Toujours Chic, catalogus met modeprenten 1921 - 1922

This fashion print catalog, *Toujours Chic*, was made by G-P. Joumard sometime around 1921-1922. The composition is so open, with just a few graphic marks – the figures rendered with a kind of simple, folksy elegance – that we are made aware of the ground, that creamy, aged paper. There’s a tension in that: between the flat, decorative quality and the paper surface, which adds a subtle sense of depth and texture, reminding us of the physical presence of the object. The figures are so stylized, and the colors so restrained, that the space around them becomes activated. Look how the loops and flourishes of the dress design mimic the script of “Toujours Chic!” They share a similar sense of playful artifice. It makes me think of the work of someone like Erte, but with a kind of casual, homespun charm. There’s something beautiful about the way this piece embraces the beauty of imperfection.