The Tirocchi Collection: Robes
Subject
Textiles and Fashion
Title
The Tirocchi Collection: Robes
Date
1915 - 1947
Description
Overview -
The Tirocchi Collection at the University of Rhode Island consists of well over 1000 objects including dresses, unfinished “robes,” one-yard lengths of fabric, and fragments. These artifacts were acquired in 1990 after URI partnered with the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art to accession items from a defunct dressmakers’ shop in Providence, Rhode Island. Anna and Laura Tirocchi, immigrants from Rome, Italy, settled in Providence and opened their shop in the Federal Hill district in 1915. When Anna died in 1947, Laura closed the shop, and it remained untouched until 1989.
Tirocchi Collection Robes -
The Tirocchi sisters made dresses, blouses, and coats with imported "robes" from Paris, which are defined as pre-embellished lengths of fabric, as a competitive strategy against the advancing ready-made industry. These robes arrived folded together and sewn to a low thread count strip of fabric with a tag identifying the country of origin and importer. They included plain fabric for a slip and fabric with the ornamentation already completed that required minimal stitching to create a garment. They often purchased robes from the Harry Angelo Company, who imported them from France.
Harry Angelo Company sent representatives to Paris to purchase the rights to the latest couture designs, and brought them back to the United States to re-sell. Paris fashions previously only available to the wealthiest dressmaking establishments, and guarded closely for fear of copying, became available to all manner of dressmaker through showings in New York, along with published model books containing illustrations and descriptions of styles. This dissemination of Paris fashions leveled the playing field for dressmakers by eliminating the cost of overseas travel.
The unfitted, tubular shape of 1920s fashions made construction especially simple. These robes are now rare artifacts in historic costume and textile collections, and little is published about them. Hilary Baker's thesis examined robes and extant garments from the Tirocchi collections housed in the Historic Textile and Costume Collection and in the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, and evaluated their use as a strategy in dressmaking businesses. The Tirocchi's use of robes as a competitive business strategy against the ready-made industry was short-lived. Anna and Laura used robes most heavily during the fall of 1922 through 1923, after which the sisters increasingly relied on the sale of ready-made rather than custom-made garments.
The twelve robes displayed here are from the Historic Textile and Costume Collection at URI. The information is extracted from Hilary Baker's thesis cited below.
For more about the Tirocchi dressmaker’s shop, see the website “A. & L. Tirocchi Dressmakers Project” developed by the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art and stored on Brown University’s server.
The Tirocchi Collection at the University of Rhode Island consists of well over 1000 objects including dresses, unfinished “robes,” one-yard lengths of fabric, and fragments. These artifacts were acquired in 1990 after URI partnered with the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art to accession items from a defunct dressmakers’ shop in Providence, Rhode Island. Anna and Laura Tirocchi, immigrants from Rome, Italy, settled in Providence and opened their shop in the Federal Hill district in 1915. When Anna died in 1947, Laura closed the shop, and it remained untouched until 1989.
Tirocchi Collection Robes -
The Tirocchi sisters made dresses, blouses, and coats with imported "robes" from Paris, which are defined as pre-embellished lengths of fabric, as a competitive strategy against the advancing ready-made industry. These robes arrived folded together and sewn to a low thread count strip of fabric with a tag identifying the country of origin and importer. They included plain fabric for a slip and fabric with the ornamentation already completed that required minimal stitching to create a garment. They often purchased robes from the Harry Angelo Company, who imported them from France.
Harry Angelo Company sent representatives to Paris to purchase the rights to the latest couture designs, and brought them back to the United States to re-sell. Paris fashions previously only available to the wealthiest dressmaking establishments, and guarded closely for fear of copying, became available to all manner of dressmaker through showings in New York, along with published model books containing illustrations and descriptions of styles. This dissemination of Paris fashions leveled the playing field for dressmakers by eliminating the cost of overseas travel.
The unfitted, tubular shape of 1920s fashions made construction especially simple. These robes are now rare artifacts in historic costume and textile collections, and little is published about them. Hilary Baker's thesis examined robes and extant garments from the Tirocchi collections housed in the Historic Textile and Costume Collection and in the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, and evaluated their use as a strategy in dressmaking businesses. The Tirocchi's use of robes as a competitive business strategy against the ready-made industry was short-lived. Anna and Laura used robes most heavily during the fall of 1922 through 1923, after which the sisters increasingly relied on the sale of ready-made rather than custom-made garments.
The twelve robes displayed here are from the Historic Textile and Costume Collection at URI. The information is extracted from Hilary Baker's thesis cited below.
For more about the Tirocchi dressmaker’s shop, see the website “A. & L. Tirocchi Dressmakers Project” developed by the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art and stored on Brown University’s server.
http://tirocchi.stg.brown.edu
See also Susan Hay (ed.), From Paris to Providence: Fashion, Art, and the Tirocchi Dressmakers’ Shop, 1915-1947 (Providence: Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, 2000).
Hilary S. Baker. The Use of “Robes” by American Dressmakers: A. & L. Tirocchi, Providence, Rhode Island. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Rhode Island, 2014. Available through Digital Commons http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/290
Source
Donor: Louis J. Cella, Jr.
Contributor
Hilary S. Baker, MS '14
Collection Items
Robe
Robe of voided velvet attached to gray silk crepe. The black voided velvet fabric is in a leaf pattern with printed dots; seed beads and embroidery at one end. The gray silk crepe, intended to be the lining, is printed with "Pure Dye" along one…
Robe
Brown silk with orange, dark and light blue embroidery in a geometric pattern. This robe has a Harry Angelo Company tag identifying it as a Berthe model coat 152/2 priced at $125 though the backside of the tag is marked $75. The embroidery at the…
Robe
Black silk crepe and black velvet featuring black machine embroidery in a stylized floral pattern. A Harry Angelo Company tag is attached to the accompanyiing unadorned black silk crepe fabric. The tag reads "No. 4113/1;Pc. No. 52700; Yds. 2; Plan…
Robe
Gray-green silk crepe with silver painted appliques and black silk embroidery in a design influenced by Art Deco. The outline of the bodice is clearly visible. Features a "Made in France" label.
Robe
Off-white silk crepe with silk embroidery thread. Openwork, satin stitch, blanket stitch. Floral pattern with radiating linens of silk embroidery. Harry Angelo Company tag reads "No. 5010; 2?".
Robe
(a) Red silk crepe with ribbon applilqued onto net ground in a floral pattern, with appliqued border placed directly beneath the buckram band. (b) Accompanied by a length of red silk crepe. This length would have been used for the unadorned parts of…
Robe
Off-white cotton fabric featuring round medallion motifs chain-stitched in teal, dark and light blue, orange, red and cream embroidery floss, attached with bridges (or brides) made from silk embroidery floss.
Robe
Green-brown silk crepe with chain stitched gold metallic yarn and light brown silk embroidery and imitation Venetian machine-made lace inserts; unadorned length of green-brown silk crepe fabric.
Robe
These two pieces are identical robes; the upper left picture shows a robe still sewn to a buckram band and the upper right picture is a robe that has been removed from its band. Each piece is off-white plain-weave silk crepe featuring a chinoiserie…
Robe
Cream silk crepe with light blue appliques featuring yellow, light and dark green, and red chain stitched flowers and houses, with an unadorned length of cream crepe fabric. This robe has a Harry Angelo Company tag identifying it as model set 148/1…