Apologies for the lack of posting this week. I had a plan all laid out and then come Monday I get a huge new work assignment dropped in my lap and everything went out the window after that.
The other day I was scrolling through my pictures and I came across something I wanted to share with you. What you may not know about me is that my first and most abiding fashion love is the styles of the 1920s. Something about that era speaks to me in a way other eras do not. Unfortunately, I am a VERY pronounced pear shape and my fashion love looks terrible on me. So I stick to a lot of what you see here which is ’40s through early ’60s.
So when I was scrolling through my photos I came across pictures I had taken of a gorgeous beaded “flapper” dress that a very generous friend had gifted me years ago. It’s the loveliest thing, but very delicate and so I don’t take it out too much.
As you can no doubt tell, it’s pretty difficult to photograph it in any way that captures its true beauty. It’s a slight rusty color. The beading is amber, gold, and blue. I can find no maker’s tag inside. The silhouette is your typical 1920s straight tubular sheath with ties on the side, giving slight hip definition.
Here is a close up of the beading from the hip area. I feel like it has a slight Egyptian feel to it; perhaps the maker was inspired by the finding of Tutankhamen’s tomb and the subsequent craze for all things ancient Egyptian? You can see how tiny the beads are and how delicate the fabric really is. I think the fabric is a sheer silk crepe as the poor thing is shredding in the way silk will at the shoulders. This is why one should store these dresses flat rather than on a hanger. Mine resides in an acid free box, with acid free paper between the dress folds for good measure.
I especially enjoy the way the beading compliments the lines of the garment and emphasizes the popular ’20s shape of the day. Long, linear, emphasis at the dropped hips, continuing into more linear beading at the skirt.
For now, this dress resides, as I said, in a box. I have thought about displaying it since something this beautiful deserves to be admired. An idea I’ve toyed with is having it mounted and preserved under glass for me to hang up. My house was built in the 1920s and so it would compliment it very well.
What would you do, or what have you done with one of these beauties?
Eileen