Coat
1936 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Arthur Lasenby Liberty opened his shop in Regent Street in 1875, selling furnishings and gifts, often imported from countries in Asia.The dress department opened in 1884, under the direction of the Aesthetic Movement designer E. W. Godwin, selling artistic styles made from fabrics produced especially for Liberty, such as light washable silks, or velvet, or woven brocade, often inspired by historical fashion and offering an alternative to the unnatural, stiff silhouettes of conventional fashions of the period. The firm opened a branch in Paris in 1890 and Liberty became a significant influence on Western fashion in the early twentieth century.
This evening coat is likely to have been worn over a simple, bias-cut evening dress. It demonstrates that Liberty’s dress and evening wear department was operating towards the top end of the ready-to-wear fashion industry in the 1930s. Surviving Liberty catalogues show that such glamorous evening coats and capes were one of the companies’ specialities, and the V&A already owns several others, dating from the 1890s to the 1920s (see T.80-1963, T.229-1963, T.238-1963, T.238-1985, T.36 and T.37-2007, and T.141-2014). It is designed with extravagantly large, contrasting sleeves, which are reminiscent of medieval dress and also of the aesthetic tea gowns of the 1890s and 1900s, already in the V&A collections (see T.56 and T.57-1976).
This evening coat is likely to have been worn over a simple, bias-cut evening dress. It demonstrates that Liberty’s dress and evening wear department was operating towards the top end of the ready-to-wear fashion industry in the 1930s. Surviving Liberty catalogues show that such glamorous evening coats and capes were one of the companies’ specialities, and the V&A already owns several others, dating from the 1890s to the 1920s (see T.80-1963, T.229-1963, T.238-1963, T.238-1985, T.36 and T.37-2007, and T.141-2014). It is designed with extravagantly large, contrasting sleeves, which are reminiscent of medieval dress and also of the aesthetic tea gowns of the 1890s and 1900s, already in the V&A collections (see T.56 and T.57-1976).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | silk velvet and lamé brocade |
| Brief description | An evening coat of red silk velvet with voluminous sleeves in 'tinsel brocade' |
| Physical description | A full length, trained evening coat of red silk velvet with voluminous sleeves in 'tinsel brocade'. The coat has a large pointed collar and fastens at the waist with a hook and eye, and has a metallic rope and tassel belt. The brocade sleeves are designed with leaves and flowers woven in green and gold thread on a satin ground. The coat is lined with red silk satin. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Alison Gregory |
| Object history | Alison Gregory, the donor of the coat, is the daughter of its original owner, Rosalind Webb. It was given to her mother by her father, Bill Webb, on 21 September 1936, the day of her birth. It was sent to Rosalind at a nursing home in Ewell, Surrey in a Liberty box and has remained in the family ever since. Bill Webb worked as a salesman for Bowmakers, a company which rented out fleets of cars to other businesses. He joined the company (which was owned by a cousin) after he left the army at the end of the First World War, and worked there for the rest of his career, although apparently this was not an enjoyable form of employment, according to his daughter. These details provide useful evidence of the social status of the evening coat’s original owner. The donor has described how the coat was treasured as a prized possession, and worn for going to the theatre and parties. |
| Summary | Arthur Lasenby Liberty opened his shop in Regent Street in 1875, selling furnishings and gifts, often imported from countries in Asia.The dress department opened in 1884, under the direction of the Aesthetic Movement designer E. W. Godwin, selling artistic styles made from fabrics produced especially for Liberty, such as light washable silks, or velvet, or woven brocade, often inspired by historical fashion and offering an alternative to the unnatural, stiff silhouettes of conventional fashions of the period. The firm opened a branch in Paris in 1890 and Liberty became a significant influence on Western fashion in the early twentieth century. This evening coat is likely to have been worn over a simple, bias-cut evening dress. It demonstrates that Liberty’s dress and evening wear department was operating towards the top end of the ready-to-wear fashion industry in the 1930s. Surviving Liberty catalogues show that such glamorous evening coats and capes were one of the companies’ specialities, and the V&A already owns several others, dating from the 1890s to the 1920s (see T.80-1963, T.229-1963, T.238-1963, T.238-1985, T.36 and T.37-2007, and T.141-2014). It is designed with extravagantly large, contrasting sleeves, which are reminiscent of medieval dress and also of the aesthetic tea gowns of the 1890s and 1900s, already in the V&A collections (see T.56 and T.57-1976). |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.75-2016 |
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| Record created | April 15, 2016 |
| Record URL |
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