The Ornamented Being
Ornamented: -verb: Adorn; beautify. Be·ing: -noun: Fulfillment of possibilities; essential completeness.
-
#3690 - c. 1916 Evening Gown of Apple Green Chinese Silk Damask Dramatically Draped over Gold Lame Lace over Gold Lame Lining!
-
-
Evening Dress
First half of the 1920s
Designer: Jeanne Lanvin
Brand: Lanvin Label: None
Material: Black silk taffeta, lace and chiffon; embroidery of silver beads, rhinestones, sequins, and green rhinestones; eight-paneled skirt; Aztec/geometric motif.
A silvery circular pattern, similar to the type of patterns featured in Aztec art, almost floats against the background of a full black skirt. It is an outstanding manifestation of both the taste for the exotic during the 1920s and the color sensibility of the Art Deco movement. This is a typical example of the “robe de style” favored by Jeanne Lanvin. The trend in utilizing motifs from ancient civilizations such as the Mexican and Egyptian civilizations conveys the excitement surrounding the archaeological discoveries of the day, such as the excavation of Tutankhamun’s grave in 1922.
While designers such as Chanel rapidly spearheaded an innovation in clothing during the 1910s and 1920s, Lanvin continued to create elegant and refined “robes de style.” Lanvin’s outstandingly elegant dresses, characterized by full skirts and the extensive use of decoration such as rich lace and embroidery, were popular amongst clients who continued to value traditional beauty and didn’t embrace the modern, boyish fashions of the new era.
-
Robe du soir, Callot Sœurs, Paris, 1907-1910
-
ca. 1925
The Met says: This dress takes on the tubular shape which was the dominant silhouette of the 1920s. The sheer top, adorned with rhinestones, intersects at the waist to create a skirt consisting of tiers of scalloped beadwork of a typical Art Deco pattern. The execution of the design of the skirt is exquisite and highly impressive. When worn for an evening out, there is no doubt this was a flattering dress that made heads turn as it caught the light when the wearer was dancing the Charleston or Black Bottom.
-
c. 1918
The Met says: High shoes with a strapped or laced front were known as “Grecian sandals” or “Grecian boots” in the 19th century. In about 1913, a new moniker appeared: the “tango boot.” The dance craze of the 1910s encouraged footwear that was both showy and firmly secured to the foot, thus elevating the tango boot and its sister style, the tango shoe (a pump with crossing laces or straps which extended up the ankle), to prominence. In this interpretation of the tango boot from the Brooklyn Museum collection, the flamboyant metallic material would serve to attract attention to the movement of the feet, whether on or off the dance floor.
-
Decembre 1913
I would love to know which museum this costume calls home!Ah ha! I had a feeling Poiret would be the creator! A huge thank you to his-seat-is-taken! This beauty lives at the Kremlin Museum!
-
No idea where these are from but from the looks of the photo perhaps an auction?
-
Evening Cape, House of Worth 1925, French, Made of lame
LACMA
-
Isabelle de Borchgrave: “
Mariano Fortuny, the artist and couturier is well known for having created the Fortuny lamp, as well as innovations in dying and printing textiles. He also created the Delphos gown and Knossos shawl, both based on the styles of ancient Greece. The Museo Fortuny is a museum housed in the former Venetian palazzo that was once the home and studio ofFortuny. A few years ago, they invited Isabelle de Borchgrave to create a collection based on Fortuny’s catalog of work. This ensemble is based on a c. 1930 Delphos gown and Knosses shawl that is part of the museum collection” -
Photoset reblogged from Nerdy Glasses
Truth. When I am at an antique faire or an antique market and I see a pile of old books I have to force myself to put one foot in front of the other and slowly walk, not run, toward them. Even though my eyes are fixed on that stack of books like a drowning man staring at the shore, I ignore my fingers twitching at my side and approach steadily.
Once I reach the shop or stall I totally forget about trying to appear like a normal human. I take comfort in the fact that the owner won’t judge me if I sink to the dusty floor and give myself over to the draw of the books. They would never judge me if there are tears in my eyes when I find an old Tennyson.
There are old friends in each pile and there are new friends whispering hello! There are ageless treasures and there are ones that have been loved until the spine is thin.
I love literature. I love that I can be anywhere in any world in a matter of seconds. That nothing is impossible. Literature is a bridge to that part of our soul that longs for creative freedom and for those few precious moments I can let myself fly.
Look what made it back to my dashboard! This is one of my favorite things that I have written on Ornamented Being.
-
This sensual and exotic orchid brooch, part of “Imperishable Beauty: Art Nouveau Jewelry” on view in the Torf Gallery Jul 23-Nov 9, 2008, relies heavily on plique a jour (backless) enameling and a large iridescent baroque pearl for its realism and delicacy.
-
Rock Crystal, Chrysoprase,Enamel and Silver Arts & Crafts Tiara Henry Wilson c.1908. Victoria & Albert Museum Collection.
