Avondjapon van zwarte crepe georgette en naturelkleurige machinale kant, lang en enigszins slepend, versierd met gerimpelde stroken crepe georgette c. 1935 - 1939

Curator: This gown, dating from around 1935 to 1939, is crafted from black crepe georgette and features machine-made lace of a natural color, decorated with ruffled strips. What strikes you first? Editor: The visual weight! That deep, dark crepe just cascades down, like a waterfall… albeit a very well-behaved one, punctuated by those frothy ruffles at the bottom. And then the contrast with the ethereal lace on top – quite striking. Curator: The artist, while unknown, clearly understood the power of contrasts. We see it not only in the color palette but also in the textures – the delicate lace juxtaposed against the fluidity of the georgette. What do you think the choice of materials communicates? Editor: Crepe georgette was relatively accessible by the mid-30s, produced on industrial looms, not unlike the machine-made lace we see at the neckline. This tells us a bit about the evolving social status of the owner – a member of the aspirational middle classes, maybe? They have enough capital for fancy evening wear but need factory-made substitutes. Curator: It also fits the wider historical trend toward mass manufacture after WW1 – more efficient production of clothes like this, bringing them within the reach of a new market. Editor: That bow and those sleeves, too – are they a last, romantic sigh, just before war clouds mass across Europe once more? Curator: Perhaps! The garment's romanticism seems intentionally heightened. Imagine the hours it would have taken to assemble the ruffles by machine, not to mention cutting all of that fabric, all for an effect of fleeting elegance. Editor: A potent symbol of the transition – even tension – between luxury and utility of the period. Almost makes you wonder where that crepe georgette was milled and who sat at those machines all day... Curator: It gives one plenty to consider. Thank you, those insightful observations. Editor: My pleasure. There is certainly more than meets the eye in that gown.