Evening shawl

Designer Madeleine Vionnet French

Not on view

The fringed shawl was a fashion mainstay of the 1920s. In Madeleine Vionnet's hands it receives the benefit of her impressive technical skill. The weight and drapable quality of silk jersey lends itself to the fitted shoulders and interior shaping at the armholes without losing its fluidity. The shawl is cut in an irregular length, which adds to its refinement. The tomato red color is made even more dramatic by the varied placement of the fringe, which is hand-knotted through the fabric. By staggering the fringe knots, Vionnet creates subtle surface decoration along with a sense of movement, the fringe seems to spill out from the surface plane of the fabric.

Evening shawl, Madeleine Vionnet (French, Chilleurs-aux-Bois 1876–1975 Paris), silk, French

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.