Heavenly Creatures

Zurich-based Abraham closed its doors in 2002, but the designs from this couture fabric house continue to inspire. The mastermind behind the house, Gustav Zumsteg, partnered with many of fashion's most prestigious names -- Balenciaga, YSL and Givenchy -- during couture's golden era to create unbelievably beautiful fabrics. Many of the archives are shown in Soie Pirate, the two-book reference edited by the Swiss National Museum and produced by Scheidegger & Spiess. These books are a veritable treasure chest for any fabric lover. Here, a chiné from the mid 19th century is boldly over-embroidered, giving it dimension and color. For an in-depth explanation of chiné (and ikat/wrap printing in general), check out this beautiful post from thedreamstress.com: http://thedreamstress.com/2013/07/terminology-what-are-ikat-abr-and-chine/