Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costumes Parisiens, 1914, No. 155 : Robe de serge bleu (...) 1914

Jan van Brock made this print, Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costumes Parisiens, No. 155, sometime in 1914. It feels like it's made with ink and watercolor, a delicate dance of line and color. I love how the solid blue of the serge dress anchors the design, letting the plaid skirt pop with its busy cross-hatching. What was van Brock thinking, I wonder, while painting in those tiny strokes of yellow and red? There’s a real tension between the flat, almost graphic quality of the shapes and the fussy detail in the skirt. Fashion plates are interesting because they're supposed to be documents, but here, the whole thing teeters into fantasy with that crazy hat. It makes me think about Sonia Delaunay's simultaneous dresses. All these artists in Paris were in a total feedback loop.