Delphos tunic dress

Mariano Fortuny was a multifaceted creative talent. Trained in his youth as a painter, he became interested in the decorative arts and commenced a career in the fashion world. His knowledge of fabrics and fashion history enabled him to replicate in his designs various techniques he observed in ancient costumes and ceramics, creating fashion that was ahead of its time. Fortuny designed costumes for the Paris Opera, of note among which is the Knossos veil. His work served as a model and an inspiration for many of his contemporaries. In 1909 he created the Delphos tunic, one of his most famous and most innovative pieces, and sparked a revolution. The Delphos tunic broke away from the prevailing feminine silhouette of its time to express a new ideal of woman liberated from the corset. Fortuny demonstrated a radically innovative
understanding of fashion in garments characterized by their functionality and timelessness.