Chinese Mandarin costume acquired by Leonard Messel worn by Oliver Messel at Chelsea Arts Ball. Oliver Messel Collection.

Costume consisting of:
Full length, round necked, long sleeved Chinese robe of bright Prussian blue silk, lined with light blue silk, the sleeves ending in shaped cuffs lined with light blue silk brocade woven with Chinese motifs. The robe is cut on the diagonal from centre neck to right waist, fastening at neck and waist and to lower hip with blue silk loops and gold ball buttons. The centre front is slit to hip height, above which is a pleat into the upper body.
Thigh-length long sleeved shirt with mandarin collar in deep Prussian blue silk, the collar edged around with gold Russia braid. Front opening with deep Prussian blue silk covered ball button at top with loop buttonhole and press studs.
Wrap-around skirt, the broad waistband of dull blue linen with loop fastening. The skirt is of blue black silk, two sections pleated, each pleat edged with black silk tape with a broader band to the sides; each pleat is embroidered at the hem with flower motifs, mainly in pinks and blues. Outlined in broader black silk bands are two large embroidered panels with a corners showing multicoloured insects and fruits around a central pink flower; the panels are edged sides and bottom with a band of embroidered Chinese arabesques and floweres in shades of blue. The skirt is lined with dull blue linen. Fixed at the waist is a pocket in deep blue silk (later addition).
Pair of men's shoes, with wooden soles painted white; attached to the bases are stitched leather soles. The uppers are of yellow brocade, embroidered along both sides with black flowing motifs. From front vamp over the toes are fixed two strips of leather piping and a similar strip runs down the heels. The openings are edged with black satin. The shoes are lined with white cotton and across the foot is a band of elastic (perished)
Pair of women's shoes with high wooden soles, shaped front and back to short base and painted whiteish pink; attached to the bases are stitched leather soles. The uppers are of ivory brocade, with black satin heels and black satin trim around opening, below which is a band of turqoise green satin. Towards the back of the shoes, on either side, is an arabesque in pale dull mauve brocade and over the toe is a double applique velvet 'rosette' embroidered with a Chinese motif in black; to either side is a black velvet arabesque. The shoes are lined with leather.

Acquired with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and the Friends of the V&A

The costume was purchased by Oliver Messel's father, Leonard and then passed into Oliver Messel's collection. Messel noted that he wore it for the Chelsea Arts Ball.
Lord Snowdon, Oliver Messel's nephew, inherited Messel's theatre designs and other designs and artefacts. The designs were briefly stored in a disused chapel in Kensington Palace before being housed at the V&A from 1981 on indefinite loan. The V&A Theatre Museum purchased the Oliver Messel collection from Lord Snowdon in 2005.

Both Oliver Messel's parents, were interested in China and from the early 20th century his father, Leonard, collected Chinese fans, building up one of the finest collections in Britain; his mother, Maud, often bought outfits directly from China. This Chinese Mandarin costume was acquired by Leonard, but found its way into Oliver's collection. He would have admired it for its style and for the craftsmanship in the embroidered decoration. However, the family did not regard their collections as museum objects and Maud wore the clothes she acquired, which must have caused a sensation even in 'bohemian' society. Similarly, Oliver wore this costume for the Chelsea Arts Ball, for many years one of the most riotious (and often notorious) bohemian events of the year, where everyone tried to outdo each other in ever more imaginative and outlandish costumes. The ball was described in 1947 as 'the fabulous Chelsea Arts Ball (which) draws thousands of gay revelers to Albert Hall for a mad-cap round of gaiety and frolic, climaxed by a midnight brawl.'

Oliver Messel (1904-1978) was Britain's leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, working in every aspect of entertainment - ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue - as well as in interior decoration and textile design. His lavish, painterly and romantic designs informed by period styles, were perfectly in tune with his times and earned him an international reputation. By 1960, however, Messel's style had become unfashionable, having no sympathy with the new 'kitchen sink' school of theatre. He increasingly concentrated on his non-theatrical painting and designing and eventually retired to the Caribbean, where he began a new career designing and building highly idiosyncratic luxury villas.

S.8:1 to 7-2006