Ramie was used as a linen-like fabric as far back as the times of Ancient Egyptians.

Ramie is an age-old fiber plant that has been made into yarn and textiles for millennia because of the extremely long fibers contained in it’s stalk. Though very similar to linen, ramie produces a lustrous, silk-like material that is soft to the touch and eight times stronger than cotton.

The first recorded use of ramie fabric dates as far back as 5000-3000 B.C., when it was used for the mummy cloths of the Ancient Egyptians. Considered a useful and versatile fabric by the ancient culture, the Egyptians obviously treasured it since it was used to swathe the bodies of their deceased kings. Historians have also found evidence of the textile’s use in eastern Asia in prehistoric times, from where it eventually spread to Europe in the Middle Ages. Ramie was seen as a cloth for nobility in Asia, whereas its counterpart, hemp, was considered more suitable for the peasantry.

Commonly called “China Grass” ramie is predictably native to China, from where it has been formally exported to the western world since the 18^th century. The plant is part of the cellulose bast fiber group and belongs to the nettle family, with Boehmeria Nivea being the species most often cultivated for yarn and textile applications. Primarily grown in Asia and Brazil, nowadays only a fraction of the material is shipped overseas to Europe and the USA, making it practically unknown to much of the western population.

Not only is ramie a natural fiber, it is also similar to other bast fibers like hemp and nettles in that it needs minimal amounts of water and no pesticides or herbicides to thrive, also providing nutrition for the land it is grown on through it’s biomass. The stems of ramie plants can reach 8 feet in height and can be harvested up to 6 times a year. Following harvest, the stalks are peeled to extract the fiber by scraping off the bark from the fiber layers and hanging them to dry. After this, the fibers are split into thin threads and hung to dry again before the spinning process.

Although ramie fabric is very similar to linen in appearance, the properties and behavior of the material can be different. Ramie yarn is naturally white, making bleaching unnecessary and allowing it to take dyes (yes, including natural ones!) very well. Like the other fabrics made from bast fibers, ramie textiles are extremely strong and actually strengthen when wet without shrinking at all.

The downsides of ramie fabric are similar to those of linen, in that it doesn’t take creasing well and wrinkles easily. Although ramie fabric holds dyes very well, heavy use of dyes or strong dyes can cause discoloration of skin or other materials that the dyed ramie is rubbed against, especially if the fabric is wet or damp.  Ramie, however, has the advantage over other natural fibers of being naturally mold, insect and bacteria resistant, storing well and acting as a shelter of sorts when worn.

Unfortunately, Ramie is still often processed chemically on a larger scale, making these manufacturing methods unsustainable. Several textile companies such as Habu Textiles and Telio use hand-processed ramie, and because the fiber is biodegradable, the two combine in making ramie fabrics closed-loop. Ramie stalks are said to contain the longest extractable fibers of any cellulose fiber plant and so when blended with cotton, wool or silk creates a large range of durable and versatile textile types.

Climatex Cradle-to-Cradle certified upholstery  textiles are made out of ramie and wool blends for furniture and interior design applications. Several fashion designers use ramie fabrics or blends in their garments including Donna Karan, Lanvin, Michale Kors, MiH Jeans, Levi’s and Gary Graham, whose ramie dress from S/S 2012 collection is featured above. Textile artist Mackenzie Frere has been experimenting with different dyeing techniques for ramie, creating wonderful renditions that truly showcase the beauty and texture of the material. Hopefully this fiber will continue keep alive the value of versatility in textile fibers and hand-crafting so we can continue to explore the wisdom of natural, sustainable textile solutions.

Image: Mackenzie Frere, Habu Textiles, Gary Graham , Mackenzie Frere

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Our guide to this year’s best fashion exhibits.

Did you miss the magical Savage Beauty exhibit at the MET last year?  Take comfort by buying the book – a showstopper in itself – and vow not to miss another this year. Curatorial staff are realizing the particular appeal of fashion exhibits and the increased ticket sales potential. If an article in WWD on how museums are “getting fashionable” is any indication, they’ve cottoned on. “There’s a loyal following — besides the fact that fashion is fashionable,” Pamela Golbin, chief curator at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris was quoted, “There’s something very intimate about clothes.” More and more new fashion exhibits are popping up here in the United States all over the world. Several exciting ones are due to debut this year.

Here are our top 10 don’t-miss fashion exhibits of 2012.

1.  Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion, opens May 10 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Featuring over 80 designs by Schiaparelli and an installation that will give the effect of the two designers being in conversation with one another on subjects such as art, politics and the role of women now and then. With director Baz Luhrman serving as the exhibition’s creative consultant this show promises to follow up on the success of last year’s groundbreaking Alexander McQueen exhibit.

2. FIT NY and the CFDA collaborate to celebrate Impact: Fifty Years of the CFDA at the FIT museum from the 10th of February through until the 17th of April. The leading trade organization of fashion designers presents a tribute to the creativity of American talent and will showcase designs from Halston, Norman Norell, Pauline Trigère, Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Rudi Gernreich, Bob Mackie, James Galanos, Diane von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Tom Ford, Michael Kors, Isabel Toledo, Rodarte, and Proenza Schouler.

3. Chanel: Designs for the Modern Woman at the Mint Museum Randolph in Charlotte, North Carolina continues thru February 26. Pioneering clothing that was comfortable, casual and enduring in its construction and style, Coco Chanel (1883-1971) remains a pivotal figure responsible for much of what is still considered modern in women’s fashion in the 21st century.

4. A retrospective of designer Christian Louboutin at London’s Design Museum opens March 28 – July 1 and promises to be as red-hot as his signature soles. The exhibition coincides with the publication of a coffee table book documenting Lobuoutin’s work. Mulholland Drive director David Lynch photographed some of the designer’s most fantastical creations and John Malkovich wrote the foreword.

5. If you are in London, you must check out Fifty Years of James Bond Style at the Barbican, opening in April. In addition to Mr. Bond’s Savile Row tailoring, expect to see  lavish Bond-girl finery by Giorgio Armani, Givenchy, Roberto Cavalli, Thierry Mugler, Miuccia Prada, Oscar de la Renta, Emanuel Ungaro and Donatella Versace.

6. Also opening in the 2012 Olympic Games host city is the sure-to-impress Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum 
running May 19, thru January 26, 2013. Featuring evening wear from the V&A’s vast collection of British designers, the exhibit will show a selection of royal ballgowns including a Norman Hartnell gown designed for Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Princess Diana’s “Elvis Dress” designed by Catherine Walker and gowns worn by today’s young royals.

7. Paying tribute to the legendary French designer Yves Saint Laurent — The Retrospective opens March 25 at the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colarado. Organized thematically, the presentation showcases over 200 pieces that explore the full arc of Saint Laurent’s developing style and turbulent inner life.

8. If you didn’t catch The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk at the Dallas Museum of Art, Texas (runs thru February 12) head to San Francisco’s Deyoung Museum where it will run from March 24  – August 19. Dubbed fashion’s enfant terrible, his often provocative messages are enhanced by the sublime construction of his clothing.

9. Set to open on the last night of Paris Fashion Week, March 9, and run until September 16 at the famous Museé des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, the Louis Vuitton – Marc Jacobs exhibit weighs the careers of both designers. The show aims to compare their bodies of work and offers a potential explanation as to why Jacobs and his ready-to-wear approach could never replace Galliano at Dior.

10. Azzedine Alaïa in the 21st Century currently at the Groninger Museum in Holland and running thru May 6, celebrates the body-con creations of the great Tunisian-born couturier. Now in his 70’s, the designer recently became an outspoken proponent of slow fashion, saying “Four collections for women, four collections for men, another four collections to sell, and everything needs do be done within four, five months—it’s a one-way course towards emptiness. It’s inhuman.”

Top Image: Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty

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It’s up and it’s down. It’s the hemline.

Hemlines are the litmus test of fashion history as a cultural study. Economist George Taylor coined the term “hemline index” to explain how skirts got shorter or longer depending on either a “roaring” or Depression-era economy. But what does today’s style say about our current economic situation?

First seen on designer runways last season, longer-length skirts are now hot on street style blogs, with women everywhere working the new silhouette. They’re calculating how to look slim in this look (cinch the waist), what shoes suit it best (flats and wedges), and why the proportions require a complete rethink of what to wear on top (sleeveless tees and fitted vintage denim jackets feel right).

I’ve been working my own take on this trend with a thrift shop find: A Ralph Lauren, double-layered jersey knit dress that hits at the calf. It’s a look that recalls the minimalism of the 90’s with its emphasis on sleek American sportswear. No one symbolized that era of elegant “throwaway chic” like Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (so we shouldn’t be surprised that her name keeps popping up in fashion blogs and magazines).

At the time, a Newsweek article cited designer Michael Kors praising Bessette-Kennedy’s eye for “proportion,” for her skirts were always just the right length. “That is unusual in someone so young,” he says, as if speaking of a child prodigy. It’s funny how random lines from magazines inexplicably stay with you. Fifteen years on, the idea of a “right length” skirt space as observed by a theatrically directorial fashion designer seems so quaint.

Because here’s the thing. Blowing Mr. George Taylor’s theory out of the water is the emergence this spring of the flirty flared shorter skirt. Just as we’re all getting our heads wrapped around long skirts, here comes a fresh mini. Not any mini, mind you, but a bubble hemmed, brightly patterned, ruffled and twisted thigh-baring one.

Perhaps it’s time for a new theory. If there’s a “hemline index” anymore, it seems to be indicating that it’s just fine to wear any length without having to ask if it’s in keeping with the times.

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We do this for many reasons.

1. She is a sustainable designer.

2. She’s a woman of conviction that stood by her design aesthetics all the way through.

3. She’s really tall and we don’t want to mess with Amazons.

4. We love that Michael Kors and Nina Garcia were able to persuade Heidi Klum and Jessica Simpson that Gretchen was the only designer of the three that was actually on trend and not ready for outfitting nursing home patients or circus freaks.

5. The most important reason, she can now take her prize winnings and do amazing things on behalf of designers in the sustainable fashion realm (You won’t believe what she has planned already).

Cheers again and for more Gretchen Jones love, stay tuned for our exclusive video with her next week!

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We’ve all had a heyday with the return of 80s styles and colors, but for fall we will be dipping a bit further back in decades past for inspiration – all the way to the 1950s! One trend in particular stood out on the runways and is inserted into every major designer’s collection – the three quarter length skirt. It is a classic piece that embodies style sense with a very confident assertion. It practically beckons the power woman in all of us to come out and rule!

The cool camel color from Stella McCartney with front button detailing is the perfect partner to a crisp white blouse. You can also scoop up the original edition of this 3/4 skirt from Spanish Moss Vintage. Moving into Fall weather and fashions, this skirt is set to become a revived classic.

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