Wraps
1907 · New York
New York: Max Grab Fashion Co. Josef Eberle, printer, 1907. Wraps. Very Good. Elephantine Folio. 43 by 32 cm. [2 pp. illustrated ads], 8 pp., followed by 11 color plates, two of which are two paged. Excepting the two double paged plates, the plates also have b/w insets of rear views of the gowns being showcased, and on the versos of five of the plates are b/w fashion details and variants. (The other plates are blank on the versos.) One of the plates is an extra plate, not printed with this issue of the Chic Parisien. The American edition of the magazine was issued monthly, with two special supplements per year, issued in March and September. The issue here is one such supplement, issued in September (undated, but the text refers to the 1907 to 1908 season). Scarce, possibly because Max Grab was a retailer and so this was in a sense a cross between a magazine and a trade catalogue. The gowns, furs, and big, bold feathered hats are elegant, luxuriant and spectacular. The clothes were intended for the wealthy ladies to wear to balls, casinos, sporting events, luncheons, shopping and other outings, and the designs were entirely directed towards beauty. There was as yet no hint of rebellion, edginess, or slumming in the creations. Yet while dressy, many of the designs have simple, flattering lines, and many of the designs looked compatible with activity -- these are not uncomfortable, constraining garments to all appearances. One sees in the models, also, that a slender figure was gaining favor; no longer was the plumpness of the late 19th c;entury being idealized. Light wear. Two tape repairs at spine tips.
(Inventory #: 003413)