Klimko
Jacket and Hat
ca. 1938

Name: Jacket and Hat
Brand: Klimko
Price: 575 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Klimko (signed) USA, c1938 Watercolor over pencil. Fashion has influenced men and women, kings and queen, rich and poor throughout time. Tumultuous as any history, the beginning of the 20th century saw yet another revolution in the style of dress. The most famous name in fashion design became Coco Chanel. Her creations were known around the world. European and American designers alike drew – quite literally – from her formidable talents. The art of fashion design is first conceived by the imagination; only then can it be translated into fabrics. Along the way various sketches fly across the pages to "try on" various details, the flip of a hem, and the trim on a sleeve. At last, when all is complete to the satisfaction of the designer whose name it will bear, it is committed to paper in exacting detail in color and proportion. Watercolor renderings are the completed illustrations representing the magnificent collections. It was from these pages that women, or men, of fortune (or luck) would select the creations which would enhance the image they choose to express to the world. The fashions are drawn on watercolor paper in graphite, inked by hand and finally the paints are applied. Each outfit is painstakingly detailed with embroidery, beaded or fur trims. Accessories (hats, gloves, shoes, jewels) are chosen as compliments. And finally, it is the pose and countenance of the mannequin which expresses the whim of the designer and his inexhaustible imagination. Klimko was one of the many and talented fashion illustrators in the United States in the 1930’s. We see in these works a great celebration of color and fluidity in the women’s hats and dresses while the menswear has a confident virility fitting of the time. In both cases it was a dramatic change. The post-war generation in American was heavily influenced by the sense of style and flair found on the continent. ‘Keeping them down on the farm’, in all senses of the phrase, was almost impossible after exposure to the life-styles found in the cities of Europe. An international sense of fashion was established in the world. New hair, new cars, new clothes; after all, it was the 20th Century!

Creator:

Klimko (American)

Creation Year:

ca. 1938

Dimensions:

Height: 22 in (55.88 cm)Width: 18.25 in (46.36 cm)

Medium:

Watercolor

Movement & Style:

Academic

Period:

1930-1939

Condition:

Clean, crisp image. Beautiful watercolor rendering. Framed to museum specifications using archival matting, backing, hinging. Linen mat. Glazed with ultra-violet filtering Plexiglas.

Gallery Location:

Florham Park, NJ

Reference Number:

Seller: 2015 04-08-151stDibs: LU652325842

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