{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1644167"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1644167/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2021NA5376/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2021NA5376/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2021NA5376","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2021NA5374","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2021NA5375","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2021NA5373","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1644167","accessionNumber":"T.2420:1,2-2021","objectType":"Dress","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This dress was purchased by Professor Lalage Bown from Shade's Boutique, Lagos, Nigeria in the 1970s. Its founder, Folashade ‘Shade’ Thomas-Fahm had studied fashion at St Martin’s School of Art in London, before returning to Lagos in 1960 to open her boutique. Championing Nigerian fabrics and silhouettes, Thomas-Fahm designed for the cosmopolitan, working woman.\r\n\r\nThe dress is a typical Thomas-Fahm’s aesthetic as this piece is from Thomas-Fahm’s ready-to-wear label. It is an adaptation of the Yoruba man’s agbada robe, the cut used by Thomas-Fahm making the sleeves more defined than usual. Made from heavy duchess satin, tie-dyed grey and turquoise, the dress is decorated with yellow and green chain-stitch embroidery, probably machine stitched. The yellow embroidery may be a reference to the Yoruba symbol Ooya, the comb, which represents the comb used by hair plaiters, which is a recurring symbol in àdìrẹ cloth.6 It came with a matching hat in the same fabric which Bown later adapted into a drawstring bag instead. ","physicalDescription":"An adaptation of the agbada robe, the cut used by Thomas-Fahm makes the sleeves more defined than usual. Tie-dyed grey and turquoise all over, the dress is decorated with yellow and green chain-stitch embroidery.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Thomas-Fahm, Shade","id":"AUTH361825"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"x36960"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Shade's Boutique","id":"AUTH373128"},"association":{"text":"brand","id":"x30588"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"satin","id":"AAT132902"},{"text":"","id":""}],"techniques":[{"text":"tie dyed","id":"AAT53057"},{"text":"embroidery","id":"x40351"},{"text":"","id":""}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Duchess Satin, Tie-dyed, embroidery","categories":[{"text":"Fashion","id":"THES48957"},{"text":"Womenswear","id":"THES49044"},{"text":"Textiles","id":"THES48885"},{"text":"Africa","id":"THES49019"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&F","id":"THES48601"},"images":["2021NA5376","2021NA5374","2021NA5375","2021NA5373"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"C","id":"THES404169"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"C","id":"THES404169"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Dress","id":"x47499"}],[{"text":"Bag","id":"AAT194509"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Lagos","id":"x40167"},"association":{"text":"designed and made","id":"x39722"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1970s","earliest":"1970-01-01","latest":"1979-12-31"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":"Purchased from Shade's Boutique in Lagos, Nigeria in 1970s. "}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Professor Lalage Bown","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Professor Lalage Bown purchased this dress from designer Shade Thomas-Fahm's boutique Shade's Boutique whilst working at Ibandan University in Accra, Ghana, 1970s. The dress came with a matching hat in the same fabric which Brown later adapted into a drawstring bag instead. ","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Dress and matching bag, grey/green tie-dye duchess satin, designed by Shade Thomas-Fahm, Lagos, Nigeria, 1970s","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["T.2420:1-2021","T.2420:2-2021"],"accessionNumberNum":"2420","accessionNumberPrefix":"T","accessionYear":2021,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-12-12","recordCreationDate":"2021-07-16","availableToBook":false}}