the booklet - Courtauld Institute of Art

c u r ator s / e d ito r s
Rebecca Arnold, Oak Foundation Lecturer in History of Dress and Textiles
Fruzsina Bekefi, History of Dress MA, 2014
Alexis Romano, History of Dress PhD Candidate
g r ap hi c de signe r
Amy Preston
ac k n ow l e d g e m e n t s
The curators would like to thank the Courtauld Institute of Art and Somerset House
for their generous support.
Special thanks to Oak Foundation for providing funding for the realisation of this booklet.
This booklet presents content taken from the magazines Femina (December 1919)
and Gazette du Bon Ton (1913–14; 1924 no. 6). History of Dress Collections,
Courtauld Institute of Art.
Published on the occasion of the Winter Festival exhibition at Somerset House,
November 11 2014 — January 11 2015.
Il fait gris. On s’éveille un peu de vague à l’âme.
— De quel rêve habiller ce pâle jour d’hiver ?
Le regard cherche en vain les conseils du feu clair,
Car le logis moderne a des foyers sans flamme.
Mais déjà la coiffeuse est là qui nous réclame ;
Le désir dans nos yeux éteint son vif éclair ;
L’horaire d’aujourd’hui sera celui d’hier ;
La promenade au bois commence le programme.
On quitte les coussins, moelleux comme un hamac,
De l’auto qui s’arrête au détour d’une allée,
Pour faire à pied deux ou trois fois le tour du lac.
Puis l’on va, souple, et de fourrure emmitouflée,
Son chien dans son manchon, son courrier dans son
Ajoutant au décor comme une grâce ailée. [sac,
by Hélène Seguin
It is grey outside. We rouse slightly from our melancholy
— From what dream to dress this sombre winter’s day ?
In vain, our eyes seek the guidance of a bright light,
Because the modern abode has fire-less hearths.
But already the dressing table is here calling us;
The desire in our eyes puts out her bright flash;
Today’s routine will be like yesterday’s;
And start with a walk in the woods.
We get up from the cushions, soft as a hammock,
Of the car that stops at the curve of a pathway,
To walk around the lake two or three times.
Then we go, resilient, swaddled in fur,
Her dog in her muff, letters in her bag,
Adding to the scenery with winged grace.
Translation by Alexis Romano
Le bon ton, madame, c’est…
…voluminous fur collars, cuffs and muffs for walks in the park, just as illustrators
Guy Arnoux and André Edouard Marty have rendered. Through fast, short
pen strokes Arnoux sketches a woman and dog on a brisk stroll, her umbrella
puncturing the crisp snow beneath her boots (Femina, 1919). Regard the images
on display, and choose your favourites, carefully presented to you by the greatest
illustrators of the day.
This season Marty prefers minimal line to connect his subject’s fur-adorned
garment to her stark wintry setting. Simple forms, like that of a fountain or
woman, emerge from the snow, and dead tree limbs seem to extend from her
Worth hat (Gazette du Bon Ton, 1921). Elsewhere, in his illustration of a Doeuillet
suit, Marty shows how a park lake can double as a mirror and serve as the perfect
means of self-maintenance (Gazette du Bon Ton, 1920). Through its reflection,
the model becomes one with her environment, while the bright red colour of her
jacket stands out against its greyness.
A trip to the ice rink is a fashionable treat! Madeleine Ruegg suggests a warm
fur coat over a cardigan and skirt ensemble by Vionnet that perfectly matches the
red and white trim of her hat and boots (Gazette du Bon Ton, 1924 –25). Or take
a fashion tip from Charles Martin, who presents la Belle de Chamonix, her short
skirt – worn under an ermine jacket by Leroy – allows her to skate and move freely
(Gazette du Bon Ton, 1924). Martin’s minimal line work reflects the skaters’ fast,
sleek motions.
Even when indoors, you too can resemble these bundled up skating beauties,
just like a mannequin drawn by Thayaht, whose neck is nestled in the collar of
her fur coat at the theatre (Gazette du Bon Ton, 1924). Through the precise
placement of curved parallel lines, he interweaves body, dress, musical sound
and environment. While at home, three women, drawn by Paul Iribe in long fluid
Poiret dresses, interact, separate from the barren winter landscape out of their
window (Les Robes de Paul Poiret, 1908 ). George Barbier’s statuesque mannequin
plunges us deeper into fantasy. The embroidered pearls on her luxurious white
velvet coat – worn over a damask dress – transform into waves and trees in an
imagined Far Eastern scene ( Journal des Dames et des Modes, 1913).
With so much choice, each designer combines function and luxury, each illustrator
conveys warmth and excess.
How will you adapt to the winter mode?