Heather’s Shawl
Heather’s Spanish Shawl inherited from her Great-Grandmother Majorie Ide-Leslie
Welcome to the first in a series of blog posts I will write on History Dresses which are features that will explore fashion and textiles hidden in the wardrobes of women and men across Ireland and beyond. I have always been inspired by the amazing stories that clothes tell and of course the history embodied in its very threads.
My first History Dress feature is about an extraordinary family, an extraordinary Spanish Shawl and an extraordinary person- my best friend Heather Finn.
Heather is a super talented Irish Knitwear designer inspired by exotic colour, beautiful textiles and objet d’art. It will come as no surprise to hear that she grew up in Oranmore Castle surrounded by great art and great music and has a wardrobe full of incredible clothes and textiles. On a grey May day in need of colour Heather showed me her exquisitely hued, embroidered Spanish shawl and told me the history behind it…
Ruaruth: Tell me about the Spanish Shawl, it is a family heirloom but who passed it on to you?
Heather: I got it from my Mum, it is a hand-made Spanish Shawl which was handed down from Mother to Mother, originally from my Great-Grandmother who was called Marjorie Ide-Leslie. She lived in Samoa for much of her childhood. Her Father was the American Diplomat Henry Clay Ide and Presidential Commissioner to Samoa. As a Diplomat the family travelled extensively around the world. This Shawl was made for Marjorie when she was presented at The Spanish Court at the end of the 19th century. There is a story that it was worn high on her head with a decorative comb in the Spanish style. It has been passed from Marjorie down the generations of women in our family.
Ruaruth: When did your Mum give it to you?
Heather: She gave it to me when I was 21.
Ruaruth: How have you worn it?
Heather: The first time I wore it I dressed up a s a Spanish señorita for a costume party. But I use it mostly as a visual display it’s so beautiful and the colour is still as joyful as 100 years ago.
Ruaruth: How did your Mum wear it?
Heather: My Mum is an artist and would have worn it to weddings and parties too. She is wearing it in a Brian Bourke painting we have in our house in Oranmore. (See picture below)
Ruaruth: What’s the significance of it to you?
Heather: It’s a connection to my Great Grandmother, 4 generations away. It is as beautiful and vivid as the day it was made and it is very beautifully made. I see it as a work of art and I hang it over my wardrobe to preserve it, it is better to have it out and not folded in paper. I think this is how it survived because it was a thing of beauty that everyone stored it like a piece of art and it was something you can never tire of looking at.
Ruaruth: Has it inspired any knitwear or jewellery that you have designed?
Heather: Lots! 2 years ago it inspired floral patterns which I have developed into shawls & scarves. I think I gain inspiration from it in lots of different ways from the combination of colours like the deep burgundy red and the rose patterns to the long fringing which I have used a lot in my designs.
Ruaruth: Who would you pass it on to?
Heather: The next generation of course! I like to think of it going on another hundred years at least.
Ruaruth: Where did your Mum keep it?
Heather: My mum stored it over her dressing table like a painting. I remember looking at it as a child.
Ruaruth: Where are you going to wear it next?
Heather: My Wedding.
Find some beautiful scarves inspired by Heather’s Spanish shawl on her website here and stay tuned for more History Dress stories!
