Evening jacket

Elsa Schiaparelli

ca. 1940 · silk, metal · Costume Institute

The simple cut of this jacket is embellished by the highly textured and visually appealing textile. Schiaparelli often used unusual textured fabrics and embroidery to communicate her design ideas. In this example, she uses brightly colored shiny foil underlays densely covered with vermiculate cord embroidery. The work is highly complex yet glamorous because the foil would catch the light as the wearer moved.

Artist

Elsa Schiaparelli

Date

ca. 1940

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