1903
AMERICAN
Mourning Dress
American, ca. 1903
Black silk-wool crepe appliquéd with
black silk guipure lace flowers and
trimmed with cream silk mousseline
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of
the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Clara L. Cardozo, 1939 (2009.300.6441a, b)
2004
JUNYA WATANABE
Dress
Autumn/winter 2004–5
Junya Watanabe, Japanese, born 1961
Black polyester plain weave
Courtesy Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons
At the turn of the twentieth century, a strikingly novel silhouette dubbed the S curve emerged. A specialized corset contorted the torso and pelvis into exaggerated positions that in profile suggested the opposing curves of the letter S. An exemplar of this early belle epoque silhouette, this two-piece mourning dress is fashioned from supple crepe adorned with delicate starburst tucks centered with floral appliqués. Fine tucking was a prevalent dressmaking technique used in mourning wear, as it provided understated surface interest.
The fashion for a full bustline in the early years of the twentieth century led to the creation of air-filled “pneumatic bust forms,” promoted as aids in creating the desired silhouette. Junya Watanabe’s thickly padded dress, which takes the S curve as a starting point, gives the impression of a similarly hyperbolic augmentation. The design emphasizes the artificiality and distortions inherent in the earlier style by featuring a swelling bustline and distended upper back that bear little relationship to the form of the body beneath.
The fashion for a full bustline in the early years of the twentieth century led to the creation of air-filled “pneumatic bust forms,” promoted as aids in creating the desired silhouette. Junya Watanabe’s thickly padded dress, which takes the S curve as a starting point, gives the impression of a similarly hyperbolic augmentation. The design emphasizes the artificiality and distortions inherent in the earlier style by featuring a swelling bustline and distended upper back that bear little relationship to the form of the body beneath.