mystery skirt!

It looks very '50's to me. I just did a mini search and Hervé Léger was '80's - so unless it's '80's doing '50's he is probably not the designer. I love it, BTW.

Linn

 

Lovely skirt.

I think I bought a dress from you on ebay once, blubird. A 50s/early 60s navy with big white spots wiggle. It's one of my favourites!

 

There is also a cubist painter Fernand Leger, died in 1955. I can't see the print well enought to be sure but it could be that it is referencing some of his images, he did use typography. I haven't found anything referring to that particular quote though.

This is one of his from 1919:

 

Oh! just found out Leger did a number of paintings, drawings and print called the Parade or the Great Parade. This might be completely barking up the wrong tree, but its enough of a link to be worth investigating perhaps. There was a Leger retrospective in 1955 at MoMA.

"Leger's greatest painting is The Great Parade (1954) at the Guggenheim. The "great parade" is traditionally the procession through town of acrobats, clowns, dancers and riders that announces the arrival of the circus. The circus and its performers are standard fare for French artists and many have immortalized the images, including Daumier, Seurat, Rouault and of course we must not forget Picasso's Saltimbaques. Leger's sketches for Great Parade go back to 1919. They were recast many times until Leger was satisfied."

This is one of the Parade pcitures

 

It's hard to see the pattern on the skirt but I think Golden Age had found the correct Léger. The first image from 1919 looks like it might be similar to the image on the skirt. Perhaps it has something to do with the Paris retrospective at MOMA in 1955. It's definitley a great skirt.

What size is the waist?

Linn

 

okay forgive the excessive posts, but I think I've cracked it. The poem is by Arthur Rimbaud, not Britten (Britten set the poem to music I think).

And Fernand Leger did "illustration for Rimbaud poem" in 1948,

http://www.onlinegalleries.com/anti...r-rimbauds-poem-fernand-leger-1881-1955/45842

As Linn says, perhaps to do with 1955 exhibition.

I love solving a mystery!

Ruth

 

Great sleuthing, Ruth!

Linn

 

Thanks Linn!

and it looks like our very own Fuzzy Lizzie, the Vintage Traveller, might know more, about the Modern Masters line of fabric produced by DB Fuller and Company.

http://fuzzylizzie.bravejournal.com/entry/40501/

Another example from the same line:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/calloohcallay/3580461964/

But it does look as though the Leger Modern Masters fabric was in also several colours, so perhaps this is a copy?

 

Okay so I have to admit to getting obsessed here! I couldn't resist posting more information.

I was trying to find more about the Fuller Fabrics Modern Masters series, when I found this article about the fabrics, from 1955 Life Magazine, showing Leger in his studio with a model wearing a Claire McCardell dress in 'his' fabric.

Sorry if this is a little off topic, as I imagine this skirt isn't necessarily made from one of the Fuller Fabrics - they all seem to be multicoloured - but it is presumably inspired by those prints.

Okay, time for bed.