Très Parisien, 1923, No 9: 11. - BIARRITZ. - Très élégant costume... 1923

This print, made in 1923 in France, shows two women modeling clothing from the Drecoll fashion house. Its original context was as a magazine plate, one of many that would have been collected by affluent women or tailors for inspiration. The print’s title, “Très Parisien,” tells us something about the cultural politics of the era. After the devastation of the First World War, Paris was attempting to re-establish itself as a center of global culture and fashion. Note the echoes of menswear in the blue outfit on the left, which include a military-style coat and what appears to be a naval cap. The woman on the right is wearing a fur-lined crepe dress with drop-waist: both details were very fashionable at the time. To understand the image better, one might research French fashion magazines of the 1920s, the history of the Drecoll fashion house, and the visual culture of Paris in the interwar years. The image presents fashion as an aspirational lifestyle and the historian can offer insight into the dynamics of taste.