Textiles Study Visit: Bath

On Saturday 27 June OCA tutor Rebecca Fairley will host a study visit to two venues in Bath. In the morning we will visit The Fashion Museum then in the afternoon take the bus together up to Claverton Manor to The American Museum in Britain.
This day will be packed full of textiles from glamorous Georgian fashions to the humble yet beautiful quilts of American folk art.

The Fashion Museum holds a world-class collection of contemporary and historic dress. On view for our visit will be a collection of sumptuous Georgian garments alongside contemporary outfits inspired by the era.
We can explore one hundred years of fashion in the Daywear exhibition. From a ‘sensible’ 1930s tweed suit by Worth of London to a matching jersey print dress and floppy hat by Biba in the 1970s. Key looks in fashion from the 1920s to the present day can be seen in this gallery display, including a Second World War ‘siren suit’, a rainbow striped jumper from the 1970s and a pair of Gap chinos from 2010.
The Behind the Scenes exhibition blurs the traditional museum boundaries between collections on display and those held in store. Currently exploring dress history, from Jane Austen up to the First World War the original fashions are presented against a backdrop of collection storage boxes.
If that’s not enough we will also see the Great Names in Fashion exhibition which is the history of modern fashion signposted by a handful of major fashion designers whose work shaped the look of a generation, including Dior, Balenciaga, Vionnet and Yves Saint Laurent. This new display at the Fashion Museum showcases beautiful evening dresses by a number of these great names of fashion history from the early 20th century to the present day.

The American Museum in Britain houses the only collection outside the United States of American decorative and folk art. For this study visit we plan to see the Hatched, Matched, Dispatched – & Patched! exhibition. Bursting with textile treasures, this exhibition brings together objects that commemorate family milestones.  As well as featuring historic quilts from major collections, the exhibition also showcases superb costumes.
The museum also has a revolving exhibition of their collection of over 200 quilts ranging from the eighteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. Over 50 of these are always on view in the Textile Room and throughout the Period Rooms.
This should be a day packed full of exciting textiles providing you with the opportunity to look at the work with fellow students and the textiles course leader. To discuss and share ideas about the work that you can then add to your learning logs and enhance your own creative output.
To reserve your place email enquiries@oca.ac.uk