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Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London,
1947-1957.
Here we are, back from another journey in a museum. This time we
went to the
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
who is presenting until tomorrow only the exhibition
Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London, 1947-1957.
We could admire more than 250 original creations of renowned French
and English couturiers.
In addition to satisfying our visual curiosity, we learned
interesting things on fashion and history.
Did you know that. . .
· The
French couturiers of that time emphasized the women curves by
padding
the bottom of a jacket, for example, to amplify the hips; by sewing
a very large bow on a dress, on the small of the back, to give more
volume to the buttock. Other days, other ways!
· The
French imposed cuts that were not necessarily appropriate for any
silhouette and the English proposed cuts that would adapt to the
various women figure.
· It
was difficult to move when wearing Dior’s garments that were very
tight at the shoulders or at the hips whereas the English who were
designing dresses or suits that aim to be more functional.
· The
textile selected by the French
couturiers
was much lighter to allow drapes whereas those of the English
designers which were heavier to better shape the garment.
· A
fashion show was following an invariable sequence: day dresses at
the beginning, then cocktail dresses, followed by evening gowns and
at the very end the wedding dresses.
· The
cocktail dresses could be more sophisticated (tulle, bows, etc)
because, during a cocktail, women were not sitting and by such could
not damage the garment.
· A
sewing women team worked 8 hours per day during 3 weeks to bead the
wedding dress of the queen.
· An
evening gown could be sold the equivalent of 3-year wages of a
workman.
· The
ready-to-wear lines appeared during the post-war period because it
was more difficult then to sell made-to-measure garments at
exorbitant prices. But ready-to-wear was not what we currently know;
the designer was providing a canvas copy of the garment with a
limited reproduction right.
· It
is during the post-war period that designers started to create shoes
that match the garments, and accessories of all kinds appeared too:
perfumes, jewels, etc.
It is always with pleasure that we discover the treasures presented
in a museum and a great satisfaction to acquire more knowledge.
April 25, 2010 |
