A cut above the rest
WHEN she arrived in Hong Kong 20 years ago, Valery Garrett didn't collect a stitch. Clothes were something she designed for a living, not something to study, research or collect.
''But I always envied people who collected,'' said Mrs Garrett, standing in her library-cum-studio and office. ''I saw my husband collecting [antique firearms] and the fun he had, talking to other collectors, going to auctions and sales.'' The bookshelves and walls are painted white, the perfect backdrop to pieces of clothing and accessories, collected over the past two decades. Each begs closer inspection. On a wooden frame hangs an exquisite silk robe in royal purple. There are hats, in richly embroidered satin, displayed on carved pedestals. Several shelves show off pairs of dainty silk shoes, their toes pointed like giant fork tines. Hanging on a wall is a satin collar, edged in gold brocade and closed with dragons, and framed.
What started as a casual visit to a shop in Kowloon changed the career path for the British-born fashion designer. When her eyes fell on Mandarin squares, the decorative badges of rank worn by officials during the Ching dynasty, and she was set on a pursuit that would take her beyond patches of material and into the world of Chinese textiles and clothing.
This weekend, her fourth book, Chinese Clothing: An Illustrated Guide (Oxford University Press, $255) arrives in the bookstores. It isn't as threatening as its weight suggests and can be appreciated on many levels.
There is enough detail about encrusted hems, the tapering of a sleeve, technical aspects of clothing construction and fabric that will keep a fashion designer, a crafts devotee or an avid seamstress reading.
An historian or scholar will appreciate Mrs Garrett's research into dynasties and politics. But the armchair traveller, who can't keep the chronology of any dynasty straight, will be roused by gypsy fever and the travel photos of China - the ornate silver hair ornaments and the hair plaits of Tibetan women, the stately turbans and embroidered aprons of the Miao women of the Xiangxi minority, the baby carriers, strapped to the backs of grandmothers in Beijing.
Mrs Garrett eclipsed most textile collectors by becoming an author, an authority, teacher and consultant on Chinese clothing.
Her book focuses on the development of Chinese dress and accessories from the beginning of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the present. Court dress, textiles and accessories are handsomely shown in 300 colour plates and photos. Unlike many books that dwell on a single subject, hers goes beyond imperial clothing to include children's wear, rural clothing and wedding and funeral attire.
When she began her research, a personal interest was children's clothing. Now that her curiosity is satisfied, she wants to delve deeper into the clothing of the 20th century, material perhaps for a future book.
Even after a considerable amount of travel around China, Shanghai remains a favourite. ''It is the inspiration for the 20th century, the fashion capital of China. The cheong sam saw the light of day there. When I go there, it is hard not to get caught upin the spirit and feeling of the city, and its past.'' When she worked as a fashion designer for an international firm, designing knitwear and children's clothes for the European and American market, she also managed to catalogue the Chinese costume collection for the Hong Kong Museum of History.
Through her museum work, she travelled around Hong Kong and the New Territories at a time before the To Lo highway was merely a blueprint and Fanling was a small village. Over time, she collected more than 1,000 pieces, mainly silk and cotton, and developed relationships with villagers that continue today. ''In the beginning, I was regarded as 'that crazy gweipo','' said the former head of fashion design at Swire School of Design (Hong Kong Polytechnic) and a lecturer in costume design at the Academy of Performing Arts.
She described doing the book as a daunting experience.
''I knew someday I would pull my notes and files together and do something like this. But the actual writing took 21/2 years. It consumed me.'' Valery Garrett will be present at a book signing today at Hong Kong Book Centre, Exchange Square, from 12.30 to 2pm
