In the late 1930s, curator James Laver, of the Victoria & Albert Museum, crafted a theory that he would later call the "gap of appreciation." He postulated that a fashion becomes ridiculous 20 years after its debut but quaint by 50, charming at 70, and after 150 years, beautiful.
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Large or elaborate sleeves may signify affluence and status. Sleeves are visible when a wearer is seated at a dinner party. Herrera told the New York Times in 1980, "It’s all in the sleeves . . . They make you important."
Carolina Herrera
Evening dress
Silk peau de soie satin
Fall 1981, USA
The Museum at FIT, 88.105.10
Gift of Carolina Herrera, Ltd.
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