Swatches of Fashion History

Every lover of fashion knows the lavish possibilities contained in the modest fabric swatchbook. Our Chic & Satin journal covers are based on a book of fabric samples collected in Paris in the 1880s. Designers have always collected swatches for creative stimulus. The swatches adorning our covers combine a classically Victorian emphasis on opulence and brazen patterns with hints of early Aestheticism, which hearkened back to a simpler, pre-industrialised time.

One can imagine designers from influential fashion houses like Dior running a hand across these small muses in pursuit of inspiration. The swatches are silk embroidery on satin and hint at everything from gardens in bloom to rare oriental ornament. Saturated aniline dyes in colours like rich burgundy, electric blue and midnight black may spur contemporary fashion lovers to create their own swatchbooks or at least to swoon with delight.