Dress #079.3: 1920s dress in wine and silver

This hand-stitched paper dress from the early 1920s is constructed of shimmering wine Japanese paper, chosen to echo the silk velvet of the original. The simple dress is highlighted with a wrapped silver embellishment, highlighted with glass beads, that brings to mind twining snakes; a drape of fabric would allow a flash of the slip to peek through when the wearer was in motion. The piece is based on an evening dress by ‘Thurn’ of New York and Paris, held by the Hillwood Museum (accession 48.45).

The dress is six inches tall, stitched by hand on 8x10 inch paper, which means that it will pop right into any commercial frame in that size, and be ready to hang on your wall.