Dress c. 1938

Here is a drawing of a dress made by Julie C. Brush. You can see the artist carefully considered each line, and the way the fabric might fall and hang on the body. The sleeves balloon out at the shoulders. I wonder, when Brush put her pen to paper, was she thinking about a particular person who might wear this dress? Did she have a specific occasion in mind? I can imagine her sketching rapidly, trying to capture a fleeting image from her mind's eye. The skirt is long and full, with a frilly hem. You get the feeling the artist really delighted in this design. Look at the gentle curve of the back, and the way the lines flare out towards the bottom of the skirt. All that detail down there at the hem! The drawing has a delicacy that reminds me of the fashion illustrations of Erté. It's like a dance of pen and paper, with each stroke bringing the dress to life.