Paul Van Loo, Sketch from 1911 Ink and watercolor drawing on paper - costume models

Paul Van Loo, Haute Couture Sketches, 1911. Drawing in ink and watercolor on paper of costume models. This sketch comes from a collection of 15 drawings and bears the signature Van Loo in the lower left corner. It originates from a private residence in Milan and is in perfect condition. The sheet is unmounted and unframed.

The design comes from the Liberty era and depicts two elegant ladies dressed in sophisticated clothing and accessories. 

Particularly noteworthy is the elegance of these stunning silhouettes, emphasized by the bold and confident features characteristic of the fashion designer, a professional of the time. 

In fashion design, new projects are presented as hand-drawn sketches before being cut and sewn. The fashion designer first creates the figure, the feminine image, which reproduces the shape of the wearer—realistically looking, posing, perhaps inserted into an everyday context, such as these walking figures, a context that best illustrates dresses, hats, shoes, and other accessories. 

These refined Art Nouveau and Art Deco style designs, as well as very rare and collectible pieces, perfect for studio decor, reflect an elegant, affluent world full of perspectives and help recreate the fascinating transformations that took place in costume fashion of those times, where women's fashion, reflecting women's emancipation, adapted to more functional and sporty clothing. 

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