Cristobal Balenciaga
Striped Taffeta dress
circa 1945
A marvel of understated casual class. Swathing the female frame in sweeping, slightly sloping stripes, the structure of this day-wear dress acts to strengthen and elongate a lady’s gestures (and especially her strides) with but a flit and a flutter of the uncanny texture of taffeta. With just a step or a readjustment of the leg, the folds of this type of textile pleasingly chafe alongside one another with a crisp vigour to match the boldly stretching and yawning stripes throughout. And as a ribbon would securely clutch together the stems of a bouquet of striated tulips, so does the satin belt nip the waist of this seemingly many-petaled creation, leaving at liberty the drooping sleeves to sway with natural ease.
