Thinking green: a mid-1920s evening gown
For the HSF ‘Green’ challenge, I’m keeping it simple, and making a mid-1920s evening gown out of some fantastic dark jade & ecru silk that I bought over four years ago, and have been waiting for the opportunity to make up ever since. The silk is a heavier habotai, and it instantly reminded of the fabulous textile that Raol Dufy designed for Paul Poiret’s 1911 ‘La Perse’ coat: Dufy’s design was printed on cotton velvet, rather than silk habotai, and is over decade earlier than the date I’m aiming for with my dress. However, there is evidence of similar prints in later ’20s fashion. This Lanvin dress is made from warp-printed silk taffeta. The fabric is a bit ‘sweeter’ than my print, and so is the cut of the dress. I think my fabric needs a slightly more sophisticated, slinkier cut to show it off to its best advantage. Not quite this sophisticated and slinky though: This has distinct possibilities: As does this: I’m can’t find an exact example of the idea in my …
