Mandala Lace Kimono – September 2023
This hand-made, unique, one-of-a-kind lace kimono, is a collage I created from my collection of antique laces from France, England and New England, along with lace medallions and doilies, and antique buttons from my atelier.
The medallions and doilies represent intricate ‘Mandalas’. Derived from the Sanskrit word meaning ‘circle’, mandalas are geometric in form, representing wholeness, unity, the cyclical nature of life and symbolize the cosmos. They are also used in mediation and rituals to help focus attention and advance spiritual transformation, embodying the journey inward and towards enlightenment.
When I create a garment by hand, I am putting my care and love into it. It is also important to me when creating a wearable art piece, that there is spiritual significance in the piece.
Several pieces of the lace and the collar are over a hundred years old. There are cherub angels, a butterfly, a bird and sprays of flowers among the intricacies of the laces, all representing a harmony with nature.
The lace with the heart motif that I placed as a border along the bottom comes from a collection of clerical laces I acquired 50 years ago as a young girl.