Gazette du Bon Ton, 1920 - No. 7, p. LIII: Les modes, les lingeries chez Verlaine 1920

Fernand Siméon made this print, *Gazette du Bon Ton*, in 1920. It was an advertisement, probably printed using some kind of lithographic technique. I love how Siméon uses a limited palette of blacks, whites, browns, and pinks to capture the feeling of the era. There’s a real sense of style and sophistication. I can almost imagine him in his studio, carefully mixing his inks, thinking about how to best capture the essence of Parisian fashion. Look at the way he uses line to define the shapes of the woman’s face and hat! It’s so elegant and precise. And then there’s the lettering – *Les Modes, Les Lingeries chez Verlaine* – flowing across the top of the image. It’s all so beautifully composed, so perfectly balanced. What a moment! Siméon’s work reminds me of other fashion illustrators of the time, like Erté and Paul Iribe, who were also creating these incredibly stylish and sophisticated images for magazines and advertisements. Artists are always in conversation, always inspiring each other, across time.