Author: Karen Odom

1905 – André Derain, Lucien Gilbert

1900-1909, 20th century, artwork analysis

André Derain painted his old friend Lucien Gilbert in the wild, eccentric colors and style of Fauvism. The colors may be unconventional; the sitter is not. Derain presents Gilbert, a future architect, as a proper young professional: stylish but conservative.

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dagging

14th century, 15th century, 16th century, D, term definition

An extremely popular decorative edging technique created by cutting that reached its height during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

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This day dress by Emile Pingat combines the reviva

This day dress by Emile Pingat combines the revival of an 1830s sleeve silhouette with the exquisite couture beading of a Parisian couturier. This amalgamation of historical reference, classic black, a touch of menswear, and savoir-faire showcases luxury and peak style for the consumers that could afford it. French couturier Pingat was a master at trimming dresses and was best known for his beautiful outerwear, but his gowns display the same careful technique. The dress is composed of black satin-striped silk and intricate black beading. It features exquisite stripe matching on the front of a pleated vest-style bodice with a high stand collar, a hook-and-eye closure down the center, and luxurious beading of mixed motifs on the collar and ‘vest’ panels. The sleeves are in the early 1890s gigot, or leg-of-mutton, style, which reached its zenith in 1896. The fitted area of the sleeves, forearm to wrist, is also decorated with jet beading in new motifs, including edging at the wrists. In particular, this black gown showcases silhouette details – such as its gigot sleeve, identified by its large puffed volume at the shoulders that tapers down into a fitted forearm – that epitomized fashion from the first half of the 1830s. The revival of the 1830s silhouette and the increasing volume of the gigot sleeve was in full force by 1893. Sleeves continued expanding for another three years, just as they had in the 1830s. Black gowns reigned supreme in 1893 and was not merely a color for mourning, being featured heavily in fashionable areas like New York City and Paris. Generally seen in day dresses, the false ‘vest’ style of the bodice was in fashion for most of the 1890s, continuing into the beginning of the 1900s. Read more at the link in the bio!
#fashionhistory #19thcentury #digitalhumanities

In the first half of the 1940s fashion stalled due

In the first half of the 1940s fashion stalled due to rationing and Utility clothing—effects of World War II. However, after the war, Christian Dior launched his famous New Look which returned womenswear to an overtly feminine silhouette. France was long established as the fashion center of the world, but in 1940 German forces occupied Paris, cutting France off from the US and UK. This allowed both countries to develop fashions without being influenced by France for some time. Clothing during the war was dominated by rationing. Utility clothing could be bought with ration coupons, and had relatively stylish design elements including padded shoulders, a nipped-in waist, and a hemline falling just below the knee. To widen the appeal, Utility garments in the UK were designed by well-known designers including Hardy Amies and Edward Molyneux. However, clothing rationing in the US never became quite as severe. This, along with the lack of French designs allowed American designs to thrive during the war, especially ready-to-wear. Norman Norell and Claire McCardell emerged on the scene designing simple, casual styles that proved very popular. However, once Paris was liberated it was eager to retake its status as fashion capital. Thanks to Dior and his New Look, it certainly did. The New Look was characterized by rounded shoulders, a cinched-in waist, and a long, full skirt. The long skirt was the most jarring to people who were used to rationed clothing, and was seen as wasteful. Despite some criticisms, the New Look became extremely popular in the late 1940s, and remained as the predominant women’s silhouette well into the 1950s. Read more at the link in the bio!
#fashionhistory #digitalhumanities #20thcenturyfashion

1560s menswear had much ornamentation and high col

1560s menswear had much ornamentation and high collars along with pumpkin-sized melon hose and doublets with padding at the front, also known as a peascod belly. The elements of menswear during this decade were constant throughout Europe and consisted of a shirt, then a doublet, topped with a jerkin, with the outermost layer being a cloak or cape. Trunk hose, particularly paned melon hose with stockings, were worn. During these years upper class men and nobility wore clothing with high ornamentation. Sleeves of doublets were decorated through the use of banding, paning, and pinking. Gold embroidery was also a popular ornamentation during this time. A new trend that emerged in these years was the peascod belly, a slightly padded area starting above the waistline, which was rounded and extended down a little lower than the natural waist. The hose achieved vast dimensions during the 1560s, and seemed almost spherical. These breeches were constructed as a pair of padded sack-like leggings over which vertical panes of fabric were sewn. Overall, menswear was highly ornamented during the 1560s for the upper class and royalty with a very specific silhouette that was largely consistent throughout Europe. Read more at the link in the bio!
#fashionhistory #digitalhumanities #16thcentury

For ninety-nine years, between 1826 and 1925, the

For ninety-nine years, between 1826 and 1925, the most recognisable marker of Ottoman identity in fashion was the fez. Almost all of the empire’s notables, and a large portion of its male citizens, wore this truncated cone of coloured felt on their heads. Today it is almost entirely absent from public life in Turkey and the other post-Ottoman states of the Middle East, but it retains some of its symbolic significance. In the West, it has become a shorthand for exoticism. The meaning of the fez was bound up with the question of what it meant to be Ottoman, at a time when that question was contested as it had never been before. Over the course of its history, the fez served the interests of reformers and reactionaries, changing dramatically from a tool of political modernisation to an emblem of Islamic tradition. These transformations show us how powerful a tool fashion could be in shaping Ottoman society. Like so many cherished national traditions, the fez owed its popularity to the efforts of a nineteenth-century reformer. Sultan Mahmud II was one of a series of modernising Ottoman rulers who worked to end the stagnation into which their state had slumped in the eighteenth century. However, what is perhaps most striking in this history is its duration. Only a single long human lifetime passed between the introduction of the fez and its abolition – ninety-nine years of crisis and reform in which the Ottoman Empire showed itself to be remarkably resilient. Only the Ottomans themselves refused to play along. Time and again throughout the nineteenth century, they responded creatively to crises that threatened the survival of their state. Ottoman society proved itself capable of remarkably dynamic transformations. A new class of forward-looking political men found the means to overcome and then reinvent their traditions – the fez they wore was their symbol. Until history proved them wrong, it represented their faith that their empire would find its way in the modern world. Read more at the link in bio!

#fez #fashionhistory #ottomanempire

L’Eléphant Blanc is part of Yves Saint Laurent’s 1958 Trapèze collection for the House of Dior, which introduced the versatile trapèze silhouette to haute couture. Saint Laurent’s first collection with Dior placed him on the path to becoming one of the most well-known designers of the 20th century. L’Eléphant Blanc is a heavily embellished dress hiding a boned corset and stiff horsehair understructure, which gives it its unique shape. The beads and rhinestones are attached to a layer of netting on top of the white silk. For Saint Laurent’s first collection with Dior, he needed something groundbreaking to make an impact on the world of haute couture. He created the trapèze silhouette, taking Dior’s classic 1947 A-line skirt and combining it with the waist-less silhouettes of the 1920s. The silhouette was extremely versatile, and came in afternoon dresses, cocktail dresses, and evening dresses as well. This 1958 collection was met with critical acclaim and praise; it was a milestone for Saint Laurent’s career. The trapèze dress became a predecessor to many of the silhouettes popular in the 1960s. Read more at the link in the bio!
#fashionhistory #digitalhumanities #20thcenturyfashion

American painter and illustrator, John White Alexa

American painter and illustrator, John White Alexander replicated the same evening gown in paintings over a six-year period as it slowly progressed from fashionable to outdated. The identity of the model is unknown. This practice of not explicitly stating the sitter’s name is typical of Alexander because his focus was on the aesthetics and execution rather than on portraying a particular person. At first glance, the dress in Study in Black and Green appears to be a pretty, beautifully draped green and black striped evening gown. Further research reveals that the gown in Study in Black and Green is also featured in ‘A Rose’ and ‘The Green Gown’, as clearly Alexander had an affinity for green dresses with black accents. These three paintings were completed around 1900, 1904, and 1906, respectively. The dress’s fashionability alters according to its reuse over several years. The 1890s had witnessed the decline of the bustle and the rise of the straight-front corset and fashions that created a sinuous, curving line in dress. In the end, was this gown fashionable? At his first use of it around 1900, it was. But it probably appeared rather outdated by 1906 when he was creating the last version of this work. Read more at the link in the bio!
#fashionhistory #arthistory #digitalhumanities

Jean Paul Gaultier’s iconic cone bra corset repr

Jean Paul Gaultier’s iconic cone bra corset represented a riff on the 1950s bullet bra taken to sexual and material extremes. The ruched velvet dress includes lacing on the back, acting as a sensual detail as well as a way to fit the dress to the body. The multi-panel design enables the dress to conform more closely to the body, just as a corset would. The most provocative detail of the ensemble is clearly the exaggerated cones placed at breast-level on the center front of the dress. The dress debuted in Gaultier’s Fall/Winter 1984 collection Barbès, inspired by the neighborhood of the same name in Paris. In an 1984 Vogue article he says his goal is to “provoke new ideas about how pieces can be put together in different ways”. Unfortunately, many American publications did not mention the cone bra corset dresses. The European press however, chose to cover this controversial silhouette. One journalist from British Vogue referred to the dress as “just two cornetti from Gaultier”. Cornetti, being an Italian pastry similar to a croissant, which the journalist felt resembled Gaultier’s cones. The cone bra might’ve not been seen in America if it wasn’t for Madonna. The singer adopted the silhouette for her stage costumes, especially her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour. She became so identified with the cone bra that parodies and costumes of her featured the silhouette. This collection and silhouette earned Gaultier a spot in fashion history as he continually challenged convention. Read more at the link in the bio!
#fashionhistory #digitalhumanities #20thcenturyfashion

This remarkable painting of a young woman drawing

This remarkable painting of a young woman drawing appears in miniature in an illustration depicting the Paris Salon of 1801, where it was submitted and placed on display. The painting itself entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection in 1917 and until 1951 was displayed as a work of the renowned Neoclassical artist Jacques-Louis David (Sterling 121). It was not until 1996 that the painting was attributed to Marie Denise Villers instead. Although there has been speculation that the piece is a self-portrait of Villers herself, it’s believed the sitter is Val d’Ognes, a fellow student. The young woman of the painting is wearing the quintessential costume of the time: a classical-inspired chemise gown. The neckline of the dress is difficult to see because it is blocked by the young woman’s arm, but we can catch a glimpse of it appearing just underneath her bicep, showing that it has a low, rounded scoop neck. Tucked into the bodice is her kerchief, which is secured with a delicate gold-colored oval brooch and gives a more conservative neckline. Her dress is most likely made from fine Indian muslin (cotton) as such materials were popular for this style. Underwear during this time had been reduced to a minimum of a linen chemise and a pair of stays for bust support, though the most daring young women might leave those at home. However, since this young woman’s dress is opaque, she was most likely wearing a plain white underdress just beneath her gown for modesty. Read more at the link in the bio!
#fashionhistory #digitalhumanities #19thcenturyfashion

This intricate portrait of Dido Elizabeth Belle Li

This intricate portrait of Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay and Elizabeth Murray by David Martin, previously thought to have been created in 1778, has left historians questioning the true date due to the childish and out-of-date fashion choices more appropriate for the 1760s. The two were cousins and lived with their uncle Lord Mansfield. They are quoted in sources as enjoying each other’s company, and it was clear that Dido was extremely loved and accepted within the household. Mansfield was protective of her, clearly stating in his will Dido was a free woman. Some historians argue whether Martin has painted the two girls as social equals or not. In the 19th century many viewers thought this was a portrait of a mistress and her servant; however, the truth is that Dido was a gentlewoman in high society England. Other historians have read their poses and expressions as sisterhood and companionship, Dido being depicted with equal status to her cousin, as she is also looking straight at the viewer. Dido’s playful smile and childish pose further suggests that the painting was done in the late 1760s, as she would have been around 8, instead of 18 in 1778. She wears a white silk satin wrapper with matching turban and an ostrich feather. Fashionable turbans were derived from Turkish and Indian menswear, but became separated from their true meaning and culture of origin. Ensembles like hers were typical in portraiture to add elements of fantasy and exoticism. It is likely Martin chose this outfit for her to add a whimsical feeling, instead of her choosing it herself. Elizabeth Murray is shown wearing a typical child’s ensemble of the late 1760s, adding further speculation of the true portrait date. Her dress features a bibbed apron with a transparent overlining, which would be deemed too childish for an 18 year old woman (her age in 1778). If the portrait is truly from the 1770s, the girls were purposefully painted to look childlike. However, it is likely from the 1760s, with the 2 being children at the time. Read more at the link in the bio!
#fashionhistory #digitalhumanities #18thcenturyfashion

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