St. Gall – Textile History across 8 centuries March 26 –
December 30, 2011 Textile Museum St. Gallen, Switzerland “StGall
– Textilgeschichten aus acht Jahrhunderten” , German only This
article has originally been published in the online version of
the HandEye magazine, and is republished with permission. When
in January 2009 Michelle Obama’s lemon grass coloured
inauguration dress adorned the front page of virtually every
newspaper across the world, only a selected few were aware that
the dress’ exquisite Guipur wool lace fabric is the result of
over 800 years of skilled artisanry. Laces have been a firm part
of haute-couture since the medieval, and many a historic
portrait is not complete without the characteristic fabric
prominently featured by personalities such as the French sun
king Louis XIV, the English king Henry VIII, Napoleon, or – most
recently – Kate Middleton, the newly wed wife of the heir to the
British throne. Lace work was so highly valued at one time, that
– so it is said – a French nobleman