The dress was made of rayon jersey, treated in bias cut to fit around the body. The surrounding sash has the effect of highlighting the sleek body. The dress is from Madeleine Vionnet's personal wardrobe.
The bias cut became a useful technique in the 1930s, when consciousness of body line was revived in fashion. As though Vionnet were an anatomist, her grasp of the body's form using her characteristic split line and bias cut fabric personified innovative garments.
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