Link Thursday-Hooray for Houles
Written by faith | 3My love affair with Houles trimmings is longstanding. They are a splurge worth every $ spent! The French word for trimmings is passementerie.
The fine art of passementerie, defined by the French as the art of making elaborate trimmings or edgings, has spanned centuries upon centuries. In ancient Egyptian times, silver and gold threads were woven into braid. Tassels that adorned robes in ancient China were also used as handles to lift the robes showing no weapons were concealed underneath. In Jacobean times, fringes and tassels were used to soften the hard and harsh interiors of their homes. Elizabethan household inventories also detailed bed curtains trimmed in fringe and braids.
In Marie Antoinette’s day, passementerie lavishly decorated the king’s bedchambers and the queen’s boudoir as well as their clothing. It is said that Marie Antoinette commissioned a tassel in the shape of a bird cage—including the bird. After the French Revolution, passementerie was reserved for the military only. Napoleon I, however, gave rise to the art again by having the passementiers weave the much-heralded Napoleonic Bee into the braids and gimps of his day.
Today we see trims in all decorating styles from the chic and shabby home, eclectic vintage, lush Victorian, modern city, easy country, and all styles in between.
Houles is one of the leading providers of trims with great diversity. The photos say it all. Tres chic!
