Dress
Date: c. 1926
Material: printed silk
2022.13
Label: None
Floral printed silk dress in pinks and whites. Red silk crepe de chine vertical detail at the left proper edge of dress, as well as at the drop waist. Has an accompanying belt with a bakelite buckle.
Measurements:
Bust: 38 inches
Waist: 38 inches
Shoulders: 14.5 inches
More Information: Similar in cut and design to a fashion plate seen in the Parisian magazine Art–Goût–Beauté from June 1924, this boxy flapper dress is an excellent example of homemade everyday wear that copies high-end French fashion. The shoulder darts give the dress more shape, and the red horizontal crepe at the waist hides the seam where the skirt meets the bodice. Chunky inverted pleats give the skirt “a touch of lightness with flowing petals and pleats and panels,” a popular, but somewhat short-lived trend in 1925. The silk crepe running vertically along the left side of the bodice and then along the waist breaks up the mesmerizing floral pattern, giving the dress texture but also complementing the prominent red poppies running across the silk.