when were sequins popular
During the Renaissance, nobility sewed precious gems and gold sequins to their clothing in intricate patterns as a neon status symbol. Sequins were so popular that in the 1480s, Leonardo da Vinci sketched plans for a sequin machine that could punch sheets of metal into small, thin disks. According to Fashion: The Whole Story, it was after the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922 and the ensuing fad for the âexotic Eastâ that Art Deco designers popularized the sequin, especially in performance.