The beaded trim on Fortuny’s Delphos gowns isn’t just decorative.
Silk (or, at least, the silk I used) gets very springy when pleated and stands away from the body. This works against the iconic slim silhouette. The seams need weight to hug the body, and the beads provide the weight.
I used plastic beads on my ages-ago polyester Fortuny but they weren’t hefty enough to do the job. They really need to be glass or clay, and I was determined to use the Murano glass beads Fortuny traditionally used.
Easier said than done.
Almost every original Delphos shows a pale, matte, square bead with subdued stripes, and every modern bead sold as “murano glass” was either the wrong shape, too glossy, or had too much contrast. If they make ’em like they used to, I couldn’t find them. Disappointing. But I found a reasonable alternative.
African gooseberry beads (link is to the ones I ordered, but Google nets a variety of vendors and color combinations) provide an adequate substitute. They’re matte glass and the orange and brown stripes were about as subtle as I could find.
As near as I can tell from examining Fortuny originals, the beads are strung on a cord that is couched to the seam with beads secured at regular intervals. Couching sewing machine feet notwithstanding I am again doing these by hand to avoid crushing these hard to find beads. I’m using a ruler to ensure that they’re evenly spaced.
Of course, as soon as I start this I discover Threads magazine documented a similar technique back in 2014 that eliminates the cord, but I’m continuing with Fortuny’s tried and true.
Love the beads. Those two-colour stripes are a nice visual echo of the pleats in the fabric.
Thank you. Orange isn’t my favorite color, but it sure bounces off blue well!