MANTILLE: What a vase has to do with Dior and Balenciaga

But you don't have to choose one or the other. Whether you decorate the vase with a single dramatic flower such as a lily or a dragon flower, or it forms a stand-alone eye-catcher on your sideboard: Trude Petri's classic refers to the experimental design language of the 1950s - and is therefore very much back in fashion. The artist designed it for KPM in 1957 and set new standards with it (as she did with the design of the URBINO collection).

New look meets flamenco

One can begin to grasp what might have inspired Trude Petri to create this unique form by taking a look at the fashion of the era in which it was created. The strongly cinched silhouette of the MANTILLE echoes Christian Dior’s hourglassSilhouette and subtly references the feminine ideal of beauty of the time. As if it were a dancer, the vase’s sweeping lines create the impression of movement. Does this echo the flamenco-inspired evening wear of Cristóbal Balenciaga? The vase’s name might offer a clue, since in Spanish, a “mantilla” is a veil or shawl that covers the head and shoulders. Trude Petri has ingeniously adapted this concept for the vase: the relief, crafted from velvety “ biscuit porcelain,” certainly resembles a carefully draped cloth, creating a striking contrast to the glazed surfaces of the vase’s expansive body. Together, they create a harmonious overall look—and arguably one of the most beautiful forms the designer has ever created for KPM. How would you showcase this work of art—er, the vase?