Jean-Phillipe Worth
1900
The flowing S-curve silhouette of this dress is typical of its time. A water’s-edge pattern and plant pattern, lined up in a coordinated fashion, is appliquéd and embroidered onto thin silk chiffon and expressed three-dimensionally. The influence of Art Nouveau, a decorative art style popular from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th, is evident.It seems as if the plant pattern arranged on the skirt is of Japanese iris, blooming on the waterfront. This stylised pattern makes one recall the plants that appear in the sketch collection supervised by the artists Eugène Grasset (1845–1917) and E.A. Séguy (1889-1985) who were affected on Japonism. These stylised designs were first applied to textiles. Wooden furniture, flower vases, lighting, and various other products were later characterised by the Art Nouveau style.
