Judging from the last few weeks, we're on a printed fabric kick and today's fabric is no exception. Toile de Jouy Toile de Jouy is a fabric print style in imitation of mid- to late- 18th century prints made by Christophe Philippe Oberkampf, a German, in the town of Jouy, near Paris. (Of course, it is also the name of Oberkampf's original prints.) Toile is a French word for cloth; the fabric most often features late 18th century bucolic scenes, usually with people, trees and flowers. The manufactory at Jouy in 1807, by JB Huet/ Musée de la Toile de Jouy Typically the print is in fairly large scale, using one dark shade on white or off-white. It is printed on plain weave cotton or cotton blends of a substantial weight, although the style of print can be found on silk, linen or manufactured fibers. Uses: Household decorating, not so commonly for accessories and apparel. This is a fragment of c. 1780s chinoiserie-scene toile made by Oberkampf, from the V&A. The original prints were made with copper plates and could be exceptionally detailed. The scenes occasionally featured the latest inventions. Another theme was Greek mythology. This is a Banyan, made in 1830, in the V&A's collection When it comes to the fashion we run across, I have seen a number of items dating from the 1950s to early 60s that featured this style of print. This dress from my archives is labeled Jonathan Logan. Vivienne Westwood created a T de J dress with pannier in 1996. This dress got extremely popular when Dita von Teese took it out for a spin at Viva las Vegas. The bucolic nature of the scenes often depicted must have appealed to Jessica McClintock too. Here's a 1970s Gunne Sax dress. (Credit: dearlyvintage.com) What toile de Jouy-print clothes and accessories have you come across?
I don't have any in my house or personal collection but I am very aware of this fabric and used it in interiors throughout my interior design career. I probably have some samples out in the garage....I'll take a look.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Toile de Jouy textiles. Some of them are quite fanciful and gorgeous. Let me see if I can find a few photos of ones I have had over the years. I love the politics behind the textile too, it got really crazy! Here is a contemporary toile pattern on linen. One of my all time favorites of course since it has ostriches ...and monkeys!
I had a little girls dress made of it. Thought it was adorable, almost fairy tale like. I don’t have good photos of the entire dress as it was many years ago but I do have a few close ups of the print
I looked through a few bins of samples and found these: Sadly Pierre Deux is no longer in business. For those of you who did not live near large cities or are not familiar with the name, Pierre Deux was the voice of French Country in the US in the '80s until they closed in 2011. They opened their first store in the US in 1967. They sold fabric, wallcovering, decorative items, and furniture, etc. Their fabric was also sold through interior designers "To the Trade." Here is an article about Pierre Deux. They were known for their small prints but their line included some great "toiles." https://gardenhomeandparty.com/2011/11/03/home-adieu-pierre-deux/
Our National Museum here in Zurich had a textile exhibition called "Indiennes" not long ago, which featured original Toile de Jouy textiles amongst others. Indiennes were originally printed cotton fabrics imported from India, but then Europe started producing such fabrics, first by imitating the imports from India, then by creating different designs, where the Toile de Jouy comes in. I don't have any clothing with a toile print, but one of my favourite Barbie dolls wears it in her evening gown - a Designer Spotlight doll from the collectors line, designed by Heather Fonseca, a Mattel designer. I'm not usually one for "designer dolls in evening wear", but this one just spoke to me.
