Artwork
Tailleur prince-de-galles marron
Tailleur prince-de-galles marron is a drawing by Carven. It dates from 1959 and is held in the collection of the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
About this work
Overview
Tailleur prince‑de‑galles marron is a mid‑20th‑century illustration produced by the French fashion house Carven around 1959. The image, catalogued as an artwork, is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography. It depicts a woman dressed in a brown plaid ensemble, accompanied by a separate line drawing of the jacket alone.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a woman wearing a coordinated suit composed of a jacket and skirt, both rendered in a muted brown check pattern. Her hair is neatly pulled back, and she adopts a confident pose with one hand placed on her hip, suggesting poise and the emerging autonomy of women’s fashion in the post‑war era.
Technique & Style
The composition combines a realistic rendering of the model with a schematic, single‑line illustration of the jacket, highlighting both the garment’s silhouette and its textile texture. The plaid pattern consists of small, tightly arranged squares that create a subtle, tactile surface, while the overall design remains restrained, devoid of ornamental embellishments.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1959, the piece reflects Carven’s contribution to ready‑to‑wear fashion during a period of rapid change. It entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings, where it is preserved as an example of mid‑century clothing illustration and its role in documenting cultural dress practices.
Context
The illustration belongs to a broader visual record of women’s apparel in the 1950s, a decade marked by the transition from wartime austerity to more refined, yet still functional, styles. The brown plaid suit exemplifies the modest palette and structured tailoring that characterized the era’s everyday wear.
Artist & collection
Artist
These delicate ink-on-paper drawings capture the quiet poetry of everyday things: pinecones, reeds, apples.
Museum
Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris
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