Toujours Chic Les Robes, Hiver 1921-1922: Charlotte Corday 1921 - 1922

This fashion plate, "Charlotte Corday," was made by G-P. Joumard around 1921, and it's all about capturing a certain mood through line and color. I love how economical the drawing is, just a few strokes defining the dress, and the washes of black and red, they're laid down so simply, but they give you everything you need. It's like Joumard is saying, "Here's the essence of chic," and that's it. Look at how the red stripes give the black dress a lift, that pop of color just sings! It reminds me a bit of Erté's illustrations, that same sense of elegance distilled down to its purest form. But what’s interesting is, despite its simplicity, the piece stays open; the lines and colours suggest a direction, a feeling, but leave room for you to fill in the blanks, to imagine the fabric, the movement, the woman herself.