Tribute to Jeanne Lanvin
Precious like a fabric
It was during an exhibition dedicated to Jeanne Lanvin at the Palais Galliera that I discovered this sumptuous evening coat designed in 1931 by the famous couturier.
The avant-garde architectural cut of the garment inspired my choice of large sun motifs on the lamp.
The gold lamé fabric and the topstitched silk guided me in choosing a straw marquetry with changing colors like a fabric.
Haute Couture detail: the base of the lamp is crowned by a precious shagreen border!
base in natural shagreen
lampshade: taffeta
A gift from Nature
To create straw marquetry, our workshops use rye straw grown in France.
Each rye stalk is dried, then immerse into a dye bath.
Then you have to split each stem to expose the inner side and flatten it to shape ribbons.
These are the ribbons that will be patiently cut, assembled and glued to obtain the desired pattern.
So what you see is the inside of the straw which is naturally shiny because it is coated with silica.
It is the plant that produces silica to seal the inside of its stem and allow the sap to circulate within it.
Thanks to Mother Nature for this gift that offers us endless decorating possibilities!

AD
September 2016



