Lutestring

Being a woman in the 1800s was dangerous; but aside from the obvious (childbirth, violence, and the dark ramifications of “hysteria”), one of the more physically threatening things a woman was faced with on a daily basis was her clothing.

Scheele’s Green was heavily laden with arsenic, but created the vibrant emerald hue women coveted in their evening gowns and floral trimmings. Mourning clothes of black crape were a vital part of bereavement etiquette, yet were often dyed with a cocktail of highly poisonous chemicals that could cause skin eruptions, breathing difficulties, and even death.

Working class women often bore the brunt of fabric dying and production, which meant that if a lady wasn’t wearing the noxious garments, she very possibly could be the person making them instead. Lethal poisonings were common, and the symptoms leading to death were grisly.

Our Lutestring ribbon is intended as a playful and flamboyant pattern, but with the knowledge that beauty—while known to cause pain—can also lead to death.