Dress 1935 - 1942

This delicate watercolour of a dress was made by Charlotte Winter. I’m immediately drawn to the fine details of the dress. I love that she’s used a really light touch with the paint so you can see the paper underneath; it gives the whole image an airy, ephemeral quality. I can imagine Charlotte Winter carefully plotting out the design with a pencil, lightly mapping the contours of the dress and sketching in the intricate floral patterns, and patiently applying layer after layer of watercolour to build up the image. She’s obviously having a conversation with other artists through this work, referencing styles from different eras. You can see her paying homage to the rococo period with the dress's silhouette, ruffles and decoration. Winter's painting connects to the broader tradition of fashion illustration. Artists are always borrowing from each other, across time, inspiring new generations of creative expression. With that in mind, it’s interesting to see how Winter has interpreted the style through her own unique sensibility.