Coat

Marc Bohan|House of Dior

ca. 1970 · fur, leather · Costume Institute

Since the 1930s the fur of big cats has been employed periodically in fashion. Lending their wearers an erotic and exotic appeal, the bold, graphic nature of their patterns made them especially popular in the 1960s. The 1960s was a period in which art and fashion were aligned, as can be seen in this coat by Marc Bohan for Christian Dior, the spots of which echo the surface kinetics of Op Art. Fashion's employment of the pelts of the ocelot, jaguar, and leopard has, to a large degree, contributed to their current status as endangered species. While the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) prohibits commercial international trade in these animals, they do allow controlled trade in so-called "look-alike species."

Artist

Marc Bohan|House of Dior

Date

ca. 1970

Medium

fur, leather

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Sidney H. Miller, 1980