This is an original artwork for a fashion illustration by Marcel Fromenti for The Lady, a weekly magazine for women published since 1885. At the time it was made, Fromenti was the main artist for The Lady's fashion articles. The glamorous women in his drawings modelled both couture and high-end ready-to-wear garments with equal panache and elegance. Couture dresses and suits by leading Paris and London couturiers such as Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain and Norman Hartnell were drawn with the same flair as designs from British ready-to-wear labels such as Susan Small, Roecliff & Chapman, and Marcus. The articles described the fashion developments of their day in simple, accessible terms that contributed greatly to The Lady's popularity with its readers. Pencil notes record the designers, fabric and colour details, alongside technical instructions to the printers as to how these images should be incorporated into the printed page and at what scale.
Physical description
Drawing of a woman in a tailored suit by Hardy Amies, the jacket with dolman sleeves and peplum and brace-shaped pocket flaps set at an angle on the shoulder blades, the skirt knife-pleated.
Date
1953-1954 (published)
Artist/maker
Fromenti, Marcel (artist)
Amies, Edwin Hardy, born 1909 - died 2003 (designer)
Materials and Techniques
Pen and ink, wash and chinese white.
Descriptive line
Marcel Fromenti. Suit by Hardy Amies. Drawn for The Lady , 1953- 54.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Claire Wilcox, ed. The Golden Age of Couture. Paris and London 1947 - 1957 London:V&A Publications, 2007. 224p. ISBN: 9781851775200 (hbk); 9781851775217 (pbk).
Exhibition catalogue
Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1954 London: HMSO, 1963
The full text of the entry is as follows:
"FROMENTI, Marcel
Fashion drawings (on 94 sheets, some joined) based on designs by Balmain, Hartnell, Worth, Dior, Fath and others, for illustration in The Lady, 1953 and 1954.
Each inscribed with the designers' names, description in French, and most dated on the back.
Pen and ink, wash and chinese white.
Various sizes E.1537-1545, 1546(1, 2), 1547-1561, 1562(1, 2), 1583-1587, 1588(1, 2), 1589-1591, 1592(1, 2), 1593-1604, 1605 (1, 2), 1606-1612, 1613(1, 2), 1614, 1615, 1616(1, 2), 1617-1621-1954
Given by the Editor of The Lady"
Exhibition History
The Golden Age of Couture. Paris and London 1947 - 1957 (Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville 18/06/2010-12/09/2010)
The Golden Age of Couture. Paris and London 1947 - 1957 (Musee National des Beaux-Arts du Quebec 04/02/10-25/04/2010)
The Golden Age of Couture. Paris and London 1947 - 1957 (Hong Kong Heritage Museum 29/05/2009-28/09/2009)
The Golden Age of Couture. Paris and London 1947 - 1957 (Bendigo Art Gallery 07/12/2008-22/03/2009)
The Golden Age of Couture. Paris and London 1947 - 1957 (Victoria and Albert Museum 22/09/2007-06/01/2008)
Materials
Pen and ink; Wash; Zinc white
Subjects depicted
Fashion
Categories
Illustration; Drawings; Fashion; Fashion plates; Women's clothes
Collection code
PDP
