Dress c. 1936

Melita Hofmann sketched this dress around 1934, envisioning a costume of purple velvet, with a cape of silver-grey satin. Although it’s a drawing, the materiality is paramount. Think about velvet, which shimmers with depth because of its napped pile. And satin, created with a specific weave structure that makes it supremely reflective. Hofmann is interested in how these materials work. The design evokes both historical and theatrical references, nodding to medieval and renaissance styles. Dresses such as these would have been created using techniques passed down through generations, utilizing handwork and specialized tools. Consider the labor involved in producing textiles, from cultivating raw materials to weaving and dyeing. Here, the materials speak to a world of craft production, one gradually being replaced by faster, more mechanized means. The sketch is a potent reminder that even a simple design relies on complex systems of production, consumption, and social meaning.