Très Parisien, 1923, No. 3: ÉCAILLE BLONDE 1923

Curator: Looking at this ink and watercolor drawing, titled "Tr\u00e8s Parisien, 1923, No. 3: \u00c9CAILLE BLONDE", you immediately get transported back to the roaring twenties. Editor: Indeed, it evokes a sense of understated elegance, doesn't it? The color palette is subdued, almost wistful, with a predominant use of tan, but it's punctuated by these striking mauve ribbons. It feels symbolic. Curator: As an art piece displayed in 1923, and bearing in mind this image comes from a fashion magazine of the era, it certainly mirrors the socio-political shift with the 'garconne' style coming into full swing. The dress has simple straight lines. Editor: That's true. But consider how these straight lines interact with the ribbons; they become a powerful signifier. Ribbons, in iconography, traditionally speak to connection, relationships and binding. Here, placed against the rather austere form of the dress, they point to the tension of a shifting societal structure. There is also the word Blonde here, pointing toward an exclusive ideal of feminine beauty. Curator: That is a great point. Perhaps the use of what we call "historical fashion" here indicates the commodification and standardisation of body imagery through art and material consumption. It subtly critiques this societal pressure of adhering to an ideal body-type, especially one represented in magazines as it is shown in the illustration. Editor: Absolutely. These fashion plates normalized specific forms, but with those symbolic ribbons acting almost as shackles... It creates an emotional unease within this depiction of idealized beauty. Also note her pose: demure but a touch playful, indicative of the period. Curator: Indeed, it makes us question: whose freedom are we really celebrating with the bobbed hair and the simplified silhouette, or are we buying into yet another kind of restrictive stereotype? I believe this artist is cleverly putting social expectations on trial. Editor: This art piece really showcases how visual languages shape our collective memory and desires. There is an apparent sense of art and a deeply encoded system of visual meanings hidden just below. Curator: The politics behind imagery continue to challenge even how museums operate today. Fascinating!