Fashion Design
ca. 1927 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Design by Victor Stiebel for an evening gown in black and silver with an appliqué or embroidered snake coiled round it from an uneven hem to bodice. The inside of the dress is lined in green and contrasts with the black exterior. The dress has a square neck line with large shoulder straps. The model is wearing a pearl choker with matching earrings and bracelet. The short bob hair cut with a fringe was typical of the era. There is a slight sketch for a dress on the mount of this design.
Victor Steibel was born in South Africa. He moved to London in 1924 to study at Cambridge. Following an apprenticeship with the Reville and Rossiter fashion house, he opened his own Bruton Street couture house in 1932. After the Second World War he worked with Jacqmar and reopened his couture house in Cavendish Square in 1958. Steibel was a highly successful British designer, celebrated for his stylish feminine clothing, striped fabrics and evening wear.
Victor Steibel was born in South Africa. He moved to London in 1924 to study at Cambridge. Following an apprenticeship with the Reville and Rossiter fashion house, he opened his own Bruton Street couture house in 1932. After the Second World War he worked with Jacqmar and reopened his couture house in Cavendish Square in 1958. Steibel was a highly successful British designer, celebrated for his stylish feminine clothing, striped fabrics and evening wear.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | bodycolour |
| Brief description | Design for a fancy-dress costume evening gown by Victor Stiebel, ca. 1927. |
| Physical description | Design by Victor Stiebel for an evening gown in black and silver with an appliqué or embroidered snaked coiled round it from an uneven hem to bodice. The inside of the dress is lined in green and contrasts with the black exterior. The dress has a square neck line with large shoulder straps. The model is wearing a pearl choker with matching earrings and bracelet. The short bob hair cut with a fringe was typical of the era. There is a slight sketch for a dress on the mount of this design. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Fashion notes This is a very early design by the couturier Victor Stiebel, probably intended for a fancy dress party or as a theatrical costume rather than as evening dress, particularly as it is accessorised with a whip rather than more typical accessories. This design may have been inspired by Henri de Toulouse Lautrec's famous 1899 lithographic poster of the dancer Jane Avril wearing a black and red dress with a vibrant snake coiling around it in much the same manner as the snake coils round this design. However, the silhouette and cut of Stiebel's dress, a simple tubular line with an assymetrical hem and wide shoulder straps, are thoroughly up to date for 1927. The woman as portrayed appears to represent a popular archetype of the period, the "vamp" or "femme fatale", a predatory, sexually confident woman with heavy make-up and jewelry and a sharply cut hairstyle. - Daniel Milford-Cottam, February 2012 |
| Summary | Design by Victor Stiebel for an evening gown in black and silver with an appliqué or embroidered snake coiled round it from an uneven hem to bodice. The inside of the dress is lined in green and contrasts with the black exterior. The dress has a square neck line with large shoulder straps. The model is wearing a pearl choker with matching earrings and bracelet. The short bob hair cut with a fringe was typical of the era. There is a slight sketch for a dress on the mount of this design. Victor Steibel was born in South Africa. He moved to London in 1924 to study at Cambridge. Following an apprenticeship with the Reville and Rossiter fashion house, he opened his own Bruton Street couture house in 1932. After the Second World War he worked with Jacqmar and reopened his couture house in Cavendish Square in 1958. Steibel was a highly successful British designer, celebrated for his stylish feminine clothing, striped fabrics and evening wear. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1077-1983 |
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| Record created | January 10, 2004 |
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