Date: c. 1930s
Origin: Great Britain
Fabric: Silk crêpe
Brand: Custom made
A pair of silk crêpe tap pants that look deceptively simple, but are in fact an excellent example of understated design with exceptional craftsmanship. They are fitted to the waist with two darts at the back of the garment. An angular gusset panel is inserted so smoothly stitched that it looks like a continuation of the main body fabric. The hem is finished with a zigzag shaped facing that follows through uninterrupted onto the gusset panel. The waistband is finished with a binding that is machine stitched and then hand finished on the interior. There is a popper fastening at the left side seam. The side seams are stitched as French seams, and the gusset seams are hand finished with a whipstitch.
The sides of the garment and the facing join are embellished with incredibly intricate drawn thread work embroidery. This technique is achieved by literally drawing apart the individual threads within the fabric weave, and requires a phenomenal amount of skill and time to achieve at this level.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska
