Très Parisien. La Mode, Le Chic, L’Elégance 1927

This fashion plate called 'Très Parisien', made in 1927 by G-P. Joumard, is all about capturing a mood through colour and line. It looks like it’s made with stencils and markers or coloured pencils, the process visible in the grainy texture of the pigment against the paper. The yellow and grey of the dress really sing to me, and the artist has captured the folds of the skirt with confident, expressive gestures. It’s so simple, really, just these few colours and some bold outlines. The shadows are a kind of purple gray which warms the whole image. It’s like Joumard is saying, "Here's how to convey a whole feeling with just a few well-chosen marks." This reminds me of Dufy and his textile designs, which were similarly trying to reduce an image down to the basic elements. Fashion illustration like this can feel ephemeral, but there’s a timeless quality here too, like a conversation between artists across time. It doesn’t need to say everything to be meaningful, and it’s more about feeling than knowing.