Dress

The use of woven metal lamé fabric percolated in fashion throughout the early twentieth century, finding particular use in the theater and increasingly entering high fashion throughout the 1920s. This robe de style-type gown makes ample use of the costly textile, with applied lamé trim that borders cutouts in the skirt and a lengthy train that is composed entirely from the material. Feminine touches like the open wreaths of flowers that encircle the shoulders and populate the train, and the delicate beads that rim the edges of each bloom, exemplify the romantic strand that remained present throughout 1920s fashion. These nostalgic styles were presented in the designs of French houses like Boué Soeurs, who were known for their use of artificial flowers, and Jeanne Lanvin, who continually promoted the wide-hipped robe de style silhouette throughout the decade. They were extensively imitated by American designers and department stores in both sanctioned and illegal copies. The removable train of this dress, which drapes from shoulder to floor, indicates that it was intended for the most formal of occasions and would have been suitable for a young woman to wear for presentation at court.