As many of you may know I teach in the School of Design at Syracuse University. At the university we have an extensive historic costume collection associated with the fashion design program. Costume in this sense meaning clothing worn by people going about their daily lives not stage costume. This collection houses approximately seven thousand garments from the 18th century through to today. This gem of a collection is stored in a climate controlled facility which is accessible to researchers and students by appointment. I have free access to this collection and spend a lot of time exploring its holdings. One of my loves is the extraordinary group of Victorian Period pieces that are extravagantly decorated with layer upon layer of trims. During this period the Industrial Revolution was in full swing and dressmakers had access to a vast variety of materials and because of this took their designs to exuberant confectionary levels. The creativity of how materials such as grosgrain ribbon was handled inspired this exploration. My aim was to hand fabricate “ribbon” in sterling silver that mimics the fluidity and texture of some of the grosgrain details I was drawn to. My favorite piece from the late Victorian Period c. 1890’s has a trim of flat Japanese inspired “bows” that circle the hem of the skirt in multiple rows. Here’s my take on this  detail.

All sterling silver hand fabricated ribbon pendant on forged sterling and fabricated chain. The necklace is adjustable to 18.5” and the “ribbon” measures 1.25” in width. Signed, hallmarked and dated 2025. Flat rate insured and tracked USPS Ground Advantage shipping or USPS Priority shipping within the US. International shipping prices vary.