Evening ensemble

Jeanne Lanvin|House of Lanvin

spring/summer 1935 · silk · Costume Institute

Jeanne Lanvin was apprenticed to a milliner and a dressmaker before opening her own millinery shop in 1889. She expanded into dressmaking when her clients began asking for the ensembles in which she adorned her daughter, Marguerite di Pietro (1897-1958). Her style embodied the femininity of youth in a most modern way with meticulous and relatively sparse surface embellishments and robe de style silhouettes, which could be worn by women of all ages. Lanvin's aptitude can be seen through her house's 1920s expansion into fur, lingerie, men's wear, household goods and perfume. She even had the forethought to open her own dye factory which produced the inimitable 'Lanvin blue.' The longevity of the House of Lanvin can be credited to her attentive management and design standards from its inception. This kimono-style dress expresses Lanvin's interests in combining cultures in her designs. She was an avid collector of inspiration pieces from across her own country as well as other countries and continents, with many extant garments and prints from Japan. The influence these pieces played on her designs can be seen throughout her body of work.

Artist

Jeanne Lanvin|House of Lanvin

Date

spring/summer 1935

Medium

silk

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 Ogden Goelet, Peter Goelet and Madison Clews in memory of Mrs. Henry Clews, 1960