In the 1930’s waist-lines
returned and hems dropped back to the floor for eveningwear. And, undergarments
virtually disappeared from under bias cut dresses featuring low cowl necklines,
body skimming lines, and plunging backs. Weather you were long and lean or
curvy from head to toe, these created a sexy, yet elegant silhouette that
remained popular throughout the 1930’s.
What is the bias? It is the
direction of a piece of woven fabric that is at 45 degrees to its warp
(lengthwise threads that are held in tension on a frame or loom) and weft
threads (thread which is drawn through the warp threads to create cloth.) So,
if a fabric is woven, it has a bias. Cutting fabric along the bias creates
elasticity and fluidity, perfect for the elegant, flowing, form skimming gowns
popular in the 1930’s. According to
the Voguepedia bias-cut styles of the 1930’s had
their origins a decade earlier, when the Parisian couturier Madeleine Vionnet
began experimenting with this tricky line. Cecil Beaton said, “Women dressed by
her were like moving sculptures.” The Voguepedia also points out that the bias cut goes as far back as the
Middle Ages, when men’s linen and wool hosiery was cut on the bias for better
fit. But, as anyone who has watched Jean Harlow or Carole Lombard grace the
silver screen knows, the bias cut’s highest form is in the elegant, and oh so
glamorous satin evening gowns of the 1930’s.
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| JULIE FISHELL as Amanda |
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| JEFFREY BLAIR CORNELL as Elyot and KRISTEN MENGELKOCH as Sibyl |
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| JEFFREY BLAIR CORNELL as Elyot and JULIE FISHELL as Amanda |
