Summary:
1. news
2. the Montreal experience
3. choose a logo: it's number 1!
4. book review by Audrey Bailey
5. a personal note from Chantal
1. News:
*** These last few days many new members have joined us. A special welcome to them. Having a large membership is important to us and to save the art of draping. Thank you to you all!
*** The exhibition: Indian Saris, Draping Bodies, Revealing
Lives is right now in Montreal. See it from 11 am to 7 pm at:
Musee Marius Barbeau, Pavillon 3150 Jean Brillant, 3rd floor,
Montreal (metro: cote-des-neiges), until the 17th. See §
2 below.
*** If you know or participate in an event, web site, etc. connected
with draping, please let us know. This "news" feature
is yours!
2. The Montreal experience
The exhibition opened Monday the 6th at Museum Marius Barbeau,
in Montreal. The exhibition ceremony was well planned by IDC member
Dorothee Therriault. We had a beautiful presentation of Bharata
Natyam (below) and and excellent Indian buffet, provided by the
"Reseau interuniversitaire des Etudes Indiennes (RIEI).
Dorothee (right, in the red sari) has worked with lots of love
and courage for the last 2 years to bring the exhibition to her
city, organising everything herself. She persuaded the University
of Montreal to give us the hall. She worked hard to find the mannequins,
which were finally lent by the Ecole Superieure de Mode of the
University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). The company Interscript
of Quebec City graciously designed the pamphlet and Bromley Text
provided the English translation.All the work has been performed
thanks to the dedication of volunteers:
Dorothee Therriault, Marie Vincent, Annie Berrouard, Mehdi Ben
Youssef, and Francois Beaudet, of the University of Montreal made
some web pages (in French):
3. Choose a logo: it's number 1!
All the votes except one went to logo 1. So we are officially
adopting it. 
And thank you very much to the artist Samatha Goh!
4. Book review by Audrey Bailey:
Costumes of the Greeks and Romans by
Thomas Hope (Dover Publications)
ISBN 0-486-20021-3 paperback A5, 700+ illustrations, 300 plates,
22 pages of text
This is an excellent source book on draped costume as it was worn in the Classical world. The author has reproduced illustrations from vases, sculptures, paintings and buildings depicting priestesses, warriors, Bacchanalian figures, common folk, deities, etc. By the use of simple line drawings, every article of Roman and Greek attire from head-dress to sandals is shown in a manner that makes it easy to see how these garments and accessories were worn. While there are no step-by-step guides on how to wrap a toga or fasten a tunic, the illustrations easily convey the manner of dress and their simplicity of design. Due to its clarity of illustrations and wealth of material, I believe this book would be very useful to those members of the IDC who may be attracted to the period and its costumes.
Audrey Bailey
5. A personal note from Chantal:
Another hectic month
just passed... I am sorry to send such a short newsletter a little
late, but unlike Shakti (the Indian goddess of Energy), I have
only 2 hands (not to mention one poor human brain).
As I am writing this I am in Montreal, taking caring of the exhibition
with Dorothee. Left, I am giving a draping class to fashion students
of UQUAM.
Just before I left London I got a paper on draped kilts from
Audrey Bailey, which I will read when I come back to London and
discuss in the next newsletter. I am very thankful to Audrey for
this and her book review.
We also had many new members this month, and hopefully my visit
to Montreal will produce some institutional links.
I hope you will all bring new members, and send contributions
to this newsletter. I am sure many of you have things to say,
books to review, etc. Take your pens (or keyboards...) and please
help me make a thicker newsletter in April!
Thank you.
Best wishes!
Chantal
Please do not hesitate to send any question, suggestion, criticism.
If you have some links to suggest, please let us know!
If you wish to write something for the newsletter, please do so
and Email it to <IDC@devi.net>.