https://www.marianclayden.org/journal daily 0.75 2025-09-09 https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/documented-dialogue monthly 0.5 2025-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/75aa0f79-6369-4d84-8d74-29337da3e874/MC195.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Figure 2: Water Lily Ensemble, F/W 1999 This ensemble, from New York Fashion Week, uses Marian’s ‘Water Lily’ fabric. The design motif of the water lily is associated with Iran, among other cultures. Marian lived in Iran for a short time in the 1970s. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/a1ad6d24-d3ad-4822-a7ef-8c8162e44efe/Untitled+%2811%29_edited.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Make it stand out Figure 10: A Marian Clayden model poses in a photoshoot wearing Float Dress from the Fall 2004 collection. Marian’s self-attribution of these artisanal influences in Western fashion requires curators to reassess concepts of provenance and cultural exchange in early twenty-first-century fashion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/4fed6eb8-68a0-472a-a7cc-3cf447d48efc/NOT+ORIGINALLY+INCLUDED+IN+SLIDES.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Figure 11: Shadow Camisole, Fall 2003 This image, not included in the original slides, has obvious visual similarity to the techniques seen in Figure 10. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/33b09163-7588-486f-b11b-8c9aadd89ccc/Untitled+%288%29_edited.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Make it stand out Figure 7: This detail shows a fine stitch-resist technique with contrasting streaks, echoed both in Float Dress (Figure 10) and Shadow Camisole (Figure 11). These visual similarities reinforce Marian’s archival claims of this Ahmedabad workshop being the inspiration for her fashion collections. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/c37f91fd-d811-4ead-af4d-f281184167d6/Untitled+%2813%29.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Figure 13: Kantha Coat, Spring 1992 Marian Clayden (1937 - 2015) Kantha is the term for a form of embroidery practiced in the eastern India and Bangladesh. It is a diverse practice ranging from blankets of varying complexity and intricacy to worn garments like saris. In 1992, Marian used both the term and the fabric in her Spring collection, directly attributing the foreign design culture in her work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/0873f36f-6b4d-4181-9438-654513122f9c/Untitled+%284%29_edited.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Make it stand out Figure 5: This image illustrates both the clamp-resist technique and the workshop’s social dynamics, juxtaposing older figures in traditional dress with younger participants in Western clothing. Marian’s inclusion of this image evidences her intent to document the workshop as a place of cultural preservation, which she subsequently echoed and reinterpreted in her fashion practice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/e470ab85-5fbf-48e2-83bc-3c36dad808fd/Untitled+%285%29_edited.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Make it stand out Figure 6: This image depicts detail of bound-resist techniques on a dark blue fabric. Marian’s use of these techniques on the shoulders, cuffs, and collar of Artisan Blouse (Figure 4) means this photo is evidence of the direct source of a technique translated into her commercial garments. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/ea0bebf8-db6f-4e64-9057-f6280bd30511/Untitled+%282%29_edited.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Make it stand out Figure 4: A close-up image of Artisan Blouse from Marian’s Fall 2004 catalogue. Its designs reproduce the techniques visible in later workshop images. This photo is dated after the Ahmedabad slides, establishing a direct archival bridge between the workshop’s practices and Marian’s garments. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/7ea807df-82f3-4dd4-9bf1-06798cfa86f9/Untitled+%282%29.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Figure 1: Australian Stone Country, 1968 Figure 1: Australian Stone Country, 1968 While not related to the Ahmedabad workshop, this early Clayden demonstrated Marian’s dyeing techniques and incorporation of inspiration derived from time spent abroad (in this case, in Australia) as part of her process. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/d39e3028-c5a2-4a93-8427-0bbef4c4d8ec/Untitled+%2810%29_edited.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Make it stand out Figure 9: Detail of striped cloth, with a pattern identical to that seen on the scarf accompanying Artisan Blouse (Figure 12). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/ea97afad-00b5-4201-b074-02acf6cff142/2004.G38.S407.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Figure 12: Artisan Blouse and scarf, Fall 2004 The blouse here from Figure 4 is shown in a commercial shoot, with the bandhani techniques evident on the collar and shoulder. In the lower right, a red, white, and black striped scarf matches the techniques from Figure 9, completing the transfer from dye workshop to fashion photoshoot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/525bddfd-c4f6-47dc-93b9-321c6425677f/Untitled+%281%29_edit.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Make it stand out Figure 3: This image shows local women teaching and practicing traditional bandhani techniques, establishing both the site and artisanal context of Marian’s later interpretations. This slide anchors the provenance of Marian’s designs both in place and time: at this Ahmedabad dyeing workshop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/aff72a41-339a-47b6-8a1b-f54920ee1a48/Untitled+%289%29_edited.jpg Journal - DATS 50th Anniversary Conference - Make it stand out Figure 8: Detail of pre-dyed fabric being embellished. These square motifs are also seen on Artisan Blouse (Figure 4) and create the direct link between this workshop and Marian’s garments in major department stores. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/dress-devolution-3 monthly 0.5 2025-08-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/4beebe24-14db-429c-9720-10b76d2ff962/36300F69-BDF1-48A9-9AEE-36A4D086122D_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - Dress Devolution 3 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/844e4807-d63a-4750-86ab-25ac9cf7216b/15E8C386-2A9B-4CF5-B78B-7E84CF7797ED_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - Dress Devolution 3 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/2e82d94f-7ef3-4110-8776-d2cf63e0f3ad/AEFEA343-3D1B-4478-97A8-0C15853128FF_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - Dress Devolution 3 Theresa Parker from the Open University gave the most wonderful talk on fabricating menopause to try and created something that emulated the lived experience. She had these little tags made for some of the pieces and for fun, and I got to keep one. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/4a18f78e-669a-4749-8ef4-0ab00a81d8f8/D9910BE4-5636-4D99-93A7-655D49C8E06F_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - Dress Devolution 3 Dinner the first night was delightful chaos, since apparently despite everything being allegedly open on a Wednesday night for dinner, nothing actually was. After marching up and down hills many times and striking out at three different venues, we all piled into the chippy and got some proper Cornish fish and chips. Since the pub wasn’t serving dinner any longer, we convinced them to sell us pints and let us eat out dinner in their beer garden, which they agreed to. A feast was had, and a long trudge full of carbs to the accommodation meant I slept like the dead. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/4ce23dd2-c6a2-4bc6-a67f-ba9629ec3de2/DD3+Falmouth+Presentation+-+No+Transition.jpg Journal - Dress Devolution 3 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/mini-exhibition-june-2025 monthly 0.5 2025-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1751719475041-TMHC456BN9NGD6OTXUGM/DBFAC3AE-139F-4930-B300-C46CC51AE4F0_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - Mini-exhibition - University of Leeds - Resist-dyed scarf https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1751719487885-M6WVDG6CQAZ4QWMZC9NO/CDB5C19E-7662-493B-9AF6-B3436440BDC6_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - Mini-exhibition - University of Leeds - An example of the labels I made, and a little picture from the Hair programme showing similar textiles. It’s possible (though unconfirmed) that the scarf was originally made contemporary to Hair, or using the same techniques as practice, etc. Fringe may then later have been added to turn it into a scarf. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1751719475124-NJW24JGOG24IJLDN8N4V/DBEEDFAA-9C7D-4AA8-A185-00E0D84E9416_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - Mini-exhibition - University of Leeds - Untitled cotton strap piece The clothespins resisted dye penetration to create a varied pattern. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1751719472138-LO9M4F8WBY3I9I7NFIHN/85F1DAF5-1764-42F7-8688-622060476DDD_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - Mini-exhibition - University of Leeds - Barcelona Top/Vienne Skirt & Shibori top/Soft Pants The Barcelona Top and Viennese Skirt was Marian’s best seller through the 1990s. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1751719472110-RVV7Y0RX4888AHMKD52D/3FD23F09-7665-49C1-9836-5B1FEC4DC8EC_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - Mini-exhibition - University of Leeds - Fragments & Resort Ensemble Fragments was one of Marian’s most famous dresses, presented at New York Fashion Week 1998 and a version later donated to the Metropolitan Museum. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/new-york-trip-debra-rapoport-htjfy-dt754 monthly 0.5 2025-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/6f0c994f-555b-4116-96fa-54717ae3934b/5CB4D15F-6064-47BC-AD13-C43A3CED99EA_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - New York Field Work - Museum Fun! - The Fragments dress is arguably one of Marian’s most iconic. Marian herself gifted the piece in 2003, but the dress also walked the 1998 New York Fashion Week runway. Given it’s timing and prominence it’s no surprise she picked this piece to represent her influence in fashion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/86dff94d-c8d9-4fd8-8db5-d0335d42051e/40580FAD-7E01-4085-A359-95F15F6DB49A_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - New York Field Work - Museum Fun! - This coat was owned by a socialite called Stella Fischbach and gifted with other garments to the museum in 1993. It has clearly been well-loved and the tassels turned into a new button loop when the original wore out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/41d4fdb7-1cba-4542-b5ff-4a35c67130a2/355FB284-EF6C-4D2B-8728-2F6BC062EB7B_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - New York Field Work - Museum Fun! - Part of the joy of archival work is the ability to discover totally unknown things. In this case, a relationship between Marian and Milton Sonday, the very well-known curator of textiles at the Cooper-Hewitt. I had wondered why the Smithsonian had so many more pieces compared to other museums (13 or so, compared to 1-2 most other places). Marian’s obvious personally warm relationship with Sonday is clearly the cause. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/new-york-trip-debra-rapoport monthly 0.5 2025-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/92f74390-c1e0-49cf-a8ec-56ef684981ae/3F2442E3-D539-48A2-88B8-BD34A2DC9CE0_1_105_c.jpeg Journal - New York Field Work - Lunch with Debra Rapoport - Make it stand out From left to right: Michelle, Julie, Debra, and yours truly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/823d4c9f-b6b2-4a63-946e-07d588fab9b2/Off_the_Wall_BSR_11_24_19.jpg Journal - New York Field Work - Lunch with Debra Rapoport - An image of one of Debra’s garments at the 2019 Off the Wall: American Art to Wear exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, placed in front of the famous image of Debra wearing Fibrous Raiment with Conical Appendages Photo by Timothy Tiebout, courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art 2019 https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/new-york-trip-julie-dale monthly 0.5 2025-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/f670ba43-8ecd-4646-b86c-409da5ce001e/18.+nocturnal-moth.JPG Journal - New York Field Work - Lunch with Julie Dale - Nocturnal Moth, modeled by Ben Compton himself https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/6d60d122-53c3-496f-933d-00311c0b7e26/Image+21-03-2025+at+16.44.jpeg Journal - New York Field Work - Lunch with Julie Dale - Make it stand out The letter in question. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/083d4065-7538-48bc-8842-c5eb228652e0/19.+1974.A20.S291.jpg Journal - New York Field Work - Lunch with Julie Dale - Acid Vionnet, lost forever as far as we know. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/february-2024 monthly 0.5 2024-05-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/8b88bc3e-6bd2-48d5-af12-5dd831c4842b/Untitled+%289%29_edited.jpg Journal - February 2024 - Handmade to High Fashion - In this image, workshop instructors or attendees take previously dyed materials and embellish them with small sequins. The style of wrapping the fabric up to prevent dye transfer is known in Gujarat as bandhani, whence we get the English word “bandana”. It is similar to shibori, the Japanese term for similar resist-dyeing techniques. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/9f8920c9-3ab0-4b5c-af2e-444348863523/Untitled+%283%29_edited.jpg Journal - February 2024 - Handmade to High Fashion - Make it stand out A dyeing workshop in Ahmedabad, India in Autumn of 2003. Marian attended the workshop and may even have been an instructor in her particular style. The techniques learned in this workshop would go on to inform her 2004 and 2005 collections. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/17276621-bd9c-4da0-be8b-08700bae3363/Untitled.jpg Journal - February 2024 - Handmade to High Fashion - This blouse is from Clayden Inc’s Fall 2005 collection, and the direct inspiration from the Ahmedabad workshop colours and patterns could not be more clear. Keen eyes will notice, however, that the resist pattern is far more symmetrical and regular than the individual hand-stitched lines in the workshop image. This is likely as a result of Clayden Inc industrialising the handicraft portion to be a clamp-resist. The regularity of the plastic clamps to produce easily repeated results increases Clayden Inc’s ability to standardise some of its garments, and also means a lot less effort to make them at production scale. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/2834e1d2-9b90-42c1-886c-d5bc742f0df8/Untitled+%288%29_edited.jpg Journal - February 2024 - Handmade to High Fashion - Another of the workshop’s outputs. In this case a stitch resist using thread has been employed to achieve a difference resist pattern. This is often called tritik, an Indonesian term for stitch resisting. Pay special attention to the colours and straight-line patterns. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/0d0db267-d565-4287-bb7d-1fe86bead90c/Untitled+%286%29_edited.jpg Journal - February 2024 - Handmade to High Fashion - Here we see an unknown workshop attendant displaying some sample fabric drying in the sun. Notice (if you can, Squarespace makes these pictures tiny) the bunching of fabric in tiny groups. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/6814a2a1-621f-4b18-931f-42c03f7250c3/Untitled+%282%29_edited.jpg Journal - February 2024 - Handmade to High Fashion - Make it stand out Here we can see a Clayden garment called “Artisan Blouse” from the Fall 2004 collection. Notice the bunched and dyed pieces, and the small squares on the shoulders. Both of these can be seen in the workshop as techniques later used by Marian in her design of the 2004 collection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/c441fca0-6ca2-41c1-90b7-c5274fe6ba4e/Untitled+%2814%29.jpg Journal - February 2024 - Handmade to High Fashion - This image depicts “Float Dress”, a Clayden classic from the Fall 2004 collection. The design here is further removed from the designs seen in the workshop, but Marian included this image in the middle of the Ahmedabad workshop slides. I choose to interpret this as the direct attribution of the design principles of this dress to the workshop Marian attended. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/january-2024 monthly 0.5 2024-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/8e5896c5-beab-48f6-930a-89bca0068cc7/Methodology.jpg Journal - January 2024 - Words on the Page - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/6c44d819-e640-42a0-a816-08760b67b2bc/Untitled%2520%284%29_edit.JPG Journal - January 2024 - Words on the Page - Make it stand out One of my new favourite pictures of Marian. Wrapped in fur, dripping in silver jewellery, surrounded by ikat dyed textiles, and framed by rock posters. This photo is a behind-the-scenes shot from a photoshoot the late Dennis Collins did of Marian. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/december-2023 monthly 0.5 2024-02-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/ffb45a8f-6be9-4521-9ea2-7dba9f92bac8/ezgif-1-8d65f301a5.gif Journal - December 2023 - Monthly Madness - “Not only do I create the fabric, but I’m very interested in the surface. Anything to make it look gorgeous.” Marian Clayden https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/ff1a67f1-0700-4cbd-8402-bd469ddc37d3/IMG_4573.JPEG Journal - December 2023 - Monthly Madness - A portrait of the researcher wearing a Clayden printed scarf, keeping the art alive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/ad929477-685e-439e-961c-ecbc9444296c/IMG_4486.JPEG Journal - December 2023 - Monthly Madness - Make it stand out Marian posing with her pieces at what I believe was a Japanese shibori colloquium. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/week-7-and-8 monthly 0.5 2023-12-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/dbad071a-6aa8-4ab2-9106-4f9b379050e0/Screenshot+2023-12-01+175604.png Journal - Week 7 & 8 - Thankful for time to read - Make it stand out High praise from the boss https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/week-5-9cmrc monthly 0.5 2023-12-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/9c2d891c-a771-4eac-bb75-f8d29e7b6928/Untitled+%287%29.png Journal - Week 6 - Little to say A photo of Marian modelling the shibori scarf she’s wearing https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/week-5 monthly 0.5 2023-11-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/a621a925-5f20-47a5-b3f0-baf778aee26b/1994.G34.S418.jpg Journal - Week 5 - Back to Reading - The piece on the hierarchy of fashion textiles was a very useful guide to categorising the relative status of the fabrics that go into the garments made, from ordinary/common to extraordinary/elite. Marian’s sumptuous and elegant silk velvets seem undisputably elite, but it is very useful to have a methodological approach by which to quantify precisely what makes them so refined and rich beyond their physical properties. Compare her velvets to any other silk, or indeed to denim or polyester and you can see the differences in use and marketing beyond the touch of the cloth and the price point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699699464405-VNVK9SASLG3U9IZ6ELEI/197X.A20.S316.jpg Journal - Week 5 - Back to Reading https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699699541023-LU28HLO9JH0EWU55RY2K/Untitled.jpg Journal - Week 5 - Back to Reading https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/e609b325-d75c-43b0-adf7-b017bc71f32d/T12061_10.jpg Journal - Week 5 - Back to Reading - I also read an excellent article on Japanese craft in comparison to Anglo-American craft and how we treat each very differently in their respective cultures. I came away with the impression that craft is only perceived as such in the West when it is not representational, and can be marketed. Art being bound within the concept of our economic system is not surprising but way Marian effortlessly flitted between both, not caring about the difference is most starkly seen in her self-image. She styled herself an “artist-craftsman”, not as one or the other. The photo left from the Tate Moden shows a small pot in a Japanese style by an English maker. It is curious to find it in a modern art museum but the descriptions call out the design of it and the art upon it. I suspect if it was only a pot, no matter how skilfully made, it would not be included within the museum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/e0083fd7-388d-42fe-8040-1fc7ce2f7077/vionnet.png Journal - Week 5 - Back to Reading Madeleine Vionnet - a pioneer and a Marian inspiration https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/week-4 monthly 0.5 2023-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/e09da39d-9dc0-4387-88ef-3c09a9c69d86/Scan2023-10-31_151610.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos The quickest way to scan everything is to do it in bulk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091915566-EHHUIRA0QVX2OUOYM83H/196X.P23.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091916557-A5KTL1WL6T129EDI7BI8/196X.P30.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091917912-ZXRRTO45OQ20J6DGF4N5/196X.P34.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091918707-60001L8APY7AXAJMKVS2/196X.P35.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091920888-GSWKCD1DFGRR063HQLHS/196X.P4.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091921268-1WJOA1S0SS23E3CYB2AV/196X.P5.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091923547-3YP8T6U7N6NXCPLDFGSR/196X.P10.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091924223-NP6EUWOK2ESQDVDDRQD7/196X.P13.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091926324-PQ7KSZGWFBLLJWLL44OT/196X.P14.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091926907-BY0DMYZ2B5TUIFXQG6UH/196X.P16.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091929008-TUR2ED67SDKUD7FV1CYW/196X.P17.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091930751-J343KDB2IZ7MOUK0V6XM/196X.N4.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091929742-KK10IH7XC7UTCDTZF8PP/196X.P18.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091931288-ML0QMBL5KUOYT0653DAD/196X.N2.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1699091932585-ZVGC5T28QBNIHR2Q87YL/196X.N3.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/d993c20f-c638-48fb-b772-bdf059192e4e/e83141c2916ed25af3d0847481129f8e.jpg Journal - Week 4 - Rediscovering Photos - Mary Schoeser suggested that Marian’s work was boundary-breaking in the way that it clothed black and white bodies alike. She claims that the universality of Marian’s work was a bridge between historically divided black and white fashion at the time. I’m trying now to get a sense of how true that might be by seeing if there was a general movement in the 80s that broke those barriers, or if Marian truly did shatter a wall. Photo (right) is the June 1991 cover of Essence Magazine in which Oprah Winfrey wears a pink Clayden jacket. Marian kept a few copies of this cover in her personal collection. The other book was a Mary Schoeser edited collection of essays called Disentangling Textiles that I hope will provide a good framework for object-based study. I only managed the intro but that’s what the train is for! https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/week-3 monthly 0.5 2023-11-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/0e656994-2077-4f4f-8275-c5234387aaa4/Scan2023-10-28_093945_002_edited.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans A new find in an envelope of headshots - Marian from the 70s getting ready for a Fiber Art show in Poland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/ddf6b595-ad7c-4c4e-915a-d5b470a6d64e/9781350172548.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - I was able to read a book at least, but only one. I chose Fashion Before Plus-Size by Peters (pictured right) for two reasons: the first is that Marian’s fashion was often marketed and designed for the “mother of the bride” as her New York agent put it, and so getting an idea for the landscape and concepts of designing for bodies other than the rail-thin models on the runway felt useful. The second is that while my other library books are on 3 week auto-renew, this was a 7-day no-renew loan so I needed to dash through it. It was very informative. I wasn’t able to read every word as a result of time, but I focussed on the chapters that I felt were the most useful. More than simply garments, the book also brings some fascinating attention to early 20th century concepts of fat and fat studies basics. The distinction between the “natural” body being only of bone and muscle, and the flesh/fat being like a garment means its easy for fashion designers to make bodies subject to fashion whims instead of figuring out how to cater for people of different sizes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698655109262-9A1IY1GSZDBX92815YX2/Patterson+Portrait.JPG Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - Marian's portrait with Second Ceremonial Enclosure Portrait taken by Marion Patterson, a famous California photographer who worked extensively with Ansel Adams. Copyright Marion Patterson https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698655172559-SFDP07PWHNK8RQ25ZN0Z/Scan2023-10-27_182832.JPG Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - Windows and Mirrors series, 1970s https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698657632655-7HT3JZISHM9EVVMXR2OD/VP%26SL.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - From the White House Marian sent some Christmas ornaments she’d dyed to the White House for a programme highlighting the work of people working in craft at the time. It ended up on the Vice Presidential Christmas tree and this thank you is from VP Walter Mondale and his wife Joan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698657637302-0DJ0UI89KA5IYE8GFVN6/Scan2023-10-27_182756.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698657645512-X35955R8R12CE6MAC01H/Scan2023-10-27_184129.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - Marian in the 70s Getting a silk piece ready for a Triennale in Lodz, Poland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698657643583-N9UAHQQWM0C3GSALW4NF/Scan2023-10-28_093945_002_edited.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - Marian in the 70s Getting a silk piece ready for a Triennale in Lodz, Poland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698657651423-5WIEFBDZ99EMD2YRKG6G/Scan2023-10-28_101409.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - Marian in the early 70s Before Poland I believe, as her hair isn’t permed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698657651479-P083I4UMA9QTCIDU63VI/Scan2023-10-28_101457%281%29.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - Ornamental Box Part of a series of promotion images Marian sent round to promote her art. Various images are stamped with “Return to artist” or “Marian Clayden Wall Hangings” as an early version of her business. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698657654938-NRI2VFDG8GINGTD1CXT6/Marian.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - Marian posing with some of her fabrics Likely the mid 80s. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698657655039-UF7M0JM6YD0UUNUR7THQ/Scan2023-10-27_100230_003.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - Marian and Roger Roger was almost always Marian’s photographer, and every so often he would jump into the frame for a photo of the happy couple. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698657661177-ZR9BWJQWPOOGDDQWRLJW/Scan2023-10-27_110348_000.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - A promotional headshot https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1698657662956-5SH9DFDN1TDK6Q2XG0BN/Scan2023-10-27_110348_001.jpg Journal - Week 3 - Paperwork & More Scans - Another promotional headshot from the 80s The Mendocino jacket made famous on the cover of Ornament magazine is hanging in the back. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/week-2 monthly 0.5 2023-10-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/6023d07a-83a2-440d-ac60-5d7d3e9a5cca/fiberarts.jpg Journal - Week 2 - Ou est la biblioteque? - I ventured to the British Library on Tuesday with Aisling (my friend and co-founding trustee) and did plenty of reading to try and get my head wrapped around some of the concepts I'm wrestling with. I can't pretend I solved all the world's problems, but some of the material was very educative. Two books with the same title (Surface Design on Fabric) highlighted good and bad practice in how to approach indigenous techniques, with the older of the two being far better and more in touch with indigenous knowledge and culture, and the newer being entirely white-washed. I was very glad to see the older one also had a surprise Marian attribution in it! This older one was Surface Design on Fabric by Proctor and Lew. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/81f0f42c-dcae-41fb-95e8-4773ba85a6ab/IMG_3985.png Journal - Week 2 - Ou est la biblioteque? One of many finds https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/b069b9a9-5539-4eba-97b4-417cf3c2f8bd/1973.D12.S389.jpg Journal - Week 2 - Ou est la biblioteque? - I ventured to the British Library on Tuesday with Aisling (my friend and co-founding trustee) and did plenty of reading to try and get my head wrapped around some of the concepts I'm wrestling with. I can't pretend I solved all the world's problems, but some of the material was very educative. Two books with the same title (Surface Design on Fabric) highlighted good and bad practice in how to approach indigenous techniques, with the older of the two being far better and more in touch with indigenous knowledge and culture, and the newer being entirely white-washed. I was very glad to see the older one also had a surprise Marian attribution in it! Talking of Surface Design, here’s Second Ceremonial Enclosure (1972), one of Marian’s many three-dimensional pieces. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/week-1 monthly 0.5 2023-10-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/8e12fae6-8c43-4bac-938e-0d06a7680f15/IMG_3964.jpg Journal - Week 1 - Hopeless ignorance Wouldn’t it be easier to just say “shut up”? https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/first-steps-again monthly 0.5 2023-10-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/6aa6ef93-bc2f-490e-8892-6bfe4524ee38/IMG_3966.jpg Journal - First Steps. Again. - Make it stand out Some of Leeds’ best and brightest https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/f6b5f5cf-b756-4776-a3e5-f406085de637/AB1EF534-90D3-45F1-AA93-D0950EE8E24E.JPG Journal - First Steps. Again. Swag. Essential to any student’s life. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/the-wise-man-knows monthly 0.5 2022-12-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/188112e2-5aa1-4481-b363-c114c7eaa1e9/JSON-screenshot.png Journal - The wise man knows that he knows nothing… - As with so many things, we fall back on what we know to help us solve new problems. For me, that’s tech. I work with JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) files almost every day for my day job, and know them reasonably well. They’re flexible enough to accommodate future changes if I want to make them, and infinitely customisable. So a JSON it was, and I began the process of trying to create a template and find a workflow for working through slide boxes that wasn’t overly arduous. I failed, several times. I’m still failing. My first attempts to just update everything by hand by copying/pasting were successful but very long-winded. It took about 3 hours to work my way through a single box of slides. I have at least 40 here. Something had to be done. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/a615d466-66fc-4d91-b217-d42716d8a98e/1985.S129D.jpg Journal - The wise man knows that he knows nothing… - Make it stand out Four models lounge against a wall during Marian’s 1985 exhibition at the San Jose Art Museum while a museum patron sits nearby https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1668262290825-BWQYSC1SDU0DEBM4JN9A/1985.S137D.jpg Journal - The wise man knows that he knows nothing… - Marian points out a feature of her exhibition to three nearby women https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1668262297119-MS9V386AF8E6B4RB08QY/199X.G7.S68D.jpg Journal - The wise man knows that he knows nothing… - A felt coat, most likely inspired by Marian's time in Hungary with "Aid for Artisans" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1668262305120-JFJZG2D21DNV7VRRSUXX/199X.G4.S51D.jpg Journal - The wise man knows that he knows nothing… - A model wears a black jacquard-woven silk velvet dress, part of Marian's "Classics" collection from the 90s https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1668262318763-S15DUQT4OTV1W0GNBM68/Untitled.jpg Journal - The wise man knows that he knows nothing… - A model walks the runway in a patterned Clayden jacket, with Marian's name and logo visible in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/1668262326638-GG490T1KYNT3WJKSVDBP/1993.G2.S17D.JPEG Journal - The wise man knows that he knows nothing… - A model wears a purple jacquard-woven silk velvet dress and poses in front of a white studio background. The picture was actually taken on the deck of the Clayden home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/32a85388-d41e-45a1-9a36-4eb4d81fb44b/1978.SB1.P2.JPEG Journal - The wise man knows that he knows nothing… Slide box SB1, the tip of a very large iceberg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/eaed4141-6541-4704-a136-5858aacfa244/slides+to+scan.jpeg Journal - The wise man knows that he knows nothing… - The mountain of slides I brought back from the US, about 25% of what was rescued from the Big Move, can be seen on the left here. The slides still to scan, about 25% of all the slides that were found in the Clayden home during the big move https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/47733bea-14ec-4eb2-a959-b7a18ca0ec93/python+screenshot.png Journal - The wise man knows that he knows nothing… - So the tactic changed again, to combine my knowledge of Python with the realities of what the slide software could produce. This worked to marginal effect but is still wickedly error-prone and created almost as many problems as it solved. There’s the famous XKCD comic where one assesses how long something takes to simplify vs how long it actually just takes to do the slow way. I wish I had any kind of intelligent answer as to where I fell on that graph but the whole thing is an interesting experiment and good practice, if not thing else. https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/back-to-essex monthly 0.5 2022-11-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/2df7e4b6-7eb3-4981-986c-4fcac145c994/nocturnal-moth.JPG Journal - Back to Essex - Make it stand out Nocturnal Moth, 1974. Ben Compton and Marian Clayden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/69d753aa-475c-41ed-a8bc-8c299b9f64fc/Coggeshall-Voice.png Journal - Back to Essex - Make it stand out Coggeshall: a desert of modernity in Essex https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/how-do-you-eat-an-elephant monthly 0.5 2022-11-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/4200346a-3ad0-4945-9149-a1ab6814f929/IMG_1047.jpeg Journal - How do you eat an elephant? Stacks of materials in boxes, waiting to be catalogued. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/0e8e66ea-8581-4f1f-b61c-62fb1190dd43/IMG_1044.jpeg Journal - How do you eat an elephant? - Make it stand out Dresses and other pieces not taken by UC Davis wait in the storage unit for their next adventure https://www.marianclayden.org/journal/first-steps monthly 0.5 2022-10-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/dc8b60d9-f159-44ec-9233-0c771ce72a22/IMG_0758.JPEG Journal - First Steps - Make it stand out The School of Textiles Collection includes some of Marian’s most public exposure, as seen here when Oprah Winfrey wore a Clayden jacket on the June ‘91 cover of Essence magazine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/6e261b2f-05c2-4944-b528-b72d302be226/IMG_0761.JPEG Journal - First Steps - Make it stand out Mary has written extensively on the history of textile, and Marian has featured in her books. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/5fa25c15-1549-42ab-b245-5f372d5eb189/IMG_0766.JPEG Journal - First Steps The charming village of Coggeshall, Essex https://www.marianclayden.org/locations daily 0.75 2022-10-24 https://www.marianclayden.org/search-the-collection daily 0.75 2022-10-28 https://www.marianclayden.org/contact daily 0.75 2022-10-28 https://www.marianclayden.org/the-artist daily 0.75 2022-10-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/47d0053f-680f-4779-ba75-8860fb5bde03/dia_0032.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/d7a9f94f-becf-41af-87e9-66a2624fbb6d/dia_0146.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/50783e1d-3c18-4c94-8aba-9c9333246550/Marian+and+Roger+-+Tie+Dye+mini.png https://www.marianclayden.org/1978-sb1 daily 0.75 2022-11-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/2f68d59d-3fcc-425a-a94a-e664a88b9a48/1978.SB1.P1.JPEG Slide Box https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/cbf89b87-86bb-4666-871b-c009726024b3/1978.SB1.P2.JPEG Slide Box https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/6466aad5-a89f-42ba-a820-20ec737f02c0/1978.SB1.P3.JPEG Slide Box https://www.marianclayden.org/about daily 1.0 2025-11-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/c14bdddb-e094-4c3d-9bad-30050b3ee65e/High-Res+Logo.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/e32c3ada-4a5c-43ca-9056-ab879bba2120/Marian+-+Florentine+Dress.jpg https://www.marianclayden.org/how-to-use daily 0.75 2022-10-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/8f04b9f1-e69d-480d-99d4-63c0db67b755/Joyful+Noise.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/bb4ef112-2893-42e7-84f7-817a3e3518ac/accession-examples.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/9df38993-ac69-46be-ae4e-15cca7ee299e/untitled-silks.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/4e2d9802-1b6a-442f-97e2-f6e9f0282a83/tassel-top-triangle-skirt.JPG https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/77c6f623-5e4a-471e-a4fa-f44391c11603/float-dress.jpg https://www.marianclayden.org/1978f1s1sb1 daily 0.75 2022-11-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/f146f528-9799-47e0-9a45-d4fba2a47ab2/1975.F1.S1D.jpg https://www.marianclayden.org/donations daily 0.75 2024-12-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/282df159-6335-4f93-aece-265dadb41186/Untitled+%283%29.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/9b7ff4c9-16e7-49ef-9b72-afc088bba204/3.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618500688457-ORGBJQJ3FH1CKHQ8SI3P/List_01.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/26bd8da7-ac38-496e-83f6-211228f17663/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg https://www.marianclayden.org/coming-soon daily 0.75 2025-09-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63569151a689a2433256a7c5/134ef3de-eaaf-4d83-b86f-786bbd305f44/Untitled.jpg https://www.marianclayden.org/shop daily 0.75 2022-10-24 https://www.marianclayden.org/shop/p/stanton-recipes-ed-1-s2ylm monthly 0.5 2022-06-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/624b503d454ebf5dd68421e1/1649102914196-89QBL9NUR8EZZMULLP08/stanton-book.jpg Shop - Stanton Recipes Ed. 1