Dress #079.3: 1920s dress in wine and silver Met Based on a 1774 illustration

Based on a 1774 illustration of Dasypus tricinctus (Brazilian three-banded armadillo)’ from ‘Die Såugthiere in Abbildungen Nach Der Natur’

accented with silver paper and an acrylic rhinestone

as it differs from the swags of fabric often found all over Victorian bustle dresses (although I love those

glass beads stand in for the buttons on the bodice

Dress #079.3: 1920s dress in wine and silver Met Based on a 1774 illustrationThis hand stitched paper dress from the early 1920s is constructed of shimmering wine Japanese paper, chosen to echo the silk velvet of the original. The simple dress is highlighted with a wrapped silver embellishment, highlighted with glass beads, that brings to mind twining snakes; a drape of fabric would allow a flash of the slip to peek through when the wearer was in motion. The piece is based on an evening dress by Thurn of New York and Paris,