#7069 $950
Velvet flapper dress, c.1925
The brief Flapper Era (1924-1929) defined the whole decade. The short and showy Flapper styles came to an abrupt end with the stock market crash of 1929, but Flapper dresses remain a perennial favorite, perhaps because no other period combined such opulence with such youthful sass.
Made from cheerful, cherry colored velvet, the sides are decorated at the hipline with large ruched velvet flowers and panels of metallic embroidered tulle. The edges of the flower petals are outlined with bronze metallic cord.
Collectors are often drawn initially to the splendor of antique textiles. Although modern technology has given us practical fabrics, we have lost the beauty of the amazing textiles used in the 1920s. The embroidered panels on this dress are a treasure of early 20th century textile art.
The resplendent embroidery combines colorful silk floss and bronze metallic cord on a ground of sheer black silk tulle. The mellow burnished glow of the panels is the tribute that time pays to beauty. This is indeed that rare, luxurious dress that can produce the incandescent effect of a fashionable woman seen at her best.
The condition is almost excellent. On the lower back skirt are a few tiny (1/8") mends, which are barely visible.
It measures: 40" bust, waist and hip, and 42" from shoulder to hem.
