---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I only like decoration if it plays second…"
description: "\"I only like decoration if it plays second to the architecture of a dress,\" — Madeleine Vionnet"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/madeleine-vionnet-50426_architecture_i-only-like-decoration-if-it-plays-secon_2841871.jpg"
---

#  I only like decoration if it plays second to the…

![“I only like decoration if it plays second to the architecture of a dress,” quote by Madeleine Vionnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/madeleine-vionnet-50426_architecture_i-only-like-decoration-if-it-plays-secon_2841871.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/madeleine-vionnet-50426_architecture_i-only-like-decoration-if-it-plays-secon_2841871.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/madeleine-vionnet-50426_architecture_i-only-like-decoration-if-it-plays-secon_2841871.jpg)

> “I only like decoration if it plays second to the architecture of a dress,”

[Madeleine Vionnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-vionnet/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Decoration should support, not dominate, the structural design of a garment, ensuring harmony between embellishment and form.

**In simple terms:** Decoration must follow the dress’s architecture.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize structure before ornamentation.

Themes

design fashion aesthetics

Mood

thoughtful refined

Type

design philosophical

When to use this quote

- runway shows
- personal styling
- fashion education
- design workshops

Key Concepts

form function balance

Questions to Reflect On

- How does ornamentation affect a garment’s silhouette?
- When should decoration be minimized?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on decoration can distract from garment integrity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/)

## Related quotes

> [The aim of art is to create space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-stella/the-aim-of-art-is-to-create-space/)

[Frank Stella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-stella/)

> [Practice design, Not Decoration: Don't just make pretty talking points. Instead, display information in a way that makes complex information clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-duarte/practice-design-not-decoration-don-t-just-make-pretty-talking-points/)

[Nancy Duarte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-duarte/)

> [“Does character develop over time? In novels, of course it does:otherwise there wouldn't be much of a story. But in life? I sometimes wonder.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/does-character-develop-over-time-in-novels-of-course-it-does/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [The drama embraces and applies all the beauties and decorations of poetry. The sister arts attend and adorn it. Painting, architecture, and music are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/the-drama-embraces-and-applies-all-the-beauties-and-decorations-of/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [Decoration Day is the most beautiful of our national holidays… The grim cannon have turned into palm branches, and the shell and shrapnel into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/decoration-day-is-the-most-beautiful-of-our-national-holidays-the/)

[Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/)

> [It is better decoration when, in painting, some monstrosity is introduced for variety and a relaxation of the senses and to attract the attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo/it-is-better-decoration-when-in-painting-some-monstrosity-is/)

[Michelangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo/)

> [Humorists of the 'mere' sort cannot survive. Humor is only a fragrance, a decoration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/humorists-of-the-mere-sort-cannot-survive-humor-is-only-a-fragrance-a/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Love Is the Treasure The temple of love is not love itself; True love is the treasure, Not the walls about it. Do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/love-is-the-treasure-the-temple-of-love-is-not-love-itself-true-love/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [ The combination of an individual\[i.e., a client\] with a positive idea of living and a good designer is the great force in contemporary decoration.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-day-truex/the-combination-of-an-individual-i-e-a-client-with-a-positive-idea-of/)

[Van Day Truex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-day-truex/)

> [Yet he saw that in all places there was originality, resulting from the human efforts at decoration and ingenious methods of survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yet-he-saw-that-in-all-places-there-was-originality-resulting-from/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Men's clothing is more pure in design. It's more simple and has no decoration. Women want that. When I started designing, I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yohji-yamamoto/men-s-clothing-is-more-pure-in-design-it-s-more-simple-and-has-no/)

[Yohji Yamamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yohji-yamamoto/)

> [People live and work in uninspiring environments, but look inside those rooms. Look at the painted walls and the decorations. People rebel even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/people-live-and-work-in-uninspiring-environments-but-look-inside/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [She surrounded herself with books at work and at home. Her living space was a testament to her first and abiding love with shelves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/she-surrounded-herself-with-books-at-work-and-at-home-her-living/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [Les trois quarts de nos exercices intellectuels ne sont plus que broderies sur le vide. Three quarters of our intellectual performances are no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-crayencour/les-trois-quarts-de-nos-exercices-intellectuels-ne-sont-plus-que/)

[Stephanie Crayencour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-crayencour/)

> [Coco Chanel really wanted to have freedom of a man, and at first the only way she could find that freedom was through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-tautou/coco-chanel-really-wanted-to-have-freedom-of-a-man-and-at-first-the/)

[Audrey Tautou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-tautou/)

## More by Madeleine Vionnet

> [Insofar as one can talk of a Vionnet school, it comes mostly from my having been an enemy of fashion. There is something superficial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-vionnet/insofar-as-one-can-talk-of-a-vionnet-school-it-comes-mostly-from-my/)

[Madeleine Vionnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-vionnet/)

> [The couturier should be a geometrician, for the human body makes geometrical figures to which the materials should correspond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-vionnet/the-couturier-should-be-a-geometrician-for-the-human-body-makes/)

[Madeleine Vionnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-vionnet/)

> [If a woman smiles, her dress must also smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-vionnet/if-a-woman-smiles-her-dress-must-also-smile/)

[Madeleine Vionnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-vionnet/)

> [Taste is the feeling that permits one to tell the difference between what is beautiful and what is merely spectacular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-vionnet/taste-is-the-feeling-that-permits-one-to-tell-the-difference-between/)

[Madeleine Vionnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-vionnet/)

> [“When a woman smiles,then her dress should smile to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-vionnet/when-a-woman-smiles-then-her-dress-should-smile-to/)

[Madeleine Vionnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-vionnet/)

> [The dress must not hang on the body but follow its lines. When a woman smiles the dress must smile with her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-vionnet/the-dress-must-not-hang-on-the-body-but-follow-its-lines-when-a-woman/)

[Madeleine Vionnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-vionnet/)

[Explore all 7 Madeleine Vionnet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-vionnet/)

## More Architecture quotes

> [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/)

[Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/)

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [The Parthenon is really only a farmyard over which someone put a roof; colonades and sculptures were added because there were people in Athens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-parthenon-is-really-only-a-farmyard-over-which-someone-put-a-roof/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/)

[Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/)

> [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meier/when-i-am-asked-what-i-believe-in-i-say-that-i-believe-in/)

[Richard Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meier/)

> [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/)

[Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/)

> [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/)

[G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/)

> [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/)

[Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/)

> [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/)

[Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/)

> [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/)

[Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/)

> [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/)

[Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/)

> [Engineering, medicine, business, architecture and painting are concerned not with the necessary but with the contingent - not with how things are but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/engineering-medicine-business-architecture-and-painting-are-concerned/)

[Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/)

[Browse all 3,013 Architecture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I only like decoration if it plays second to the architecture of a dress,",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Madeleine Vionnet"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-vionnet/i-only-like-decoration-if-it-plays-second-to-the-architecture-of-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Architecture"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-vionnet/i-only-like-decoration-if-it-plays-second-to-the-architecture-of-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/madeleine-vionnet-50426_architecture_i-only-like-decoration-if-it-plays-secon_2841871.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/madeleine-vionnet-50426_architecture_i-only-like-decoration-if-it-plays-secon_2841871.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/madeleine-vionnet-50426_architecture_i-only-like-decoration-if-it-plays-secon_2841871.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I only like decoration if it plays second to the architecture of a dress,” — Madeleine Vionnet",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Madeleine Vionnet",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-vionnet/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I only like decoration if it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-vionnet/i-only-like-decoration-if-it-plays-second-to-the-architecture-of-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-vionnet/i-only-like-decoration-if-it-plays-second-to-the-architecture-of-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
