All the sparkly dresses

As promised last week. Click on any of the images to enlarge them.

Shimmer and Shine: Beaded Evening Dresses 1920 - 1940 is the new costume display in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. It consists of 14 dresses from the National Museums Liverpool collection, mostly from the 1920s but with a few from the 1930s as well.

Part of the display

As an aside - the display is in the Craft and Design gallery, and as is apparent in the image above, it is all in glass cases. This meant that I had to contend with reflections when taking pictures - the bane of my life when taking exhibition photos for this blog! A number of the dresses were impossible to photograph well enough to use the pictures, so this post concentrates on the ones which I could photograph.

Many of what are now considered the archetypal beaded dresses of the 1920s originally came in 'kit form'; panels which could be bought ready-beaded such as this one, and then made up into a dress by a local dressmaker.

Silk crepe panel with beads and imitation pearls, 1925-30

While the dress panel was obviously dress-shaped, other pieces in the exhibition were far simpler, and clearly designed to be worn over a slip.

Showing the modern reproduction slip underneath

Silk net with beads and sequins, 1920-24

This one was more substantial. The exhibition notes speculated that it might have been designed for an older woman. Although sleeveless, it had an interesting detail around the armhole.

Silk marocain with clear beads, 1922-25

Armhole detail

The dress next to it did have sleeves, but they weren't original. They had been added, complete with beaded trim, at some time in the 1930s.

Silk georgette with silver beads, 1924

Beaded rayon sleeve added 1932-34

This red and black dress was one of my favourites, probably because of the colours. It has red vermicelli beading on the bodice, a band of red and black beaded motifs, and then black beading in a geometric design on the skirt.

Silk net with glass beads, 1921-23

Vermicelli beading on the bodice

Densely beaded circle motifs

More structured design on the skirt

Most of the dresses appear to be, like the beaded sample, entirely flat front and back. They have no bodice shaping, and no fullness in the skirt. This did make me wonder how easy or otherwise it was to display them. After all, a rigid mannequin can be padded out if necessary, but its bust cannot be flattened to replicate the effect of this c1925 corset in Corsets and Crinolines.

Corsetry to achieve the desired tubular shape

These two dresses do at least have a small amount of gathering in the skirt.

Cotton net with beads and sequins, 1925-28

Cotton with white glass beads, 1925-26

If the red and black dress was a favourite because of the colours, this dress was a favourite despite being a colour which would do me few favours. Rather than an overall beaded design, it is dotted with beaded sprigs of flowers, and has chequerboard details at the neckline and hem.

Silk georgette with coloured beads, 1925-30

Close-up of one of the floral sprigs

Squares on orange at the neck

And alternating with black at the hem

The only 1930s dress which I was able to photograph was this pale green sequined one. The sequins were clearly sewn on in a curved design to complement the shape of the dress.

Cotton net with sequins, 1930-35

Back view showing undecorated fabric

The rest of the gallery holds the permanent display of craft and design items, including some of the etched panels from this mirror made for the ocean liner Mauretania.

The mirror in situ in the Cabin Class restaurant

The panels are displayed next to one of the exhibition cases, so I was able to photograph the dresses reflected in the mirror.

Art Deco dresses reflected in an Art Deco mirror

Shimmer and Shine runs until autumn 2023.