Coat
Despite its long history of use as a lining, trimming, and accessory, mink did not become fashionable as a coat until the 1950s. During that decade, mink-along with other appurtenances of wealth, such as elaborately coiffed hair, flawless makeup, and ostentatious jewelry-came to define the everlasting stereotype of the bourgeois woman. Mink came to be linked with fame, fortune, glamour, and stardom, an association that was underscored in Blackglama's award-winning advertising campaign: "What Becomes a Legend Most?" Lauren Bacall was the first star to pose for the campaign, receiving this coat by Maximilian as payment. Traditional in terms of style and construction, the mink coat's iconic status is enhanced by its identification with the actress herself.
Artwork Details
- Title: Coat
- Designer: Maximilian
- Date: 1972
- Culture: American
- Medium: fur
- Credit Line: Gift of Lauren Bacall, 1979
- Object Number: 1979.324.38
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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