The Circus Collection
- Object:
- Place of origin:
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
Schiaparelli, Elsa, born 1890 - died 1973 (designer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Silk twill, fastened with cast metal buttons
- Credit Line:
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
- Image in copyright
Four acrobat buttons leap from this bright pink fitted jacket by Schiaparelli. The silk twill has a woven repeating pattern of rearing horses in two shades of blue. Their saddles, manes and plumes are picked out in metallic thread.
The jacket was originally worn with a dark purple crêpe evening dress with a draped hem. The ensemble formed part of Schiaparelli's Circus collection of 1938. It has been described as the most riotous and swaggering fashion show that Paris had ever seen. It had a million novelty effects, including prancing dogs and horses, grey elephants, spotlit acrobats, tents and clowns.
Schiaparelli commissioned extravagant and decorative buttons for her distinctive outfits. These handmade, cast metal acrobats are full of vitality and humour. Brass screws attach the heavy buttons through the cloth on to industrial slide hooks. This was an extremely novel fastening. Other unusual buttons in Schiaparelli's fashion ranges included feathers, locks, paperweights, chains, animals and lollipops.
Physical description
Evening ensemble consisting of silk twill dress and jacket.
[Jacket] Bright pink, fitted jacket with four acrobat buttons. The silk twill has a repeating pattern of rearing horses woven in two shades of blue, their saddles, manes and plumes picked out in metallic thread.
[Dress] Purple evening dress with draped culotte hem which has openings for the feet.
Place of Origin
Paris, France (made)
Date
February 1938 (made)
Artist/maker
Schiaparelli, Elsa, born 1890 - died 1973 (designer)
Materials and Techniques
Silk twill, fastened with cast metal buttons
Object history note
Ref. Paris Centre de Documentation de Costume, Schiaparelli, Album no 19, 1938, p.41 (although jacket has a different pattern)
Given by Miss Ruth Ford and worn by her mother
Published on pg. 94 Modern Fashion in Detail
Placement of fabric animates the horses –appearing to dance around the jacket. There are also horses on the interior collar facing. Horses very similar to ornamental buttons on maroon Circus Collection jacket with marble decoration
Photo Notes:
Button detail: method of closure – spiral hooks, cast metal buttons
Button closure detail: hardware with hooks attaching acrobat ornamental buttons with screws
T.395A-1974
Dhoti dress (Purple crepe evening dress with Dhoti Skirt)
Could be worn both as a conventional skirt (legs through bottom opening) or as a dhoti (legs through side holes)
Photo Notes:
Right leghole: conventional hem Schiaparelli’s hems rarely looked like this
Covered zipper: has a placket and hooks and eyes that cover it up
Jan G. Reeder, Curator, The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Taken May, 2011, Compiled September, 2011
Descriptive line
Evening ensemble consisting of silk twill dress and jacket, 'The Circus Collection', designed by Schiaparelli, Paris, February 1938.
Exhibition History
Fashion: an anthology by Cecil Beaton (Victoria and Albert Museum 01/01/1972-31/12/1972)
Surreal Things (Minneapolis Institute of Arts 01/01/2002-16/05/2010)
Surreal Things (Dallas Museum of Art 04/10/2009-24/01/2010)
Surreal Things (Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto 01/09/2005-30/08/2009)
Subjects depicted
Horse; Acrobats
Categories
Clothing; Fashion; Evening wear
Production Type
Haute couture
Collection code
T&F
