Evening dress

House of Drécoll

1924 · silk, leather · Costume Institute

Drécoll was founded in 1896 by Christoff 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. This evening dress is an excellent example of the designs produced by the House of Drécoll. Fine workmanship is expressed in the perfect piecing of the stripes and the detailed appliqué. The tubular silhouette is of the period, as well as the high hemline, revealing much of the leg. This dress evokes the idea of modernity that was being promoted by many designers during the twenties.

Artist

House of Drécoll

Date

1924

Medium

silk, leather

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. James S. Croll, 1952