KCIDigital Archives

The KCI Digital Archives on the KCI website presents image and text information for the objects in the collection, arranged in chronological order.

Evening Dress [Left] Evening Dress [Right]

© The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama

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Evening Dress [Left]
Evening Dress [Right]

c. 1911 [Left]
c. 1911 [Right]

Designer
Jeanne Lanvin [Left]
unknown [Right]
Brand
Jeanne Lanvin [Left]
unknown [Right]
Label
Jeanne Lanvin PARIS [Left]
none [Right]
Material
Green silk chiffon and tulle lace; floral embroidery; rose flower ornament. [Left]
Beige silk tulle and pink silk chiffon; floral embroidery of beads and fake pearls; gold cord embroidery on skirt. [Right]
Inventory Number(s)
AC5806 88-22-3AB [Left]
AC1000 78-30-14 [Right]

These dresses have a high waist silhouette, which is representative of the early 1910s. This silhouette spread among designers, starting from Paul Poiret's "Lola Montez" dress in 1906. Distinctive, vivid colors on delicate materials such as silk chiffon were achieved in this period by use of synthetic dyes. These hues can be also found in the highly exotic, strong colors used in the costume of the Ballets Russes, which first performed in Paris in 1909. Those colors immediately influenced fashion circles, and in the early 1910s, the streets were filled with vivid colors like those seen in these dresses.

1910s