Evening Gown
ca. 1936 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Jeanne Lanvin's hallmark was understated elegance. Simplicity and grace are key notes in this floor-length chiffon evening robe. Shimmering strips of gilded leather enhance the diaphanous fabric. Each minute strip is perfectly positioned and carefully stitched around the edges to form a strong and regular vertical pattern over the entire garment. The strips appear to fall like a continuous shower of gold, emphasising the gown's flowing style. It has an unfitted bodice and voluminous sleeves which are gathered at the wrists. A column-like skirt falls in soft folds from the gathered waist to the hem.
Jeanne Lanvin was born in Brittany. In 1890 she opened her millinery shop on the rue Faubourg Saint Honoré and attracted a large clientele. Lanvin maintained that the exquisite embroideries for which her house became famous were the foundations of her collections. Her inspiration and choice of colours often came from nature or works of art.
Jeanne Lanvin was born in Brittany. In 1890 she opened her millinery shop on the rue Faubourg Saint Honoré and attracted a large clientele. Lanvin maintained that the exquisite embroideries for which her house became famous were the foundations of her collections. Her inspiration and choice of colours often came from nature or works of art.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silk chiffon, applied with gilded kid leather |
| Brief description | Evening gown of silk chiffon applied with gilded kid leather, designed by Jeanne Lanvin, France, ca. 1936 |
| Physical description | Evening gown of white silk chiffon with applied strips of gilded kid leather. The dress is full length and has a medium low neck and long full 'bishop' sleeves, set into the neckline. The waist is at natural level. The dress is softly gathered, gauged at the neck and waist. The gilt leather strips are stitched at intervals in bands down the front. Gilt leather trims the bottom. The dress fastens with hooks at either side of the front neck and there is a hook fastening at the placket. With the designer's hallmark of understated elegance, the frail semi-transparent fabric is inventively decorated with machine-stitched applique strips of gilded kid leather. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Lady Glenconner |
| Object history | The model Bella Ariel, who worked with Jeanne Lanvin between 1934 and 1943, was photographed by Dora Kallmus wearing this design. Ariel was born in Istanbul, Turkey on 21 May 1912. She settled in Paris, France with her family around 1925. In 1934 the first known photographs of Ariel as a model, for Jean Patou and Lanvin, were published in Femina and Vogue. She started working exclusively for Lanvin, including during the German occupation of France during World War Two. In June 1943 Ariel was arrested in Paris and detained in Drancy, before being taken, on 18 July, to Auschwitz concentration camp in German occupied Poland. She is thought to have been murdered in a gas chamber there in 1943, aged 31. With thanks to Arnaud Nemet for providing details about Bella Ariel in 2022 and 2023, added to the record in 2024. |
| Summary | Jeanne Lanvin's hallmark was understated elegance. Simplicity and grace are key notes in this floor-length chiffon evening robe. Shimmering strips of gilded leather enhance the diaphanous fabric. Each minute strip is perfectly positioned and carefully stitched around the edges to form a strong and regular vertical pattern over the entire garment. The strips appear to fall like a continuous shower of gold, emphasising the gown's flowing style. It has an unfitted bodice and voluminous sleeves which are gathered at the wrists. A column-like skirt falls in soft folds from the gathered waist to the hem. Jeanne Lanvin was born in Brittany. In 1890 she opened her millinery shop on the rue Faubourg Saint Honoré and attracted a large clientele. Lanvin maintained that the exquisite embroideries for which her house became famous were the foundations of her collections. Her inspiration and choice of colours often came from nature or works of art. |
| Bibliographic reference | For an image of the model Bella Ariel wearing this design, see Dean L. Merceron (ed), Lanvin, Rizzoli, 2007, p. 182 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.61-1967 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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