MARIANO FORTUNY

1971 - 1949

Born in Spain, Fortuny was active in various fields, including painting and the design of clothes, stage sets, and lighting. In 1889, he moved to Venice, and in the following decade he started creating textiles and clothes on which motifs of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Orient were stenciled in gold and silver. His works are thought to be one of the leitmotifs of Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past. Around 1907 he began to make the “Delphos”, a dress in the style of the ancient Greeks lapping delicately pleated Japanese and Chinese silk cloth. The pleats hanging from the shoulders smoothly covered the whole body in a remarkably sensual manner, and the result was the creation of a brand new form. The body-conscious forms that Fortuny invented prefigured 20th century fashion trends, and continue to exert their influence even now.

Fashion: The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute : a History from the 18th to the 20th Century

DELPHOS DRESS

1905 - 1907

COAT

1910

JACKET

1910
Half-length jacket made out of green velvet printed in gold with curvilinear, interlocking repeat pattern including mythical animals, winged creatures, tree - of - life motifs and architectural details. The jacket has a mandarin collar, bound in pink silk that continues through the centre fronts and around the hemline and sleeve finish. The jacket fastens with Venetian glass beads and black silk loops.

DELPHOS

1920
Pale flesh coloured pink silk, two-tiered gown with short sleeves. The gown is full length with an additional shorter layer attached to the neckline, incorporating the short sleeves and falling just below the waist.

EVENING DRESS

1924
Fortuny's interest in historical art and design is evident in this dress on the right that references the early Italian Renaissance. While the silhouette is a vague interpretation of a 14th-century gown, the fabric's paired griffins and palmette motifs are specific to textiles produced in Lucca. Fortuny owned a large collection of historical fabrics that informed his work, but he avoided anachronism by employing the lean line and unrestricted silhouette embraced by modern fashion.

COAT

1927
This evening coat (shown with 83.151.1) is printed with an ancient, Middle Eastern “Tree of Life” motif. The pattern became one of Fortuny’s perennial favorites and was printed on velvet, chiffon, and crepe over-garments. Fortuny often referenced ancient cultures in his work, creating garments that defied the changing trends of fashion.