Dress #056: 1940s cocktail dress in black and gold Whale with each edged in Japanese

with each edged in Japanese tissue to imitate the floating layers of the original

One of the funniest things about old natural history illustrations are the number of animals that were obviously drawn from descriptions

Based on an 1883 illustration of The Flamingo from ’Reptiles and Birds: A Popular Account of Their Various Orders

This sweater is based on a golf jersey design from the 1898 Spencer

This hand-stitched Victorian paper gown is based on an American mourning dress from 1872-1874

Dress #056: 1940s cocktail dress in black and gold Whale with each edged in JapaneseThis hand stitched black and gold paper dress is based on a cocktail dress designed by British born American designer Charles James in 1949. It is made from black chiyogami (Japanese) paper that is accented with a pattern of gold twigs. Hand embroidered lines imitate the seams and folds of the dress. It is stitched onto cold pressed 100% cotton paper. The original dress is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession 2009. 300. 200). Charles