Delphos Gown - History

History

Working out of a 13th-century Venetian palazzo, Fortuny, a Spanish-born artist turned textile designer, produced garments that the novelist Marcel Proust declared "faithfully antique but markedly original". The "Delphos" was a deliberate reference to the chiton of ancient Greece and meant to be worn without undergarments, since the chiton was itself a form of underwear, a radical suggestion during the early years of the 20th century. This earned it the description 'lingerie dress'.

Fortuny became famous for his pleated dresses, the "Delphos" and the related "Peplos". The exact method of pleating was a closely guarded secret involving heat, pressure and ceramic rods, which has never been replicated. On both types of dresses, glass Murano beads are strung on a silk cord along each side seam. These beads are functional as well as ornamental since they serve as anchors for the lightweight silk of the garment and provide the wearer with a smooth and graceful appearance. These romantic gowns with their free flowing characteristics were a radical departure from their constricting predecessors. They were loose and lightweight and emphasised the female contour.

Although the "Delphos" eventually become formal wear, with Lauren Bacall wearing a vintage red Delphos to the 1978 Oscars, it was originally intended as a form of casual clothing.

Delphos gowns were imported into Paris by the fashion house Babani which sold them to actresses such as Eleonora Duse.