Evening ensemble

Elsa Schiaparelli|House of Lesage

winter 1937–38 · silk, metal · Costume Institute

Schiaparelli designed many two-piece evening ensembles, all of which emphasized the female silhouette. The body-skimming dress, in a rich purple velvet, is complemented by the brashly, whimsically embroidered jacket. In classic Schiaparelli style, the embroidery is worked in pink foil, padded and oversized. Other designers of the period produced evening and dinner suits, but Schiaparelli's versions stand above, simply for their attention to detail and the boldness of the decoration. Here, even the button of the jacket is an avenue for her creativity - a black swan ornament is used instead of another, more typical, closure.

Artist

Elsa Schiaparelli|House of Lesage

Date

winter 1937–38

Medium

silk, metal

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Millicent Huttleston Rogers, 1951