Dress and Belt

Although a disciple of Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, Maria Monaci Gallenga did not train or study with him. She did, however develop a style of tea gown made of stenciled velvet which echoed those created by the Venetian designer. At the same time, Gallenga gowns made their own statement. They were cut in the style of a medieval tabard: two flat rectangular panels were joined at the shoulder and sides, and the back panel was long enough to form a train. Long paneled sleeves almost touched the floor. Embellishment was limited to tubular Venetian glass beads set along the seams.

Both Fortuny and Gallenga were among the most forward-looking designers of the early twentieth century, and their designs were the precursors of the simpler cuts of the 1920s.