Delphos gown

The Delphos gown is a finely pleated silk dress first created in about 1907 by French designer Henriette Negrin (1877 - 1965) and her husband, Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo (1871–1949).

[4] Working out of a 13th-century Venetian palazzo, Fortuny, a Spanish-born artist turned textile designer, produced garments that the novelist Marcel Proust declared "faithfully antique but markedly original".

[7] Fortuny became famous for his pleated dresses, the "Delphos" and the related "Peplos",[8] adding a short tunic layer meant to resemble the ancient Greek apoptygma.

The beads serve a functional purpose as well as being decorative, as they weigh down the lightweight silk of the garment to ensure a smooth fit enhancing the natural, uncorseted human form beneath.

[18] In a 2015 episode of the British television series Downton Abbey, a character (Lady Mary Crawley, played by Michelle Dockery) wore an authentic Peplos gown on loan from the Fortuny brand.