Très Parisien, 1926, No. 8 : 6: Créations Simon Schwartz (...) 1926

This fashion plate called Très Parisien was made anonymously in 1926, using what looks like stencils and pochoir. The lines are soft, almost like they’ve been exhaled onto the paper, one layer at a time. This kind of printmaking is all about process, building up the image bit by bit. Look at the figure on the right. The faux fur coat is rendered with these soft, almost furry stripes of brown and tan. It gives the garment a kind of sumptuousness, but also a sense of flatness, like the image is only a whisper of luxury. Then there are the gear-like shapes in the background. They’re so regular and mechanical, they almost cancel out the smooth, hand-rendered lines of the figures themselves. It reminds me a bit of Sonia Delaunay's textile designs, with that same interest in pattern and repetition. Ultimately, fashion plates like these are about the conversation between art, commerce, and desire.