Flapper Dress

Identification

  • Object Type: Flapper Dress 
  • Date: 1920s 
  • Origin: Unknown 
  • Owner: Private
  • Maker: Unknown 
  • Measurements:
    • Bodice:
      • Length: 46 cm
      • Width: 35 cm
    • Skirt:
      • Length: 66 cm
      • Width: 125 cm
  • Materials: Silk chiffon, metallic lace, lamé, bobbinet, thread, metal closures 

Summary

A beautiful dress featuring a silk slip overlaid with bobbinet, metallic lace and embellished with appliqué bows in golden lamé. The dropped waist and boxy silhouette lie firmly between Paul Poiret’s high-waisted, corseted gowns of the 1910s and Madelieine Vionnet’s bias cut gowns of the 1930s. With a shape resembling the dress designs of Coco Chanel, and the appliqué bows echoing the similar trompe l’oeil motifs by Elsa Schiaparelli; the dress has all the stylistic marks of the 1920s. This elegant dress fits the image of the flapper, the bright young thing, the woman who put aside the corseted figure of the 1910s in favour of a free silhouette, comfortable movement, and the ability to dance.  

Behind the Scenes

Gold lace flapper dress, laid flat, viewed from above.
Silk underskirt of flapper dress, laid flat, viewed from above.

The conservator who treated this object is Finlay, click on the profile to learn more.

Note: All images were taken by the conservator unless stated otherwise. 

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