Très Parisien, 1923, No 10: 1 - VISITE. - N'est-elle pas élégante... 1923

This fashion plate, titled "Très Parisien, 1923, No 10," was created by an anonymous artist using pochoir, a type of stencil-based printmaking. The image is rendered through the careful application of color, block by block. Consider the fashion itself: the dress is described in the inscription as being made from crepe Colette brodé from Diederichs Soieries. In its original context, this print was likely intended to convey a sense of luxury and aspiration, suggesting the pleasures of fashionable consumption. The textile manufacture that produced the fabric relied on industrial modes of production, not to mention the labor involved in creating the garment itself. The final product seems effortless, but it took a lot to make this "Parisian" vision a reality. By focusing on these material and social dimensions, we can appreciate how even a seemingly straightforward fashion plate participates in a much wider network of creation and consumption.