In the last few weeks everybody has been suggesting us what to wear for the festive season and how to wear it. But, quite often, leafing through old magazines and exploring archives can provide us with very intriguing inspirations or bits and pieces of history that go beyond the mere aesthetic pleasure that a dress can give us. The evening gown matched with a black coat featured in this post was for example designed by Fontana in 1953. It was obviously deemed fashionable for the 1953 festive season, but Italian journalist Irene Brin who wrote about it for an Italian weekly wasn't amazed by its shape, silhouette or decorative motifs.
The fashion critic was indeed more interested in the fabric used to make it: the dress was made with a soft textile called Daino Legler (literally Legler Deer, from the textile manufacturer Legler), similar to what was later called Ultrasuede or Alcantara. The fabric had a deerskin-like quality about it and, in the case of this evening gown, it was used in a bright yellow shade covered in black lace floral appliques. It was the first time that this fabric was applied for a Haute Couture gown.
The coat, that was lined with the same fabric of the dress, was instead made with Velvet Legler, a special type of velvet that Legler had developed that was crease-resistant and uncrushable (at the end of the '50s Legler also developed a durable, stain-resistant and breathable velvet fabric). Happy New Year and...Happy Textile Inspirations!
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