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17 juillet 2012

Mariano Fortuny, dress (detail). Italy, ca. 1912

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Mariano Fortuny, born 1871 - died 1949. Dress (detail). Italy, ca. 1912. Pleated silk, block printed with gold, decorated with glass beads, belt lined with silk. Given by Fr. Sebastian Bullough. Museum number: T.731&A-1972. Victoria & Albert Museum, London  © V&A Images

Dress of pleated black silk, block printed with a gold pattern. It has a matching belt lined with cream silk. 
['Delphos' dress] Dress of pleated black silk, block printed with a gold pattern. It fastens at the shoulders with black and gold cords which are decorated with Venetian glass beads.

The multi-talented Mariano Fortuny (1871-1949) was a painter, theatre designer, photographer, inventor and scientist. He is, however, best known as a creator of extraordinary fabrics and clothes. In 1909 he registered his design for the 'Delphos' dress. It was based on the Ionic version of the Greek classical garment the chiton. Actresses such as Isadora Duncan and Sarah Bernhardt were among the first to wear them. Other women began to adopt them as informal tea gowns but later they became more acceptable for evening wear outside the home.

In a letter dated 25 June 1923, the sculptor Hamo Thorneycroft described his daughter in a pure white Delphos dress: 'Elfrida...looking lovely in her silk Greek clinging dress - white, against the light of the Jap lanterns outside'. She gave her dress to the V&A in 1982.

This particular dress belonged to the famous Italian actress Eleonora Duse (1858-1924), noted for her association with the poet and playwright Gabriele d'Annunzio. Duse was a great friend of the designer Mariano Fortuny and was known for the fact that she used very little make-up in an age where acting demanded dramatic costumes and disguise. Duse was the first woman to appear on the cover of Time magazine in July 1923.

The dress consists of narrow widths of pleated silk hand-sewn into a tube. Fortuny pleats make the fabric elastic so that the simple, flowing gown clings to the contours of the body. He used Venetian glass beads at the hem and sleeves as decoration and also to weight the fine silk so that it draped elegantly. All the gowns were hand-made and adjusted to the body with concealed drawstrings on the shoulder and bodice. The silk was dyed in a vivid range of colours including olive green, apricot, pale blue, and black stencilled with gold fleur-de-lis.

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