SDA Book Club: Textiles on Film reviewed by Vivien Zepf

June 6, 2025

Textiles on Film by Becky Peterson

Take a moment to look at the cover of Becky Peterson’s book, Textiles on Film. One man watches as another crochets an object that has been tinted pink, the only spot of color in the sepia-toned image. Would it surprise you to learn that this is an image of the Lumière brothers, the inventors of color photography in 1903? Though taken more than a century ago, the image creates an entry point for discussion on many contemporary topics: assumed gender roles; art vs craft; film technology; culture; and, how we “read” textiles, a sensory-rich material, via the flat surface of film. 

These are among the interdisciplinary topics the author explores in her relatively short, but densely packed, book. Using mainstream and lesser-known films, Peterson challenges readers to contemplate a fabric’s social connotations, its historical and cultural meaning, its production and materiality and to allow fabric to become a “complex frame through which we can examine film.” Peterson’s inquiries explore costume from a detail-oriented perspective, querying how a certain fabric—as opposed to a look or ensemble—provides context and amplifies the cinematic experience. Satin, for example, was the perfect material for the sets and gowns in the 1930s escapist films of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Satin exudes luxury and fits well within storylines meant to convey a more trouble-free life to Depression-era viewers. The fabric’s physical construction meant that it shimmered, melding perfectly with the mirrored and reflective Art Deco aesthetic of the period. Its use connotated wealth, power, fantasy and, in some cases, an unattainable ideal. 

Polyester, by contrast, was plebeian. It looked like silk, but was not expensive. As an accessible and undemanding fiber (no ironing necessary), polyester might be viewed as a symbol of the 1970s during which women’s roles in the home and the workplace were confronted and evolving. Because polyester is not a rarified fabric, its use in film can evoke questions on the perceptions of individuality. John Travolta’s character (Tony Manero) in Saturday Night Fever as an example, considers polyester shirts and the iconic white suit as expressions of upward mobility and masculine identity. However, because he preens and embraces fashion, Tony’s father disparagingly compares him to a girl. With this in mind, Peterson also proposes that polyester, because it is engineered and plastic, opens the door for investigations into cultural and gender plasticity. “As a defiantly unnatural fabric, polyester is uniquely poised to challenge the idea that ‘naturalness’ is superior,” notes Peterson. Polyester, she posits, serves as a social barometer on film to convey multiple attitudes and ideas. 

Filmmakers rely on viewers’ familiarity with fabrics to augment meaning within a film and Peterson explores some of these as well. Stripes can convey emotional and physical isolation due to its early association with prison uniforms. Curtains can suggest separation or be used to express a mental state as variable as the wind. Explained in a chapter cleverly titled “Watching is Touching,” the author explores how our knowledge of velvet’s luscious texture adds to our discomfort when it is used for criminal effect such as in the film, Blue Velvet. 

Analyzing textiles in film is a complex and nuanced line of inquiry and there was much for me to learn in Textiles on Film. By her own admission, Peterson could become overly focused on details and I occasionally struggled through those hyper-focused sections. But, I found the additional information in the Notes section to be extremely helpful in providing me with a broader understanding. I feel I will now watch films with a heightened sensitivity and greater appreciation for fabric’s role in the mise-en-scène (the curated spaces of a film) and its use in a character’s costume. I will consider, What more do these textiles tell me?

–Viven Zepf

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• Publisher: Bloomsbury (buy it here)
• Date: March 2023
• ISBN: 978-0593449233

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If you’ve read this book, leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Do you have a recommendation for a recent fiber-related book you think should be included in SDA’s Book Club? Email SDA’s Managing Editor, Lauren Sinner, to let her know!