Toujours Chic, Toilettes de Soirées, Hiver 1921-1922: Psylle 1921 - 1922

Curator: This piece, "Toujours Chic, Toilettes de Soirées, Hiver 1921-1922: Psylle," by G-P. Joumard, offers a glimpse into the world of early 20th-century fashion. It's a delicate watercolor and ink drawing currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It strikes me immediately as an echo of longing, something about the diffuse aqua-green at the base suggests faded memories. Curator: I see that! The palette speaks to that restrained elegance popular after the austerity of World War I and before the full-blown exuberance of the late twenties. These fashion plates often functioned as aspirational documents, constructing social identity. Editor: Absolutely, it's carefully constructed—that stylized figure with her precise flapper headband feels iconic, distilled to its essence as a fashionable object. The sharp lines, bordering on floral art deco. What cultural assumptions does it carry? Curator: Think about the role of magazines like *Vogue* or *Harper's Bazaar* at the time; Joumard and his contemporaries worked in that space, reflecting and directing tastes in rapidly changing times for the increasingly visible woman. The choice to include text about the garment creates a very compelling impression for women, their independence and economic roles during this time in France and elsewhere. Editor: So this isn't just fashion illustration; it is a document of social change, suggesting this fluid, liberated style also touches on the figure and the societal conventions imposed on it. And how might period understandings of beauty or desirability shift interpretations? Curator: Exactly, that interweaving is critical! "Psylle," the title, makes me wonder what psychological depths are evoked by that name? Are we to read something profound into her image? What subconscious aspects were emerging to define women during the inter-war period. Editor: I'm left pondering how ephemeral the image feels, yet the social and cultural narratives it holds continue to resonate. The woman it portrays and who she might be remains elusive, a shimmering dream as real as fashion might propose. Curator: Indeed, these drawings continue to pose critical questions about the artifice of appearance, representation, and identity constructions, always through the symbolic power of clothing.