in history, fashion, and beauty. 274 illustrations, 180 in color

Reference

Liotard's fine portraits of Westerners in Turkish dress, Carpaccio's turbaned figures, and the coveted "Turkey" carpets that appear in paintings by Lotto and Holbein bear witness to a deep Western fascination with all things Ottoman. It is this cultural influence, spanning five hundred yearsfrom the fall of Constantinople through to the twentieth centurythat unites the wealth of paintings, drawings, photography, and decorative objects in this sumptuously illustrated book. The result is a visual feast of Turkish delights, from the exotic allure of the harem and Turkish baths to Ottoman-inspired Western interiors and pavilions; from paintings of Europeans in Turkish costume to carpets, silks, tulips, turbans, Iznik tiles, coffee, tobacco, and croissants. The delightfully informative text explains how Turkey, the gateway to the East, became a fountain of inspiration for so many artistic and cultural fieldspainting, ceramics, textiles, interiors, fashionin the West. Today the many fruits of this cultural meeting, enticingly displayed in this book, will engage a fresh audience with the decorative possibilities of the ravishing colors, motifs, and furnishings of traditional Turkey. 150 color photographs.

Turkish Delights

Architecture

Turkey is the place where East meets West, and the Ottoman Empire introduced hundreds of plants to Western Europe. The story of the Ottoman Empire touches the Missouri Botanical Garden, too. The Bakewell Ottoman Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden provides a beautiful setting for peaceful contemplation of the history of the East-West dialogue—and perhaps a place to start new dialogues today. Opened in 2006 and formally dedicated on May 16, 2008, it is not just the first garden of its kind in the United States, but is the only known public Ottoman garden in the world.

Bakewell Ottoman Garden

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Atasoy, Nurhan

Gardening & Landscape Design

Missouri Botanical Garden Press

Overcoming Self-Sabotage: 11 Stories on How to Get Rid of Destructive Habits

Self-Help

Olivas, Hanna

Luna Carlos, Adriana

Hunt, Andrea

Witteman, Cindy

Shields, Tamara

Concordia, Cynthia

Tschida, Katie

Renee, Gina

Bustamante, Carol

Motivational

She Rises Studios Publishing

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Books by Scott, Philippa