In her white ensemble, she looks every bit the ageless fashion icon. Her straight skirt, falling to mid-calf, ends in a precise fringe, its sharp lines contrasting with her softly knitted bustier. A scarf tossed insouciantly around her neck completes the look. Its navy borders and the matching ribbon in her upswept hair add a touch of sophisticated color. You won’t find this Barbie in the toy department … She and her one-of-a-kind outfit live in an office at MIT … Research scientist Svetlana Boriskina uses Barbie to model her vision of future apparel.
Virginia Postrel – American journalist and independent scholar. This quote is from her book, The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World, published by Basic Books in 2020.
Postrel refers to Boriskina’s work creating fabrics that will keep humans as cool as if they were naked. Clothing traps the heat that our bodies are constantly releasing, which is great in cold weather but not on hot days. (And with Climate Change the world is only getting warmer.) What if a fabric (made of altered fibers) allowed the body’s heat to move right through it? “Your clothes could let you feel as cool as you’d be without them while protecting you from sunburn and stares.”
This story is from Chapter 7, titled Innovators, and just one of many fascinating things to learn about the past, present, and future of textiles. A book rich in information covering the history of fiber, thread, weaving, dyeing, trading, buying, and what the future may hold, The Fabric of Civilization reminds us just how important textiles are in our daily lives.
OverDressed for Life 
Can’t wait to read it!
I think you would like it, Lori. Lots of interesting information and a book to refer to again and again.