© The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama
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Evening Dress
c. 1933
- Designer
- Madeleine Vionnet
- Brand
- Madeleine Vionnet
- Label
- none
- Material
- Black rayon jersey one-piece dress; vermillion silk crepe sash; bias cut.
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Estate of Tina Chaw
- Inventory Number(s)
- AC7652 92-43-2
The dress was made of rayon jersey, treated in bias cut to fit around the body. The surrounding sash has the effect of highlighting the sleek body. The dress is from Madeleine Vionnet's personal wardrobe.
The bias cut became a useful technique in the 1930s, when consciousness of body line was revived in fashion. As though Vionnet were an anatomist, her grasp of the body's form using her characteristic split line and bias cut fabric personified innovative garments.
1930s
KCI