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René Gruau (Italian, 1909 - 2004) Illustrations for House of Dior

René Gruau illustrated not only Dior's fashions for inclusion in magazines but also those of designers such as Jean Lanvin, Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli, Elizabeth Arden, and Givenchy.

Fashion illustration of The Florence Dress by Christian Dior • Fall/Winter Collection, 1947-1948

Late 1940s

1950

1940s

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Photo to Dress Match-up

Countess Mona Bismarck (February 5, 1897 – July 10, 1983) was an American socialite and fashion icon. She married five times and was celebrated by Cecil Beaton and Salvador Dalí, satirized by Truman Capote in Answered Prayers, and memorialized in Cole Porter’s Red, Hot and Blue! In 1933, she was voted “the best-dressed woman in the world” by Coco Chanel and other top designers, and she developed a close friendship with Cristóbal Balenciaga in her 30 years as a client and patron.

Mona Bismarck clad in a signature Balenciaga gown from 1955. The style harkens back to the days of the Rococo era's robe à la française. It is, in fact, often referred to as the “Watteau dress".

The Countess wore only Balenciaga and it is said that when the designer died, she cried for three days. To be fair, the tears were not just about the clothes, as the two had developed a friendship over the years.

Though in cut this appears to be the exact dress pictured in the photo, the color seems off – appearing lighter than what fuchsia would look like in black and white – at least to my eye.

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At the Intersection of Art & Fashion: Edda Gimnes

Norwegian contemporary artist Edda Gimnes has developed a unique line of art that has captivated both the fashion and art world.

By printing her sketches on white clothing made from canvas fabric, she creates outfits for live models that are surreal and playful.

Official website

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1930s Plaids

Late 1930s

Burberry wool cape • 1937 • Metropolitan Museum of Art

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When art intersects with fashion.

Dress design by Yves Saint Lauren (originally) • Painted car by Emily Duffy

Emily Duffy, Mondrian Mobile

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Junon and Venus: Dior's Famous Sister Gowns from 1949-50

For his 1949/1950 line, Christian Dior designed a set of sister gowns to be promotional items for the I. Magnin & Company department store in San Francisco. In the heyday of the department store, I. Magnin in San Francisco reigned supreme. What was shown in the display windows of I. Magnin dictated what high style was.

Right: Venus: Four pleats of organza line the top of the simple, strapless bodice.  Bodice and skirt are made of white silk and white sequins with a simple ribbon waistband.

Left: Junon: Diaphanous layers of silk tulle, with glittering (plastic) sequin embroidery on curved, ombréed flounces are meant to evoke the feathers of the goddess Juno's favorite bird - the peacock.

The sisters live at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. Before they are shipped for exibition elsewhere, they undergo extensive evaluation by garment conservation experts. They are so fragile due to the sequins and stitching, that when they're required for an exhibition, they must be left on the maniquin to be moved, so that handling them does not disturb the fragile materials. Upon arrival at their destination, Juno and Venus are immediately put in glass cases.

Photo of Junon and Venus from the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco

Sources:

• De Young Museum, San Francisco

• Denise Shardlow Designs

• Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute

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1920s Stylish Beaties

Right: Nils Dardel (Swedish, 1888-1943) • Portrait of Eva Bonnier • 1926

Left: Left: Nikolai Petrovich-Belsky (Russian, 1868 - 1945) • Portrait of the Artist's Wife • 1920s

Right: Boris Grigoriev (Russian, ) • Woman in a Green Dress • 1922

Left: Feliu Elias Bracons (Spanish, 1878 - 1948) • Woman with a Vase • 1929

David Jagger (British/English, 1891-1958) • Thelma Cazalet-Keir • 1920

Left: Jan Sluijters (Dutch, 1881 - 1957) • Salude Cooten • 1920s

Right: John Lavery (British/Irish, 1856-1941) • Portrait of Miss Harriet Taft Hayward • 1927

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Designer Spotlight: Christian Dior in the late 1940s

“Simplicity, good taste, and grooming are the three fundamentals of good dressing.” – Christian Dior

After the austere styles of the WW II years, Dior took the fashion industry by storm with his line The New Look. The cut featured rounded shoulders, a cinched waist, and very full skirt. The New Look celebrated ultra-femininity and a return to opulence in women's fashion.

Richard Avadon (American, 1923 - 2004) • The New Look of Dior, Place de la Concorde, Paris, August 1947

Evening coat • Fall/winter 1947–48

Dior styles were often given titles:

Right: Dior's 1947 debut was dubbed the "Bar Suit", it is the most iconic Dior creation.

Left: "Abandon" • 1948-1949

"Mystère" • 1948-1949

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Painting to Dress Match-up: A Victorian Ball Gown Fit for a Queen

Franz Xaver Winterhalter (German, 1805–1873) • Queen Alexandra (1844-1925) when Princess of Wales • 1864

Sheer white cotton dress with blue satin sash • French • c. 1860

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Percy Shakespeare's Everyday Women of the 1930s (British/English, 1906 - 1943)

Right & Left: 1933

Upper left: 1938 Upper right: 1936

Lower left: 1935 Lower right: 1937

Lady with Glove, exhibited 1936

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Crimson: 1920s – 1940s

Jean Patou • Evening ensemble • 1920s

1930s

1930s drop-waist crepe dress

1940s

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Portrait Beauties of the 1930s, Clad in the Latest Fashions

Braïtou-Sala (French, 1885-1972) • Portrait of Madame André Bayvet • 1933

Mary Elizabeth Tripe (New Zealander, 1870 – 1939) • Mrs N.S. Falla • 1932

Right: David Jagger (British/English, 1891–1958) • Ruth Julia Drummond-Jackson • 1930s • Sheffield Museum

Left: Alfred Henry Collings (British, 1868-1947) • Portrait of a Lady

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Plaid for the Holidays

Right: George Watson (1767 – 1837) • Portrait of Lady Elizabeth MacGregor • 1828

Left: Scotland Tartan silk dress • 1812 • Museum at FIT

Left: Tartan silk evening dress by Madame Elise worn by Queen Alexandra in 1870 • Fashion Museum Bath

Right: Wool Scottish tartan and velvet day dress • c. 1888

Drummond silk tartan dress. This silk dress was made for Lady Willoughby d’Eresby to wear at a ball held during Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s visit to Drummond Castle in Perthshire in 1842.

Courtesy of Fashion of Bygone Days on facebook

White blouse with lace insets, wool skirt, wool jacket with velvet trim, velvet purse and hat • c. 1905

Traditional Tartan plaid doesn't appear to have been popular in the 1920s, but I was able to track down these festive looking dresses. The one on the right is a Paul Pouret silk taffeta with an underskirt.

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1940s Fashion History Mini Lesson

The 1940s were, of course, marked by World War II and the sacrifices and rationing that were enacted. War shortages applied to many products, including fabric. Women were told to "make do and mend".

This photo depicts hemlines being measured in the name of austerity, not modesty. Designers who dared create and showcase floor-length gowns were met with protest and even picketing.

By the start of the war, silks and satins were reserved for war purposes. Gone were the sleek, bias-cut gowns trailing the dance floor. Instead, the simple, minimally adorned utility suit became the woman’s uniform. The uniform was characterized by its boxy look, a nipped waist, padded shoulders, and the hem just below the knee.

Even bridal and special occasion women's clothing was in the suit style, though of whatever finer fabric than wool was available for purchase with ration coupons. And, perhaps whatever was available as embellishments.

The Vogue, January 15, 1942 issue contained this quote about the suit uniform:

"A suit to work in, serve in, live in, all through the busy daylight hours of your new double-duty life”.

By 1947 Christian Dior opened his Paris store and revealed a new silhouette. The Dior "New Look" was dubbed Carolle” or “figure 8,” a name that described well the prominent shoulders, accentuated hips, and small waist, as seen in the outfits above.

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Plumb-Brown (1800s – 1930s)

1810s & 1820s

1850s 1840s

1870s & 1880s

1910s

1920s 1930s

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Painting to Dress Match-up – Regency Era

The painting: François Gérard (French, 1770 - 1837) • Désirée Clary Königin von Schweden • 1808

The dress: A period recreation

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The Painted Women of Braïtou-Sala (French, 1885-1972)

He was the favorite portraitist of the "beautiful people " of the interwar period. First actresses and singers, and then, as his reputation grew, wives of industrialists or financiers. Abandoned by their husbands traveling on business, these idle women had time to pose for him. He painted a few dandies, too. For these people of the "high society", Braïtou-Sala was "the Tunisian painter".

Standing Portrait of Young Woman with Red Shoes • 1926

Portrait of Marie-Jeanne aux Hermines • 1935

Élégante à la rose • 1922

Left: L'illustration magazine cover illustration • 1928