A Very Unique Dress from Uzbek Silk

...We are having a very busy spring; kids have Taekwon-do competitions, we have a lot of work to do, and I also resumed running and working out with weights. I feel a bit guilty about not writing, but not overly so, as I decided that, when choosing between writing and sleeping, I must sleep.

However, this is something I want to share. A new dress fully designed and made by my mother is always a bit of a special event to me, and this one is a very unique dress. It is made from highly unusual Uzbek silk with a very wild ethnic print - I have only seen a similar fabric once. It is many years old, was stored in a chest for ages, and it looks amazing. All these designs are based on ancient rituals and beliefs and are said to incorporate symbols that protect from evil and grant health and prosperity.

The dress is voluminous, flowing and gleaming. It has a deep plunging v-neck and kimono sleeves. I really, really like it, and I am a bit jealous of someone who will buy it. I love both the fabric and the design. But, realistically, I do not wear black and white, so I could not have it to myself, anyway. I hope someone who buys it will wear and enjoy it a lot. I will ask my mother to make a similar dress for me, in colors that will look good on me. She loves working with Uzbek fabrics, as did her mother and aunt before her - both were well known fashion designers here in Uzbekistan.

The dress is for sale in our Etsy shop, Mulberry Whisper, and I do not expect it to last long. It fill fit Large and Extra large sizes.

Waves of Uzbek Silk Ikat

Uzbek ikat silk is something I can look at forever, as if it at the sea or a meadow full of flowers. These are two expecially beautiful specimens I photographed for a customer today. You can click the photos to open them full size.

Close-ups of the same fabrics:

If you ever handled Uzbek silk, you will know that it is heavenly smooth and cool, like water in a river, or cream, or glass. It is interesting, that the pattern is not printed; the threads are dyed in a variegated manner, which makes them self-patterning, but not in a random manner. It is based on a drawing and the masters plan, calculate and dye the threads so that they form whatever pattern they should. I cannot even start imagining the complexity of this task, and to think that this technique was known for centuries!

And this is what my mother is going to make from the khan atlas: a wrap dress with kimono sleeves, very beautiful, flattering and easy to wear.

If you would like to have a similar tunic, you can order it in our Etsy shop here.

Silk Ikat Scarves on Sale at Mulberry Whisper!

All our ikat silk scarves are on sale now! We want to sell the remains of 2014 stock and bring in new colors, sizes and shapes, with new photos. This is an excellent chance to buy an infinity scarf from real Uzbek mulberry silk at a bargain price: cheaper than yardage! You can use them for projects, if you like, as essentially they are huge pieces of lush genuine silk produced in accordance with the old traditions of silk weaving.

We have more colors available at our MulberryWhisper shop on Etsy. Get yours while they last; new arrivals will be more expensive.

Uzbek Woman in Ikat Gown with a Boy

Just an old photo that I want to share. Both the woman and the child seem amazing to me - very beautiful and enigmatic. They seem to be looking into the future, unknown to them at that point, but known to us now... not their personal future, of course, but the overall history of the region and people. 

I do not know who they are, but obviously they were from a rich family, judging by their clothing and her jewellery. The woman's hands are obviously not familiar with hard work, and are heavy with lavish rings and bracelets. Note that their gowns are made from the same gorgeous ikat silk. The woman is wearing 'tilla kosh' headpiece - 'golden brows' - and a shawl, which could be Russian, judging by what I can see from the pattern. Beautiful!

Woman in full wedding regalia with child, photograph ca. 1860, Registan Museum, Samarkand. 

Silk Caftan Tunic, a Simple Beauty of Uzbek Ikat

My mother has developed another simple and nice design. It is nothing special, really, and nothing new - a very classic caftan tunic made from lush Uzbek ikat silk. What is important is how it sits and how he fabric moves with the wearer. And it is very minimal, so that not to cut the lovely silk too much.

I love to see her work; it is amusing to watch her thinking, sketching, talking to herself, patting the fabric as if it were a cat... The tunic is nice, voluminous and free flowing - a perfect design to show off the wild beauty of Uzbek silk.  

I love to look at these strange and barbaric ikat prints; many of these elements are inheritance of the dark pagan times when they had certain meaning. Some were for protection, others - for good fortune, fertility or longevity.

I certainly hope that this ikat silk dress will bring good fortune and longevity and all the best to the new owner. It can be found in our Etsy shop.

Museum of Applied Arts, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Today my daughter and I felt like going to a museum and looking at some beautiful things. We did not have too much time, so we went to a smaller one close to our place - Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan. We went by metro and then walked for ten minutes, and here we are!

The Museum is located in this old beautiful building: this was a house built in the end of XIX century for a Russian diplomat Polovtsev who loved Asian culture. The museum is like a small palace or a jewelry box. Or both. Look at this lavishly decorated facade with carved wood columns and lots of hand painting.

Inside, there is a lot of carved alabaster and paintings. You can see the wall niches with vases and bowls: this is what they used as shelves and cabinets in Uzbekistan a hundred years before and earlier.

The ceiling in the hall is just amazing.

Collection of arts and crafts is not very large, but the items are beautiful. I especially love glass and china. The pieces below are from the last century, so they are quite modern, coming from our Tashkent glass and china factories. The faience dish with stylized cotton is by Alimov, 1970.  The cut glass decanter with glasses are called 'Uzbekistan' and made by Zabudskaya in 1985.

And this green glass set is called 'Dacha' (Country Home) and made by Dudin in 1983 in Tashkent.

Embroidery is of course an older and more traditional art for Uzbekistan, and this museum has beautiful samples. The all-embroidered boots are from Shakhrisabz, and the lovely Suzani is from Samarkand, end of 19th century.

And these are traditional embroidered hats. This one is of course for a woman and comes from Bukhara, 1940s.

 And this one is for a man. Chust or Marghilan, 1980s.

Of course there is also a room for clothing. Vintage dresses and gowns from silk and cotton fabrics with ikat patterns or stripes are beautiful and eye-catching.

The striped gown is for a man; it is from Ferghana, 1960s. This fabric is called 'bekasab'. The second gown is for a woman and it comes from Tashkent, second half of the last century.

There are also rugs and carpets, which are very important for the people here. Uzbek houses are full of rugs; a rug is the best gift, they believe, and will always find room for another rug. Many household items were made from rugs, for instance these saddlebags, as this is a strong and practical material.

Another favorite room of mine is the one with jewelry. It was mostly made from silver with corals, turquoise, carnelian, tourmalines and other semi-precious stones, often combined with colored glass.  The first photo shows 'tillyakosh' (Gold Brows) made from silver with turqiouse, glass, enamel and pearls.

And these are very classic Turkmen (or Turkoman) bracelets with carnelian. Very heavy and barbarian looking, they still retain some gold gilt.

We only spent there about an hour and a half, as Madina became tired quickly - there are too many things and colors.

There are two amazing persimmon trees in the yard. They look very ordinary in the summer, but I find them stunning late in the autumn after they shed their leaves but still retain the fruit.

 In my daughter's view, the place was great for running around, jumping and dancing.

...So we pranced around a bit and went home, discussing what we have seen and where we want to g next. It was a good beginning of a good day. 

(all photos from the inside of the museum come from http://www.artmuseum.uz)

A Sea of Uzbek Silk

I recently bought several pieces of lovely vintage Uzbek ikat silk - "khan atlas" - and I just cannot take my eyes off them. This lush, buttery soft fabric comes in many colors, but the pattern is always ikat (although sometimes you can buy plain undyed khan atlas but it is not found often). Just look at my new treasures!

Sometimes Uzbek silk ikat reminds me of wild flowers. There is something botanical in these elongated lines and mixtures of earthy and bright colors. 

 
This simple combination of colors will look and feel chilly on the hottest summer day. It looks so natural, I think they used natural dyes there.

I dubbed this one "my Renoir". The smaller elements in the design are considered highly desirable by the local people. When they offer you such fabrics, they always say: "Look, the ornament is so small! It is really beauiful and very chic!". The reason for that is, first of all, a greater complexity of the looming process. This design is not printed on Uzbek khan atlas; the threads are dyed in a variegated fashion, based on very complex calculations, so that when the silk is loomed, the design would appear. I think it is called self-patterning threads in knitting. So, naturally it is much more difficult to dye smaller sections in many different colors, rather than to dye threads for a large design in just three or four shades. Second, such design looks very flattering in a top, tunic or dress: it makes the wearer appear much slimmer (look here, for instance).

This is another reserved color scheme. I love the combination of soft white, soft black and emerald green.

And this piece of Uzbek ikat silk is crazy, in a good sense of the word.

All these photos were taken in the dim morning light. In the middle of the day, these silks will look even brighter, bolder and crazier. And this is a general view, to see the patterns better:

 
I know we are blessed to live in the silk heaven. A small town called Margilan produces a sea of silk every year and has been doing that since ancient times.

"The town is the location of Uzbekistan’s largest traditional silk factory, the Yodgorlik Silk Factory. Employing over 2,000 workers, everything is done in the traditional manner, for an annual output of some 250,000 square meters of highly premium silk cloth.

The neighboring Margilan Silk Factory employs 15,000 workers using modern machinery, and produces some 22 million square meters per year. It is uncertain when the secrets of silk production came to the Fergana Valley, but certainly, Margilan has been active in the industry since ancient times" (from Wikipedia)

Most of the silk I buy is vintage. Strictly speaking, modern silk is not worse, and often it is difficult or impossible to see the difference, because they use old patterns and designs in the new factory, too.  But in any case, we buy and use vintage fabrics whenever we can: they are beautiful, they are often rare, and I believe it is more environmentally friendly, even though we consume so little compared to the total consumption of Uzbek silk. Still, one little step is already something.

Now we need to turn these luscsious fabrics into something wearable and I hope to be able to share the results of our work soon in our shop - MulberryWhisper.etsy.com.

Ikat Silk Clothing for Spring: The Quest of Custom Design

We have just finished two pieces for a long-time customer and a dear friend of ours. My mother has done her best to design individually (she never uses ready patterns) and make these two items.

The shorter length silk coat is made from Uzbek ikat silk (adras) with a striking tribal design. Its magnificent cowl collar makes it stand out. I like the way it looks when buttoned; however when unbuttoned and open it is just stunning. The lining is from vintage silk and cotton fabric so the whole coat is made from natural fibers. The listing for custom order of a similar silk ikat coat can be found in our Etsy shop, Mulberry Whisper.

And this is my mother's drawing that served as a basis for this design.

The second piece is an ikat silk shirt with empire waist and draped front. This one is made from thin and lush shoyi silk; it is green with red overtones. I love how my mother has placed the design here and I told her how proud I  was of her vision and skills.This silk ikat top is very flattering an stylish, yet extremely comfortable and relaxed. It can be ordered here.

We hope that these two pieces reach our customer quickly and that she loves them. This is not an easy work but it is very exciting and rewarding; my mother always says that each piece is a quest for her. She looks for the best way to present the beautiful Uzbek silk fabric, making sure that the clothing is also in line with the customer's image and meets her or his needs. A quest, indeed! Now there is another jacket to be made.

More Ikat Infinity Scarves

We were so happy with our first ikat infinity scarf (which was bought right away) that we immediately made two new ones. I greatly enjoyed playing with these silk circle scarves, wrapping and draping them in so many ways. One of them is just insanely beautiful:

It is not easy to combine several different pieces of bright fabric with bold and intricate patterns into a balanced piece - I heartily congratulated my mother on this success! Taking photos of this scarf was a great pleasure, and the only hard part was to choose the main photo for the listing in our Etsy shop - I just could not decide which one I liked more. This rainbow of colors in traditional Uzbek ikat patterns is not for the faint of heart!

The second loop scarf is made from very old vintage Uzbek silk with black, white and dark green ikat pattern. It is almost antique (definitely older than myself), and amazingly smooth and supple - lovely to the touch! Certainly not as striking as the previous one, but probably is easier to wear.

It drapes softly, and will look great anywhere you go.We are very excited about this line, and working on these scarves is a pleasure. A loop scarf provides endless possibilities of wrapping it around your neck and shoulders (might be used as head scarves, too - I need to give it a try) in different ways, and pure mulberry silk is wonderful to the touch.

I hope there will be many more new ikat silk scarves at Mulberry Whisper soon; we should have introduced them long ago. Uzbek silks, with their gorgeous ethnic patterns, are an excellent choice for endless scarves, and we have plenty of fabrics to choose from.

Silk Ikat Infinity Scarf - Our First Experience

I have been looking at infinity scarves for quite a while, but cannot say I was fascinated with them. Possibly this was because I only saw them in photos. I was not inclined to carry them in our Etsy shop, Mulberry Whisper, but at last I decided to make it a try and asked my mother to make one.

We selected a lovely piece of Uzbek ikat silk - khan-atlas, loomed from variegated (self-patterning) yarn. This fabric is quite thick, supple, smooth and cool to the touch. We discussed the size, and my mother produced our first silk ikat infinity scarf! 

I must say that when I just saw it I was not too impressed. Of course Uzbek ikat fabric is striking, but what is so special about this particular type of scarf? Why are people so crazy about these scarves - infinity, eternity, loop, circle scarves and whatever else they are called? I was wondering... and then I started playing with the scarf, wrapping it carelessly around the neck of the mannequin...

...or letting it slip from the shoulder, which should look stunning with a strapless dress or a corset...

...or letting it rest on the shoulders like a huge cowl...

...and finally I let it unwrap in a single loop to look at this striking Uzbek ethnic pattern, all in multicolored lightnings - emerald green, red, yellow, blue, black, white... It is a generous size, and the design shows beautifully. The lush fabric is so smooth, it is gleaming softly, and you feel tempted to touch it again and again, just to enjoy the sensation of pure silk under your fingers.

Stunning. This is the right word to describe our ikat infinity scarf. It is so simple and easy to wear, and yet so expressive and bold - I understand now why people love these circle scarves so much. We will make more - we are eager to see this design in different shades and patterns of silk and cotton; put them on Arabella, our mannequin, and then stand and stare in admiration.

What about you? Do you like infinity scarves? Do you wear them? If yes, what colors and fabrics you prefer? Thank you!