Le Vrai et le Faux Chic, Musée des Erreurs, Page 4

Fourth page of illustrated section, "Musée des Erreurs" (Museum of Errors), of book with color lithography illustrations, titled "Le Vrai & le Faux Chic" (The True and False Chic), written and illustrated by SEM [Georges Goursat], and published in Paris in 1914. The page contains two rough illustrations of a female figure wearing a Hobble skirt and jacket with fur on the neckline, a turban with feathers, and high heels, holding a fur muff on one arm and a cane on the other; one of them is only outlined with gray and the other fully rendered with gray and black. There is a larger figure of a woman wearing a Hobble skirt with two shorter flared skirts with fur borders, a jacket with fur neckline, and holding a fur muff on her arm; she wears a green "cloche" hat on her head, decorated with black and gray feathers, and black high heels on her feet; her garments are colored with shades of gray, and the fur details with black and shades of brown. A second, large female figure wears an orange Hobble skirt with matching loose jacket with ruffles and decotated with green tassels and gray fur in the neckline and sleeves, and a green hat with black and gray feathers.

The set of illustrations titled "Musée des Erreurs" (Museum of Errors) provides a number of examples of the "false chic" that SEM criticizes, through caricature in both the written commentary and the illustrations, in his book, which consists of a title page, 2 leaves with advertisements, 40 pages text and illustrations (17 pages compose the illustrated section "Musée des Erreurs"), and 2 leaves with advertisements, not bound and kept in a blue slip case with the original white paper covers, embossed and gilded. SEM argues that disorder that reigns the fashion industry of the time. Fashion, he argues, is no longer reserved for specialists, and appeals for the collaboration of painters, artists and writers alike. It is an "eminently French" phenomenon, which lives especially in Paris, although it has become a sort of vice by the time he writes: fashion has become disorganized and ever-changing due to the influence of a group of people who lack discipline and control. This has led to a number of extravagances that reflect on the irrational choices in the costumes and headdresses of women and the complicated and excessive outfits worn by Parisian women.