Fortuny Peplos tea gown, c.1920. $7,800 at Vintage Textile

Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo created his signature Delphos gown in 1907, repeating the design with minor changes until his death in 1949. The Peplos version features a tunic attached at the neckline, falling in points to the hip, giving the appearance of a two-piece garment.

Our lightweight gown is based on the pleated linen chitons worn by Greek maidens 2500 years ago and seen today on Delphic Greek sculpture. The Fortuny Delphos and Peplos gowns have preserved the poetry of line of the Greek robe. During the Classical period (5th-4th centuries B.C.E.), Athenian women often wore the Peplos in public as a body length garment.

Fortuny used a thin silk satin more finely pleated than anything ever seen in costume. The resulting garment is incredibly soft and liquid, molding to the curves of the body. The richly modulated color of original antique Fortuny gowns, achieved by a series of dye baths, has a mysterious, enchanting depth that cannot be found in modern textiles. The hue of this Peplos is a lovely pastel shade of pink with hints of darker rose and lighter peach.

The gown is weighted on the sleeves and on the tunic hem with strings of blue Murano glass beads. It comes with a hand-stenciled sash signed Fortuny DSE. The gown is completely hand stitched with matching silk thread. To keep the pleats in place, the dress should be stored twisted like a skein of yarn.