Dress c. 1936

Rosalia Lane made this drawing of a dress, but we don't know when or where or why. I'm interested in the way the pattern almost vibrates off the surface of the paper. You can see where the blocks of color—pale green and off-white—were applied in quick strokes, and how they repeat and shift across the fabric of the dress. I wonder what Rosalia was thinking about as she created this design, maybe imagining the dress in motion or thinking about the cut and drape of the cloth? It's not hard to imagine Rosalia, with her pencils and paper, dreaming up new forms and styles, maybe inspired by other designers or the fashions of the time. Drawing like this is a great way of letting your imagination wander, and artists continue to inspire each other across time. It’s less about fixed meanings and more about an ongoing, embodied conversation.