An intense discussion about the figure-flattering power of the bias cut? Haylynn and Lynn by Arthur Elgort, 1998, offered by Preiss Fine Arts.
Bias-cut: A technique popularized by French couturier Madeleine Vionnet, a bias cut slices fabric in a diagonal direction in order to create garments that gracefully cling to and drape the curves of the body. Cutting garments on a 45-degree-angle allows designers to maximize the stretch of a woven textile. In addition to its flattering drape, a bias-cut dress also offered its wearer ease-of-use: it could be slipped on and off over the head. Under Vionnet’s influence, the bias-cut dress was a signature silhouette of the 1930s. But she was also quick to correct assumptions that she had invented the cut (she had learned the technique during her training with the Callot Soeurs).
