Coat Dress
mid 1950s (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Michael Donéllan, also known as ‘Michael of Carlos Place’, was born in born in Dublin and trained as a surgeon before becoming a couturier. He started his career at Lachasse and opened his salon ‘Michael’ in Carlos Place in 1953. Michael’s sculptural traditional tailoring with a twist, much admired by French couturiers, earned him the reputation for being ‘the Balenciaga of London’. In the 1960s his influence extended to the high street when he became an adviser to Marks & Spencer and worked to improve the cut and cloth used for mass manufactured clothes.
This bespoke coat dress is a good example of Michael Donellan’s sculptural tailoring and shows the influence of Dior’s 'New Look' in the wide skirt, nipped-in waist and sloping shoulders.
This bespoke coat dress is a good example of Michael Donellan’s sculptural tailoring and shows the influence of Dior’s 'New Look' in the wide skirt, nipped-in waist and sloping shoulders.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | wool; plastic buttons; silk satin lining |
| Brief description | Black tailored coat dress, Michael Donnéllan, mid 1950s |
| Physical description | Tailored coat dress of black wool; double breasted with black plastic buttons and black silk satin lining. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Romayne Wood |
| Summary | Michael Donéllan, also known as ‘Michael of Carlos Place’, was born in born in Dublin and trained as a surgeon before becoming a couturier. He started his career at Lachasse and opened his salon ‘Michael’ in Carlos Place in 1953. Michael’s sculptural traditional tailoring with a twist, much admired by French couturiers, earned him the reputation for being ‘the Balenciaga of London’. In the 1960s his influence extended to the high street when he became an adviser to Marks & Spencer and worked to improve the cut and cloth used for mass manufactured clothes. This bespoke coat dress is a good example of Michael Donellan’s sculptural tailoring and shows the influence of Dior’s 'New Look' in the wide skirt, nipped-in waist and sloping shoulders. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.28-2014 |
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| Record created | December 17, 2013 |
| Record URL |
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