Très Parisien, 1923, No 8: 3.- SOURIRE. / Bien joli est ce manteau.... 1923

This fashion plate, Très Parisien, 1923, Number 8, was made by an anonymous artist and features a woman in an embroidered coat. What strikes me first is the way the figure is built from lots of tiny marks. It’s like the artist is thinking through making each tiny stitch visible; a real process that shows the coat, the embroidery, and the figure as one. The texture of the coat looks thick, and there’s a sense of volume and weight there, even though it is a flat work on paper. All the tiny marks together create something solid and real. Look at the way the shadow of the figure is rendered – just a simple triangular shape in black. It doesn’t really relate to the figure in a literal way, but it adds to the overall composition, creating a visual anchor that grounds the figure. It reminds me a little of the work of someone like Manet, who was also interested in flattening space and creating a sense of ambiguity. The artist seems to be saying fashion is not about perfection, but about embracing imperfection, and perhaps, even absurdity.