Chanel | c. 1927
Posts tagged 1920s.
Lanvin | c. 1929
This knee-length afternoon coat, designed by Jeanne Lanvin, is made of black silk chiffon, to which squares of black wool crepe have been applied arranged in a radial pattern from the yoke, increasing in size towards the hem. The binding cuffs and double band collar are of the same material. The coat is cut with a slight flare from shoulder to hem and there is no fastening. The sleeves are long, slightly full and tapering to the wrist. This coat is a significant example of the meeting between fashion and modernity: the geometrical forms, assembled according to the ‘collage’ technique, refer to the strong influence of abstract art on fashion during the 1920s. Black became an increasingly fashionable colour for elegant evening wear and was popularised by Coco Chanel in the mid-1920s. (V&A)
Evening Coat | c. 1924-26
This low-slung black velvet coat has a deep, draped collar and long sleeves. It fastens with one self button below the left hip and is secured inside with black satin ties. The back of the coat and the elbow area of the sleeves have applied embroidered motifs inspired by Chinese designs. It is embroidered in deep pink sequins and a variety of red beads on black chiffon. The bold design consists of swirling floral forms with elongated petals. It has a collar of ostrich feathers dyed deep blue-black with a magenta cluster at the front right. The coat is lined throughout with black satin. It was made between 1924 and 1926 by the English couture house ‘Itylus’. (V&A)
Shawl | Vionnet | c. 1925
This fringed shawl was a fashion mainstay of the 1920s. In Madeleine Vionnet’s hands it receives the benefit of her impressive technical skill. The weight and drapable quality of silk jersey lends itself to the fitted shoulders and interior shaping at the armholes without losing its fluidity. The shawl is cut in an irregular length, which adds to its refinement. The tomato red color is made even more dramatic by the varied placement of the fringe, which is hand-knotted through the fabric. By staggering the fringe knots, Vionnet creates subtle surface decoration along with a sense of movement, the fringe seems to spill out from the surface plane of the fabric.
