French Women, Fashion, and the First World War; Exhibit Review

If you have a chance to see this exhibit before it closes on Jan. 5 — make your way to the Bard Graduate Gallery! The interplay and tension of war and fashion for French women and the overarching concepts are phenomenal! The exhibit opened on Sept. 5 and was curated by Maude Bass-Krueger and Sophie Kurkdjian. This review will highlight some of the sections and objects on view.

The exhibit begs the question in its opening text:

“What happened during the four years of the war [1914-1918] to create such a vivid shift in fashion, and what impact did this shift have on French women?” 

Callot Soeurs, Evening Dress, Paris, 1915-1916, silk & metallic thread, The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, C.I.51.97.1a,b; photo by FFF

Colette: Fashion through the Eyes of an early 20th Century French Novelist

While many French patriots are familiar with this name, Colette is unfortunately not well-known as an author and icon outside of France. Many attribute this to the difficulty of translating her books into English and other languages, as some of the inherent poetry and meaning is lost or comes across awkwardly in another language.

Colette ca. 1890. Unknown Photographer, [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.