Evening blouse

Elsa Schiaparelli

winter 1936–37 · silk · Costume Institute

The aesthetic of this striking blouse draws from Middle Eastern dress, particularly the keyhole neck edged with intricate embroidery, reminiscent of Arabic or Persian calligraphy, and the unfitted, slightly T-shaped construction. As Dilys Blum points out in her book on Schiaparelli's career, "Shocking! The Art and Life of Elsa Schiaparelli," many designs from Schiaparelli's collections during this period had a Persian influence, inspired by the 1935 name change of Persia to Iran.

Artist

Elsa Schiaparelli

Date

winter 1936–37

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 Millicent Huttleston Rogers, 1951