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The dress seen from behind. -
The front of the artificial silk crepe dress with glass bead embroidery. -
Glass bead embroidery in the shape of a bow. -
The inside of the skirt.
Evening dress, 1922
The beads rattled as people danced the Charleston. The party was never-ending in the roaring economic prosperity of the 1920s. Glitz and glamour was the order of the day, and bead embroidery was the height of fashion.
The dresses were cut straight, the waist disappeared and the bust was flattened so that none of the upper-body curves were on display.
A large number of 1920s dresses have been preserved for posterity. It was not possible to alter these when the fashion shifted to longer skirts and more fitted styles.
A short, sleeveless artificial silk crepe dress with glass bead embroidery. The conservator at Kulturen has added a supportive fabric underneath the dress to enable the thin crepe to withstand the weight of the beadwork. Several other amazing dresses from the 1920s have, unfortunately, had to remain in storage due to the fact that they cannot bear their own weight.
Material
Artificial silk, glass beads
Length
116 cm
Technique
Crepe, bead embroidery
Inventory number
KM 53896.4