1898-1901 – Green silk embroidered tea gown
This late 19th-century embroidered tea gown combines design features of several artistic movements of the time, including historicism, Japonisme, and Art Nouveau.
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This late 19th-century embroidered tea gown combines design features of several artistic movements of the time, including historicism, Japonisme, and Art Nouveau.
No longer “society’s best kept secret” as the Saturday Evening Post called her, Ann Lowe is recognized as a pioneering African American couturier. Her pieces are preserved in renowned museum collections including the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Museum at FIT.
While technology progressed in the first decade of the twentieth century, fashion largely remained the same. Subtle changes in silhouette occurred in womenswear until the tubular shape of the 1910s was beginning to emerge by the end of the decade. Lace and other embellishments were key. Menswear continued to see the suit as the primary style, though the tuxedo became increasingly acceptable as formal wear in the evening. Children continued to be dressed like mini-adults and styles such has the sailor suit continued to be popular options.
Two decades after premiering his most scandalous painting, Madame X, John Singer Sargent unveiled a portrait of another woman known for her unworldly beauty and charm – Lady Helen Vincent, Viscountess D’Abernon.
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.
Alexander replicated this same evening gown in paintings over a six-year period as it slowly progressed from fashionable to outdated.
This Callot Soeurs evening dress, influenced by Orientalism and the Directoire revival, embodies the latest trends of the time in its cylindrical silhouette and soft, unstructured look.
Fashion at the start of the 1910s maintained elements of the previous decade, while beginning to move towards a simpler style. But mid-decade, World War I hit the Western world, causing fashion change to slow.
Twenties fashion is often remembered for its glitz and glamour, though underlying this was a move toward simplicity in dress. For women, this meant shorter skirts and simple shapes, while men enjoyed casual suits.
About the Designer Rudi Gernreich was an avant-garde designer whose works questioned the status quo of the fashion industry and often reflected his own political...
The designer of many of Marimekko’s classic stand-out prints was Maija Isola, who famously abandoned conservative designs in favor of bold, graphic styles. Her work includes unique floral and nature-inspired designs, and is exhibited in museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Design Museum Copenhagen, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
1930 was a transitional year. Not yet at the height of glamour reached later in the decade, designers’ 1930 collections moved away from the flapper’s boxy shape in an attempt to define the look of the modern woman who must navigate through the Great Depression.
In the 1930s, fashion saw a profound influence from films and specifically Hollywood. Men’s, women’s, and children’s styles were based on fashions seen on screen with stars like Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Shirley Temple among the many who directly influenced fashion. A return to conservatism after the Roaring Twenties also marked fashion during this period.
Vionnet’s exquisite technique and ingenious construction–like that seen in her 1936 carnival dress–popularized her designs internationally throughout the 1920s and 1930s.
Elsa Schiaparelli created this unusual lobster dress with the help of Surrealist artist Salvador Dali in 1937, demonstrating the interconnected nature of the fashion and art worlds in the early 20th century.
Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky shows a front-facing Frida Kahlo holding a letter with a bouquet of flowers in her arms. Brilliant white curtains flank each side against a green background to reveal an elegantly dressed Frida, who adopts elements of Mexican Zapotec dress.
The year 1938 was a period of transition from the catastrophic Great Depression to World War II. Women’s fashion was exuberant: vibrant colors, Surrealist accessories, ornate hats with minimal embellishments were key trends. However, the overall silhouette was simple, clean, and sophisticated. Hemlines began to fall down below the knees. Restrained, structured shoulders evolved into the iconic puff sleeve. Public figures such as the Duchess of Windsor inspired women in their everyday dress.
Streamlined in shape like other 1930s gowns, the Tears dress features surrealist elements that make it emblematic of the design collaboration between Elsa Schiaparelli and artist Salvador Dalí.
This 1938 red silk velvet suit by Gabrielle Chanel is one of her more vibrant creations and part of a flamboyant trend in her work in the late 1930s.
The strongly Surrealist Skeleton Dress was designed by Elsa Schiaparelli in collaboration with Salvador Dalí for her 1938 collection Le Cirque.