Designs in Textiles by Mary Jaeger
|
Neighborhood: NoLita Type of Place: Clothing Description: Mary Jaeger grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and began college at Notre Dame as a premed student. None of this particularly foreshadowed her future as an artist specializing in textile design; but life takes twists that neither native geography nor original intention can necessarily predict. After school, Jaeger worked with various clothing designers before moving to Japan for 8 years and, while there, studying textile dying and painting. The influence of this training led her, upon returning to the States, to experiment with Shibori, the Japanese equivalent of tie-dye. These experiments were born of practicality: When her daughter arrived 3 years ago, Jaeger, like many new moms, received hand-me-down baby clothes that were adorable but (babies being babies) adorned with small food stains here and there. When Jaeger turned to Shibori to disguise the stains and give the outfits new life, a signature style was born; now Shibori t-shirts, which Jaeger hand-dyes in her studio, are the pieces for which she is best known (and are available in men, women, and children's sizes). In addition to the Shibori shirts (short sleeves from $125; long sleeves and camisoles from $145), standouts here include pillows in gorgeous textiles (from $75), girl's skirts in Italian menswear striping (from $95), and incredible tucked wool gauze panels that can be used as wall hangings or ample shawls (you have to see them to understand their beauty, and their versatility), in chocolate, white, or black (from $950). Ultimately, though you can take the girl out of the Midwest (and though she may well travel the world), you can't take the Midwest entirely out of the girl. When we visited Jaeger's shop, she was celebrating her daughter's 3-and-1/4 birthday with pizza and cake (which she generously offered) while preparing for a visit to family in Madison the next day. Worldly though her work might be, she respects her roots and knows that some of life's simpler combinations "like toddlers, parties, and cake" can bring the biggest joys. - Pamela Grossman; Aug 8, 2005
Designs in Textiles by Mary Jaeger 51 Spring St. New York, NY 10012 212-941-5877 http://www.maryjaeger.com Map Subway
Share this page! |
Print
