Between Wars: Modernity and Materials

The interwar period saw explosive fashion innovation. Coco Chanel's use of jersey—previously relegated to men's underwear—required developing new cutting and construction techniques. Jersey's stretch demanded different approaches to fit and movement. Chanel's workshops pioneered techniques now standard in knitwear construction. Her innovation lay not in inventing materials but reimagining their possibilities.

Madeleine Vionnet revolutionized construction through geometry. Her bias-cut dresses, seemingly simple, required profound understanding of fabric behavior. Cutting fabric at 45-degree angles to the grain created stretch and drape but demanded precise calculation to prevent distortion. Vionnet worked with quarter-scale wooden dolls, developing patterns through three-dimensional experimentation. Her techniques influenced not just fashion but industrial pattern-making.

Elsa Schiaparelli brought surrealism to fashion but also serious innovation. Her collaboration with textile manufacturers produced new synthetic materials. The "glass" cape made from Rhodophane (a cellulose derivative) pushed material boundaries. Her use of zippers as decoration rather than hidden fasteners challenged construction orthodoxy. Schiaparelli proved fashion could be both fantastical and technically progressive.

The period's innovations extended beyond garments. French perfumers like François Coty industrialized fragrance production while maintaining quality. The development of synthetic aromatics—previously expensive natural extracts could be recreated chemically—democratized perfume. Chanel No. 5, launched in 1921, used synthetic aldehydes creating entirely new olfactory experiences. Chemistry became fashion's invisible accessory.