There really is no secret to it other than just fucking showing up.

17 - I am always here for absolutely STUNNING menswear, and purple and gold make my brain shiver happily.

This whole suit is British and is ca. 1760. It's got all the flair of court fashion, and somehow has miraculously survived the test of time.

Also, I would 100% wear this.

2 - To understand how we make fabric out of gold, let’s chat about my favorite element: Au.

Gold isn’t just shiny & beautiful, it also resists corrosion & is extremely malleable.

Also? Gold is alien. Scientists posit it came to earth via massive moon and meteor collisions billions of years ago.

3 - I am a geology nerd, so I could go on at length. But all you need to know for today is that you can hammer gold down to .5mm & made into foil. That foil is made into delicate wire & wrapped around silk, linen, or cotton–called lamellation.

Then: embroider as desired. (Below: Spain C 1300)

4 - It’s a manual process, and goldwork–the art of embroidery with gold thread–dates to China’s Shang Dynasty (1570-1045 BCE) but went global. Gold was used to designate social, religious, & economic status.

Which means people have done horrible things to attain it. (Nasij from China, 13th C)

6 - Gold shows up in pre-history, unrefined &“native” as it’s called. But it’s not until around 4200 BCE we find actual artefacts of worked metal in Bulgaria.

We have evidence of mining as early as 1320 BCE in Egypt.

Goldwork follows. (Women’s Robe, Liao Dynasty, 10th century)