Martin Battersby - Art Deco Fashion (1974)

Martin Batterie commence son texte par les mots suivants : "In no other country has fashion been taken so seriously as in France. For many generations Paris was the artistic centre of France, the magnet attracting talent from the rest of the country and often from abroad. So the supremacy of Paris at the turn of the century in one of the most important branches of the decorative arts was a matter of pride to be jealously guarded and upheld. The rest of the western world looked to Paris as a source of new fashions and new variations on old themes. Nowhere else could be found such a concentration of talents dedicated to the enhancement of the female sex, of artists who could apply their fastidious skills to the creation of a dress 'embodying a harmony and rhythm of line and colour'-a work of art in every detail of design and craftsmanship. An ensemble from one of the great couturiers was a reflection of the spirit of the time and as changes in thoughts and attitudes occurred they found an echo in fashion. Added to this was an element of fantasy often bordering on the perverse by means of which the humdrum realities of everyday life were transformed and enlivened."