Toujours Chic, Toilettes de Soirées, Hiver 1921-1922: Genet 1921 - 1922

This fashion plate, titled ‘Toujours Chic, Toilettes de Soirées, Hiver 1921-1922: Genet’ was designed by G-P. Joumard. It’s a study in the art of suggestion, rendered with graphic lines and vibrant color. The genius of this lies in its simplification. The dress, a striking yellow and black number, hints at form without being overly descriptive. Look at the way the black panels at the bottom of the dress are rendered. Each panel is outlined with a steady hand, and then filled in with a flat, velvety black. It's an almost architectural approach to drawing, building a structure with bold strokes. I think of designers like Sonia Delaunay, who also experimented with geometric forms and bold colors. Joumard, like Delaunay, suggests a modern woman, striding confidently into a new era. Ultimately, it’s about how we see. It’s about how a few well-placed lines and colors can conjure a whole world of style, sophistication, and the ever-elusive “chic”.