Cloak 1935 - 1942

Editor: This drawing, simply titled "Cloak," dates sometime between 1935 and 1942 and is rendered in pencil. I find it quite delicate; almost ephemeral because the cloak is so much more defined than the form it's intended to adorn. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It's curious, isn't it? Almost like the garment has a presence of its own. To me, it whispers of Old Hollywood glamour – fur trim, soft purples…it’s incomplete and perhaps even aspirational, like a dream of transforming into someone else. Does that resonate for you at all, that idea of transformation? Editor: Absolutely. The vagueness surrounding the figure beneath definitely reinforces that. Almost anyone could imagine themselves wearing this. Do you think the fact that it's a drawing rather than a photograph contributes to that dreamlike quality? Curator: I think it absolutely does. The hand-drawn lines bring an intimacy, a human touch. And because it isn't perfectly representational, there is room for our imaginations to fill in the blanks. But is this cloak really a disguise? A persona someone assumes to perform something, maybe in the eyes of the public? That would give another nuance. Editor: That's a great question, and really challenges the initial image I had of simply putting on a glamorous facade! I hadn't thought about the performance aspect at all. Curator: Sometimes, a cloak is for hiding, sometimes it’s for display! A fashion sketch doesn’t always aspire to pure documentation of form and surface. But where does it start… Editor: Well, this has definitely given me a lot to consider, and challenged how quick I was to leap to conclusions. Thanks! Curator: Likewise, It's been fun unpacking that sense of yearning in "Cloak"! Makes me wonder, what 'cloak' am I wearing today?