Coffee Bean Ensemble at Indiana University
I would wear this outfit today because of the print which says something about its appeal. This is a part of the Elizabeth Sage Historic Costume Collection, at Indiana University and dates from the 1930s or possibly late 1920s. Dresses slowly regained normal waistlines after 1930 having lost them entirely during he 1920s or moved them down to the hipline. I got to see it when I visited with the Director/Curator of the collection, Kelly Richardson, which is held down in Bloomington, IN. I got to see their 1930s dresses and I will be sharing more of them on the blog.
This is a jacket-dress combination, a softer ensemble than the tailored suit which means it could look much less serious. The jackets were always loose, like this one, sometimes collared,like this one, sometimes not, and then the dresses could be loose or more fitted. This coffee bean print does make it playful. You can see the the dark cream and brown were reversed, making for two prints, and a harmonious whole.
Taking a closer look at this, we realized that it was of rayon, loosely cut, so that it needed no opening to put on. The front placket with buttons is a trompe l’oeil as it has neither an opening nor buttonholes. Then the neckline is finished with a bias-cut strip of fabric. The skirt flared out from the shaped midriff piece which allowed plenty of room for your legs to move. And then the dress cuff echoed the point on the shaped midriff piece. I always enjoy a close look at vintage fashion because I found them full of choices and techniques that are no longer part of our fashion vocabulary.
For more about the Sage Collection, which is part of the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, go here: https://eskenazi.indiana.edu/exhibitions/sage-collection/index.html
