264 | Paper Husk
FILED UNDER: THE SEAMSTRESS' ATTIC
Found at the back of the atelier beneath a stack of old ramie. It had been folded flat and left undisturbed.
SHELL & LINING
Crisp, undyed cotton with a warm natural hue.
DETAILING
Deep teardrop neckline with a single hand-worked frog closure.
STRUCTURE
21-panel construction with internal boning. The curved panels follow the ribcage closely through the waist and upper torso.
LACING
Raw cord lacing threaded through silver-tone grommets with raw cotton cord lacing.
SIZE
S [size guide]
EDITION
One of one.
FROM THE CITY ARCHIVES
The Seamstress' Attic
The Seamstress' Attic occupies the uppermost floor of an old building in the City, beneath a roofline that has been altered and repaired so many times that its original shape is difficult to determine. The rooms are narrow and irregular, connected by short staircases and passages that lead from one workroom into another.
It has served as a place for making clothes for longer than anyone currently working there can remember. Bolts of cloth are stacked beside dress forms, half-finished garments hang from hooks, and boxes contain buttons, trims, patterns, and fabric remnants accumulated over generations. Materials are frequently kept long after their original purpose has been forgotten.
Paper Husk was found in one of the rear workrooms, beneath a stack of older textiles. Its pale, unbleached cotton and restrained construction are consistent with the quiet working character of the Attic, where unfinished pieces and materials awaiting their next use are commonplace.
The garment remained in the Attic after its recovery and was later entered into the City Archives. No record has been found of when it was made or who first worked on it.
The name Paper Husk was assigned during cataloguing. It refers to the warm, fibrous appearance of the unbleached cotton.
