Jean Patou. Black crepe tuxedo-styled evening dress and jacket; white lawn collar and cuffs. France, mid-1930s.

Black crepe dress and jacket with removable white lawn collar and cuffs, the ensemble with tuxedo styling.

This Jean Patou tuxedo style dress and jacket was acquired by the previous owner from its original owner in the 1970s. She had fled from Europe to London in the late 1930s, and throughout her life she continued to wear the couture pieces which she had brought with her. This particular Patou ensemble was a favourite as due to its versatile nature, it could be worn with or without the cuffs and the dress can be worn alone or with the jacket.

The ensemble is based on the idea of a tuxedo with a black crepe dress and jacket with detachable sleeves and collar in white lawn. Since the 1920s designers had been experimenting with the idea of incorporating menswear into fashionable women's dress. The tuxedo as a recognisable form of men's evening attire was a continuing source of inspiration. The V&A holds a 1930s Chanel black sequinned trouser suit worn with white blouse that was made for the fashion editor Diana Vreeland and the style reached its apotheosis in Yves Saint Laurent's famous 'Le Smoking' female tuxedo of the 1960s, that continues to be a popular style in the early 21st century.

This is also a good example of the 'cocktail suit' which emerged as a popular form of evening dress for women in the mid-late 1930s, a look that is most regularly associated with the elaborate versions championed by Elsa Schiaparelli. The house of Patou was at its strongest during the 1930s. The designer died in 1936 but his sister Madeleine continued the business with success.

T.2-2010