Cocktail dress

Valentina

ca. 1938 · silk · Costume Institute

Igor Kamlukin, Valentina's nephew, gave a group of Valentina's designs and jewelry, most likely from her own wardrobe, to the Brooklyn Museum. This cocktail ensemble exhibits Valentina's inventive personality and her willingness to offer daring and unconventional designs. The bodice, in particular, shows quite a lot of skin for the 1930s, and also shows Valentina's talent for creating distinctive designs that were set apart from other designers of the time.

Artist

Valentina

Date

ca. 1938

Medium

silk

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Igor Kamlukin, 1996