Knossos scarf
Fortuny’s first garment: a rectangular silk scarf printed with Cycladic patterns, to wrap round the body.
The Knossos scarf was first used in a dance performance in 1907 and became, with the Delphos dress, Fortuny’s signature. It was worn over pleated dresses. Examples are in the Museo Fortuny and the Metropolitan Museum.
Materials: Silk gauze printed with metallic pigments
Manufacture: A single length of cloth block-printed in Fortuny’s studio, without seams or cutting.
The geometric patterns borrowed from ancient Crete.
The garment is just a rectangle – its form comes from how it is worn.