Photos By Gail

This lustrous Taffeta Silk Dress (1940) with a zigzag motif was created by Mme. Jacques Worth, the wife of Charles Frederic Worth’s grandson Jacques. In the 20th century, the House of Worth continued its founder’s reinterpretation of historical styles in textile pattern and cut, and commissioned custom-made textiles from Lyonnaise manufacturers such as F. Ducharne Silk Company (1925 – 1940).

This gown showcases the family’s penchant for using the silhouette to display textile motifs, here artfully matched at the seams. The blurred edges of the purple, fuchsia, and white zigzag pattern result from the design’s having been printed on the warp threads before the weaving began — technique similar to the kasuri (ikat) used in meisen kimonos of the time

Photographed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art as Part of the Exhibit Kimono Style: The John C. Weber Collection, on View Through February 20th, 2023.