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Evening Dress

1940 (made)
Artist/Maker
Elsa Schiaparelli (designer)
Place of origin
Paris (made)

Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) enjoyed the enormous publicity that her more bizarre creations generated, but her less provocative designs rarely caused a furore and have been somewhat neglected. She often referred to her simple black dresses and their versatility, and regularly wore black herself. Schiaparelli gave this dress to the V&A after her retirement.

Here she composed a short-sleeved dress in matt black crepe. The extremely simple, fluid shape is relieved by a slashed neckline and a bold embroidered spray of lilies (by the specialist embroidery company Lesage) in various sizes of pearls, sequins and metallic strip. The dress fastens with a black plastic zip on the left-hand side.

Object details

Categories
Evening Wear
Fashion
Womenswear
Embroidery
Textiles
Object type
Evening dress
Materials and techniques
Embroidered silk crêpe, pearls, sequins, metal strip, plastic
Brief description
Evening dress of embroidered silk crêpe with pearls, sequins and metal strip, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, Paris, 1940
Physical description
Evening dress of embroidered black silk crêpe. With a large embroidered lily motif on the breast carried out in pearls of graduated sizes, sequins and metal strip and thread for the leaves. The dress is floor length and has a high round neck with a small central slip at the centre front, and the neck dips to a waist length 'V' flanked by pleats at the centre back. The dress has no waist seam at the front, which is made in two pieces, but there is one at the back. The sleeves are small and slightly gathered into the shoulder. Fastens with a black plastic zip on the left hand side. Unlined.
Dimensions
  • Length: 148.5cm (Note: maximum length from shoulder to hem)
  • Width: 74.5cm (Note: width at skirt hem)
  • Circumference: 890mm (Note: Bust, (open back))
  • Circumference: 710mm (Note: waist)
  • Width: 381mm (Note: shoulder seam to shoulder seam)
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Schiaparelli, 21 Place Vendome, Paris, Automne 1940' (On a printed label inside the right-hand seam of the skirt)
  • '14173' (Writted in ink on the back of the printed label)
Gallery label
EVENING DRESS, embroidered silk crépe
French, Paris, Schiaparelli, Autumn 1940

Schiaparelli designed clothes that were almost theatrical in their impact. She favoured strong colours, including deep reds and purples as well as her own shocking pink but she also used a great deal of black for restrained and supremely elegant garments. Vogue and Harper's Bazaar frequently illustrated her '30s creations in black. Her autobiography "Shocking Life" often refers to her black dresses... "I had designed a very plain black dress typically Schiap, a dress that was high in the neck and could be worn at the office and at the theatre, the sort of dress I wear all day myself." The dress on display is one she wore, although she has relieved its severity with a bold spray of lilies embroidered in pearls, sequins and gilt metallic thread and strip. Another quote from her autobiography contains interesting details about the women who bought black - "Curiously enough, in spite of Schiap's apparent craziness and love of fun and gags, her greatest fans were the ultra-smart and conservative women, wives of diplomats and bankers, milllionaires and artists, who liked severe suits and plain black dresses."

Worn and given by Madame Elsa Schiaparelli
T.48-1965
Credit line
Given by Madame Elsa Schiaparelli
Production
Autumn 1940
Summary
Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) enjoyed the enormous publicity that her more bizarre creations generated, but her less provocative designs rarely caused a furore and have been somewhat neglected. She often referred to her simple black dresses and their versatility, and regularly wore black herself. Schiaparelli gave this dress to the V&A after her retirement.

Here she composed a short-sleeved dress in matt black crepe. The extremely simple, fluid shape is relieved by a slashed neckline and a bold embroidered spray of lilies (by the specialist embroidery company Lesage) in various sizes of pearls, sequins and metallic strip. The dress fastens with a black plastic zip on the left-hand side.
Bibliographic reference
Mendes, Valerie. Black In Fashion. London: V&A Publications, 1999.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.48-1965

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Record createdFebruary 19, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O74727/evening-dress-elsa-schiaparelli/
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