Art Deco can be defined as “a popular design style of the 1920s and ’30s characterized especially by sleek geometric or stylized forms and by the use of man-made materials” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2021). Art Deco was greatly influenced by Art Nouveau, Cubism and early Hollywood. Originating in Europe in the early 20th Century the style became popularised after World War I and dominated until World War II. Receiving a great amount of attention during this period, fashion acted as the second-largest export industry and was essential to the recovery of the economy after World War I and the stock market crash. (Beltran-Rubio, 2016) By the 1930s, along with demand for Ready-to-Wear collections, mass production allowed the Art deco style to be disseminated to a large variety of consumers, making participation in this trend widely accessible for all types of people and classes.
Austin Cedric Gibbons (1890-1960) was a famous American art director for the film industry. Gibbons created three dimensional film sets by replacing two dimensional painted backgrounds and scenery with furniture and skilfully, manipulated lighting. These innovations made Gibbons a household name during the 30s. He was well-known for his Art Deco sets for the MGM film, Dancing Daughters (1928) alongside other film interiors that prompted the trend throughout America (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2021). With the entertainment industry being massively influential in this time period, the public replicated the film interior styles in their own homes. Art Deco rapidly became extremely popular for decoration and furniture and Gibbons played a significant role in filtering Art Deco through to fashion. Designers were quick to identify the publicity and hype Art Deco was receiving and swiftly joined the trend. Utilising these geometric patterns and angular designs, Art Deco was translated into the fashion industry. It is worth noting, that at times, the garments conveyed these themes in a much more understated yet technical manner.
The style consists of geometric/angular shapes and often features nature motifs. Considered to be maximalist, these designs are often demonstrated in shiny fabrics and colours that help support the theatrical contrast theme we regularly see in this style i.e., “highly polished wood and glossy black lacquer mixed with satins and furs” (BBC, 2014). With Tutankhamun’s tomb being discovered in 1922, Egyptian themed decorations e.g., pyramids and sphinxes were frequently used to adorn Art Deco rooms.
Figure 7: Evening dress, Jeanne Lanvin, 1935 (V&A, c2021)
Both art and fashion within the 1930s celebrated the elegance of Hollywood and its relation to the Art Deco movement. One example, which successfully demonstrates this, is Jeanne Lanvin’s 1935 bias cut, evening Dress. Referencing Art Deco, Figure 7, Lanvin Evening Dress (V&A, c2021) fuses the simplicity and fluidity of the Hollywood style and extreme angular shapes typical to the cubism aspect of Art Deco’s design (V&A, c2021). Resonating Art Deco’s captivation with light and sheen, Lanvin replicates this using reflective, satin fabric. The deep purple colour is not one usually utilised in the typical Art Deco palette, however paired with the key elements of the style, the purple indicates luxury and eccentricity. The rectangular collar divided into square and triangular panels, has thin lines of stitching which stiffens the fabric and elevates the collar in front of the shoulders and behind the neck. It creates quite a sculptural yet decorative structure around the neckline. The ribbon tying details on the side of the dress accentuates the waistline and broaden the hips. This emphasises the “svelte, body-hugging” (Wilcox and Mendes, 2018. p56) nature of the satin dress.
Figure 8: Velvet cape, Jeanne Lanvin, 1935. (V&A, c2021)
Paired with this Lanvin dress is a deep purple, hand-ruched cape, shown in Figure 8 (V&A, c2021). The “tight gathers of the fabric” (Wilcox and Mendes, 2018. p56) create geometric shapes within the negative space between layers. Equally, the changes in direction of the ruching creates a similar effect whilst also adding depth to the garment. The cape has great volume which clearly contrasts the slender silhouette of the silk dress underneath. They complement each other successfully, showing common designs throughout. For example, the cape’s rectangular collar and central perpendicular seams pair well with the collar and panelling on the dress.
Art Deco is presented more subtly in fashion in comparison to furniture and homeware. It utilises fabric and the textures it can produce to resemble the geometry and angles motifs. The technical nature of the stitching patterns and seam designs also makes fashion’s portrayal of Art Deco more intricate and detailed.
Both medias complement each other as they cover all aspects of the movement in really effective ways, although not all present the trend in the most conventional ways. Jeanne Lanvin’s Art Deco dress demonstrates how designs in fashion within this trend are more minimalistic, but it still celebrates the essence of the movement in a clever way. Other garments presented more maximalist styles and looked to Art for inspiration of patterns to use. These often involved textile printed patterns on the garments such as reoccurring geometric designs.
Fashion and Culture References
V and A, 2020. Art Deco Fashion. [Online]. [Accessed: 18 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/art-deco-fashion
BBC. 2014. BBC Homes: Art deco. [Online]. [Accessed: 3 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/period_artdeco.shtml
Encyclopaedia Britannica. [Online]. Art Deco. [Accessed: 3 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/art/Art-Deco
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, c2021. French Art Deco. [Online]. [Accessed: 2 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/now-at-the-met/2016/art-deco-textile-and-fashion-design
Beltran-Rubio, L. 2016. Exploring Art Deco Textile and Fashion Designs. [Online]. [Accessed: 2 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/now-at-the-met/2016/art-deco-textile-and-fashion-design
Wilcox, C and D. Mendes, V. 2018. 20th-Century Fashion in Detail. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd.
Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2021. [Online]. Cedric Gibbons. [Accessed: 3 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cedric-Gibbons
Fashion and Culture Image list
Figure 1: V&A, c2021. Evening Dress, Jeanne Lanvin. [Online]. [Accessed: 2 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/art-deco-fashion
Figure 2: V&A, c2021. Cape, Jeanne Lanvin. [Online]. [Accessed: 2 November 2021]. Available from: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O85705/cape-jeanne-lanvin/
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