Gazette du Bon Ton, 1914 , No. 4, Pl. 40: Le choix difficile / Manteau du soir de Worth 1914

Editor: So this print is titled "Le Choix Difficile" or "The Difficult Choice", it's Plate 40 from the "Gazette du Bon Ton" in 1914, and it shows a Worth evening coat. I find it captivating how the coat almost eclipses the other figures. What catches your eye about it? Curator: It’s fascinating how Monvel focuses on the garment, its construction and place within society. Let’s think about the materiality. It's a print, reproduced for mass consumption, advertising the luxurious evening coat designed by Worth. The means of production here, printmaking, contrasts sharply with the high-end, bespoke nature of Worth's design. What does that tell us? Editor: Perhaps the "difficult choice" isn’t about selecting the coat itself, but choosing between mass-produced images versus exclusive, hand-crafted fashion. Curator: Precisely! Consider the social context as well. "Gazette du Bon Ton" catered to an elite readership. The print democratized, to an extent, the aspirational consumption of high fashion. The choice being presented here is also in part a statement about the accessibility of style via reproduction. How might this impact the fashion industry and art at the time? Editor: It creates a tension. The image becomes an object of desire in itself, while simultaneously promoting another, more tangible and exclusive object. It makes me wonder who the true audience is for art versus fashion. Curator: The boundary blurs here. Is the print art, advertising, or both? The very act of depicting the evening coat transforms it. Monvel forces us to confront these overlapping systems of value. He emphasizes labor of production in both mediums: Worth’s garment and the physical print. It underscores the labor needed for artistic creation. The social life is shaped by both these creations. Editor: I see now how the print isn’t just a pretty picture but a statement on production, consumption, and access within both art and fashion. Thanks for clarifying the cultural significance through a material lens! Curator: My pleasure. Thinking about the physical object and its journey broadens our understanding. We must remember what something _is_, not just how it _appears_.