Suit

Elsa Schiaparelli

summer 1940 · wool · Costume Institute

War was declared on Germany by France and Great Britain in 1939. The couture industry was immediately affected, as workers were called to serve their countries. Collections produced during the war years were often smaller and less ornate. This particular example from Schiaparelli's summer 1940 collection, worn by the ever-chic Millicent Rogers, shows a distinct military silhouette in the double-breasted jacket with vibrant brass buttons emblazoned with the Maltese cross, itself an emblem of Christian warriors. This collection was one of the last before Schiaparelli was forced to leave France for America because of World War II.

Artist

Elsa Schiaparelli

Date

summer 1940

Medium

wool

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