Evening dress

House of Drécoll|Mme. Marguerite de Wagner

1913–14 · silk, rhinestones · Costume Institute

Drécoll was founded in 1896 by Christof von Drécoll in Vienna, Austria where he designed fashions for the Imperial family of Austria. In 1902, a couture house was opened in Paris and run by Monsieur and Madame Besancon de Wagner. Their daughter Maggie Rouff was a talented designer, working for the house first and then later managing the business with her husband Pierre beginning in 1929. Eventually, the house merged with the House of Beer and then in 1931 they merged with the House of Agnes, closing in 1963. The visual presence of this dress is stunning. The rhinestone work is particularly refined, and the complexity of layered materials is indicative of the period. By layering such luxurious fabrics, multiple visual effects are created on the garment.

Artist

House of Drécoll|Mme. Marguerite de Wagner

Date

1913–14

Medium

silk, rhinestones

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 the estate of Mrs. William H. Crocker, 1954