This superb costume was designed by Oliver Messel for Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as Don Juan in the 1934 film The Private Life of Don Juan. A memo from Mr. Cunynghame of London Film Productions Ltd. to Messel, dated 16th February, 1934, shows that the original estimate for the 232 costumes needed for the film was £3,301 14s - more than the producer, Alexander Korda, had spent on his celebrated films The Private Life of Henry VIII or Catherine the Great. Drastic cuts were therefore ordered in the number of costumes to be made (the remainder to be hired) and in the materials used. However, obviously no expense was spared in making the star costumes; this suit is of the finest quality fabrics and the jacket and trews are entirely hand embroidered - testimony to Fairbanks's star status.

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. made his name playing handsome, swasbuckling, daredevils. He became the most famous of all silent screen heroes, but, like many, his career did not survive the coming of sound; audiences did not think that his voice matched his physique and style and The Private Life of Don Juan was his last film.

Oliver Messel (1904-1978) was Britain’s leading theatre designer throughout the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s, mastering every aspect of entertainment - ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue - as well working in interior decoration and textile design. His lavish, painterly and romantic concepts were perfectly in tune with the times and earned him an international reputation. By 1960, however, that style was becoming unfashionable, and Messel gradually abandoned theatre and built a new career designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.