Dress with Chevron Motif

In October 1926 American Vogue reported that: “Chanel has her fingers on the pulse of the time. She has a knack for creating simple, yet extraordinary garments … that express the style of the moment”. This undoubtedly applies to this continuously worked day dress with rounded neckline that falls away from the throat, and long straight sleeves. All hems are bound with a narrow diagonal strip of self-same fabric. The dress has no closure and, thanks to the larger neckline, is simply pulled over the head. The smooth surface of the fabric is broken by an expressive chevron pattern in matte satin. Four jagged pairs are “cut” in the front and back of the dress with masterly tailoring and divide the shining elements into a triangle and narrow strips that converge at the skirt and form a box pleat in the front. In the back, however, the bands run straight down. All segments are brought together with the finest seams, barely visible in the reflective surface of the fabric. A looser form, popular around 1926, was achieved with the help of a narrow belt that could be tied at waist level and over which the top of the dress would be slightly bloused.