Drawing on the Past

Sometimes, if you're trying to get the flavor of a particular vintage style or period, the most direct route is through fashion illustration. Why? Because the artist must distill the the silhouette, motifs and flow patterns to create an effective rendering, leaving you the very essence of the look.

Case in point: this wonderful illustration from 1913 by Georges Barbier. It shows the tubular-style frocks instigated by Poiret, influenced by the orientalist motifs that stormed Paris thanks to Leon Bakst's costume designs for the Ballet Russes. Takeaways: the empire waistline, the floor length, the close-to-the-body but-not-tight flow of the fabric, and of course the glorious large-scale pattern.

Another example, from Cecil Beaton (click to enlarge): a drawing of Mademoiselle Coco herself, with the soft waist-length jacket, contrast piping on jacket and skirt, tweedy sweater, pearls, and most importantly, a big show of white cuffs and pussy bow at wrist and collar. Shears optional.

A flip through a fantastic book on fashion illustration, or acquisition of David Downton's superb journal Pourquoi Pas?, will help sharpen your eye (and whet your palate!).

Long Gloves: Hide and Seek

I'm captivated by this image, a 1952 advertisement by Rene Gruau for Crecendoe Gloves, printed in fashion illustrator David Downton's wonderful journal, Pourquoi Pas?

Why have we stopped wearing gloves as a fashion accessory, apart from when temperatures dip? Their allure is twofold: they make the arm and hand into a calligraphic instrument of gesture and pose. Even more critically, they come off. Burlesque queens have forever played upon the seductive potential of drawing this garment from the fingers, hand, wrist, forearm. The message is there, implicitly, even while they're still on.

Elbow-length gloves are fantastic with sleeveless gowns and dresses, and they're so easy to find at vintage sources. Just be sure to know your glove size, and buy accordingly, because, like vintage shoes, they frequently run small.