Vesper
Well! It’s the end of January, and I owe you a letter with some fashion. February 14th is creeping closer, and I’m working at getting Happy Secret ready on all the major ebook platforms. In honor of the novella, I am of course focusing on the early 1920s:
This page is from a 1922 issue of the Gazette du bon ton, a very high-end fashion periodical that only showed garments from the leading Parisian couturiers. Here, Georges Barbier illustrated a pair of evening gowns from the House of Worth, deceptively simple designs that would have been extermely expensive.
The gown on the left is most likely a heavy brocaded silk, possibly made to order by Worth to ensure exclusivity. There’s a slight indication of a waist at the high hip, but for the most part the fabric is allowed to hang very straight. Underneath is a lighter, flowier silk slip that has both a higher neckline/armscye and a lower hem.
The gown on the right is painted the same color as the slip on the left, and might be the same fabric or a somewhat heavier satin. It’s a long sheath, gathered slightly at the left; there’s a pink silk belt or sash at the high hip, accentuated with a massive pink knot/bow at the point where the dress is gathered, with an end that hangs to the floor. This kind of asymmetry isn’t uncommon in 1920s fashion, although it’s usually slightly more subtle, like this later example. It appears to be strapless, but I suspect this is artistic license in depicting the sheer straps you see in many period gowns (like the one I just linked).
While the stereotype for 1920s shoes is a T-strap pump, “colonial”-style shoes with large, decorative buckles were quite fashionable.
All right, that’s it for now! You’ll be hearing from me again in a couple of weeks, though, when it’s time. Keep up with me on BlueSky in the meantime, if you aren’t already!