6. 1926 Wedding Dress of Gertrude Tomson Fortna

ID#: VC2004001
Date: 1926
Materials: silk satin

One popular look of the 1920’s was the “robe de style.” This particular dress has its origins in the haute couture atelier of Jeanne Lanvin, one of the premier female haute couture designers of the time.  The robe de style shared some features with the iconic “Roaring Twenties” fashion seen in Leontine Kennedy McPhillips’ dress (#1), but in terms of the skirt, the lines changed.  The robe de style featured a full, voluminous skirt, starting low on the hips (at the dropped waist) and continuing down nearly to the floor.  Indeed, as noted by Vogue in "Fashion: A Guide to Chic for the Bride" on April 1, 1925,  “The robe de style is at its charming best for the average young girl.  In fact, if you’re still at all able to see yourself as the typical bride of romance, Vogue urges you not to consider any other kind of dress, for nothing is more picturesque, more lovely.”

Gertrude Tomson Fortna (mother of Robert Fortna, Vassar College Professor of Religion Emeritus) wore this dress for her wedding to Ralph Edward Fortna, December 27, 1926 at home in Lincoln, Nebraska.

- Becca Endicott (Vassar class of 2014) and Holly Hummel (Vassar College Drama Department faculty emerita)