Très Parisien, 1923, No 10: 14.- DISCUSSION. - En marocain imprimé... 1923

This fashion plate, "Très Parisien, 1923, No 10: 14.- DISCUSSION. - En marocain imprimé..." if you can believe that title, was made in 1923 with ink and paint. It’s all about line and pattern. Look at how flat it is; the colours sit on the surface. You get the sense that the artist was working through some ideas, trying to figure out how to represent clothing in a new way. The surface is so smooth, you can hardly see any texture. The colour palette is muted, almost like a faded memory. But the patterning on the dresses, especially the Egyptian motifs on the dress to the left, feels daring, and a little clumsy in a charming way. It’s like they’re figuring out how to make something elegant out of something awkward. That one little red accent on the tassel is genius. This plate reminds me of Hannah Höch's collages. They both capture a certain energy of the time, a push and pull between tradition and modernity. It’s all about experimenting and finding new ways to see the world.