The Adventrue Begins with the Discovery of an Art Deco Fashion Masterpiece
The Mysterious Cape
- Merrily Murray-Walsh
An unexpected discovery of an Art Deco fashion masterpiece at a vintage clothing store begins a decades long adventure. A Cubist inspired design hand embroidered in metallic thread.
The letters hand embroidered on the label are a puzzle. The quest begins to answer three basic questions: where was it made, who made it, and most importantly, who designed it? Eventually a fourth question would need to be answered: what should be the future of the garment?
Slowly the questions turned into answers with the help of museum curators and costume historians from around the world. The life and work of a largely forgotten artist, an emigrant to Paris between the World Wars, was revealed. An artist transformed into a visionary star of the avant-garde.
2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Art Deco movement. 2025 also marks the 100th birthday of the garment. Hopefully 2025 also will mark the rediscovery of a remarkably multi-faceted and visionary designer.
(detail of embroidery)
The Mysterious Cape