Fortuny patented a pleat no one has copied since 1909
Fortuny's 1909 patent for the Delphos told you it used heat and pressure but not how, and the exact process has never been fully reproduced. The pleats were set so tightly that owners kept the dress twisted into a coil in a small box, a habit the V&A still follows, rolling its Delphos gowns into snail shapes so the pleats keep their spring.
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The post, as it ran
01IN 1909 MARIANO FORTUNY PATENTED A PLEATED SILK GOWN,
THE DELPHOS, AND THEN LEFT THE ACTUAL METHOD OUT OF
THE PATENT. IT HAS NEVER BEEN FULLY REPLICATED SINCE.
02THE DELPHOS FELL LIKE THE FOLDS ON AN ANCIENT GREEK
STATUE, A SINGLE COLUMN OF FINELY PLEATED SILK. WE KNOW
IT USED HEAT, PRESSURE AND HEATED RODS. THE REST STAYED IN HIS VENICE WORKSHOP.
03THE PLEATS WERE SO FINE THE WHOLE DRESS COULD BE
TWISTED AND COILED INTO A SMALL BOX BETWEEN WEARS.
04A CENTURY ON, MUSEUMS LIKE THE V&A STILL STORE THEM
COILED, AND THE EXACT PROCESS IS STILL UNSOLVED.