Très Parisien, 1928, No. 10 : Créations Chéruit / 3. - VAPOREUS (...) 1928

Curator: Alright, let's turn our attention to "Trés Parisien, 1928, No. 10: Créations Chéruit / 3. - Vaporeus..." a work created in 1928, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The artist utilized ink and watercolor on paper to achieve this striking image. Editor, what's your initial take? Editor: Oh, the Roaring Twenties distilled into a single image! I'm getting flapper vibes, obviously. There's a lightness, a giddiness almost. Like they’re just about to break into a Charleston, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Definitely, it's hard to ignore the Jazz Age spirit. Note the stylistic Art Deco influences here – the bold geometry softened by the watercolor washes. These dresses are, in a way, visual metaphors for the societal shifts occurring. It reflects a modern and confident woman. Editor: I adore the way the colors create movement! The layers of the dresses… it feels almost like watching smoke, capturing a certain moment of transition. Do you feel it too, a certain fleeting, fashionable ephemeral existence? Curator: Indeed, and the artist has titled it “Vaporeus,” so “vaporous,” we see a certain conscious artistic choice at play. The choice of wispy materials suggests luxury, elegance, and perhaps a delicate detachment from everyday realities. We're given access into a particular ideal from the past. Editor: A detachment… yes, from a more conservative era perhaps? A departure! I think I like that a lot! They’re draped in their modernity and ready for anything, the sheer fabulousity of their independence! Don't you get the sense these women weren't about to take things sitting down? Curator: Their gaze is striking, too. Direct, confident. Consider the choice of portraiture as a genre here, it elevates the presentation of fashion into an exploration of identity and modern ideals of beauty. The image captures more than clothing; it shows the era. Editor: Exactly! A beautiful period advertisement or a glimpse of women enjoying a fashion of freedom... I know what I would prefer to think. It feels special to just simply revel and be present within the work with our interpretations! What else is there left to say but to admire! Curator: I couldn’t have said it better myself. These fashion works capture much of a cultural shift, it allows us a portal into the past where beauty meets both freedom and industry. Editor: Indeed! I feel a deep nostalgia all of a sudden, well it’s time for a martini, shaken, not stirred. Bye.