Coat

Elsa Schiaparelli

1947–49 · wool, silk, cellulose acetate, plastic (polyvinyl acetate) · Costume Institute

In 1949, marketing company A.M. Tenney Associates commissioned French couturiers to design clothing that featured Estron, a new synthetic fiber developed by Tennessee Eastman Corporation. According to a press release about the designs, this example by Schiaparelli was featured in an earlier collection, but was refashioned in the new American fabric. It also exhibits signature Schiaparelli elements, such as inventive cut and offbeat buttons.

Artist

Elsa Schiaparelli

Date

1947–49

Medium

wool, silk, cellulose acetate, plastic (polyvinyl acetate)

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 A.M. Tenney Associates, Inc., 1950